An exploratory study of teacher talk in EFL classroom interaction

While classroom interaction has been extensively examined in language education, studies remain scarce in the Ethiopian tertiary EFL context. This research explored the types and communicative functions of teacher talk used during speaking lessons, with particular attention to how interaction unfolded through the Initiation–Response–Feedback (IRF) structure. Framed within a constructivist paradigm, the study drew on classroom observations and interviews to analyze teacher talk using the FLINT system and Sinclair and Coulthard's IRF model. The findings revealed that teacher discourse was dominated by direct initiation moves, particularly informing, which led classroom talk in a largely teacher-centred manner. Although some indirect strategies, notably questioning for elicitation, were employed, these often failed to prompt extended student responses, resulting in truncated or incomplete IRF cycles. The response and feedback phases were often omitted, which limited opportunities for dialogic engagement and learner uptake. This suggests that teachers' attempts at interaction were not always aligned with the real-time dynamics of the classroom, as their input lacked contextual adaptation and comprehensible scaffolding. The study argues that adopting recommended talk types alone is insufficient unless grounded in an awareness of how communicative functions operate within specific classroom exchanges. To promote effective classroom interaction, instructors must develop adaptive expertise in managing IRF patterns more strategically—particularly by balancing informative input with responsive questioning and meaningful feedback that can sustain learner involvement and support language development.