A Comparative Study of Sequences Elicited by Incomplete Utterances in EFL Classroom Interaction

The sequence plays a central role in EFL classroom interaction. Incomplete Utterance(IU) is universally found in EFL classroom, and many scholars mention the sequences elicited by IUs. However, little research has been done to compare IU sequences between an experienced EFL teacher’s classroom interaction and a novice EFL teacher’s classroom interaction in China. Therefore, this study aims to explore the similarities and the differences in terms of locations, formats, and the number of pedagogical functions of their IU sequences. The study eventually finds that both of them use IU sequences in the same interactional locations and with the same formats, and they both use IU to check students’ knowledge, engage more students in classroom interaction, and help students solve outputting difficulties. The differences are that the experienced teacher designs more IUs to elicit students to display knowledge than the novice teacher and there is no student initiation of IU sequence in the novice teacher’s classroom interaction. The findings can enrich English teaching practice and English teacher development.