A conversation-analytic perspective of repair initiation in ESL classroom interactions

Classroom interaction in English as a second language context is not a faultless process. The process can be fraught with difficulties hearing, speaking or comprehending, which may result in breakdown in communication among interlocutors. One accessible conversation mechanism for resolving trouble sources is through the employment of repair initiation (Atar and Seedhouse, 2018). This study investigates the nature and function of repair initiation in Ghanaian ESL classrooms by qualitatively analysing 52 h of recordings of ESL classroom interactions. The data is examined focusing explicitly on the repair initiation mechanism. Results from this study provide a discovery of verbal and non-verbal repair initiations as a resource to clarify conversation breakdown. These insights offer empirical contributions to the literature on L2 interactional competence and classroom discourse. Furthermore, the study underscores the pedagogical relevance of repair mechanisms, highlighting the need for teacher professional development programs to include explicit training on managing communication breakdowns in ESL settings.