ERIC Number: EJ1460407
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Feb
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0142-6001
EISSN: EISSN-1477-450X
Available Date: 2023-11-24
How Do Students Receive Help from Teachers? Initiating Assistance in Small Group Classroom Interactions
Marit Skarbø Solem1; Rein Ove Sikveland2; Elizabeth Stokoe3; Karianne Skovholt1
Applied Linguistics, v46 n1 p75-90 2025
How do teachers decide when and how to help their students if not explicitly asked to do so? Based on conversation analysis of 14 h of video-recorded small group interactions in secondary schools, we discovered that teachers and students orient to subtle actions built through embodied conduct, to decide whether or not assistance is needed. We also found that problem-solving can be initiated without disturbing students' progress and that the teachers' movement creates opportunities for students to recruit their assistance in small group classroom interaction. The study contributes to conversation analytic and educational research by showing that embodiment is crucial for receiving and offering assistance in classrooms. In addition, this article provides insights into how experienced teachers manage the subtle and negotiated aspects of supporting learning in classrooms, an important and recurring part of classroom management that has received little attention in previous research.
Descriptors: Teacher Role, Helping Relationship, Small Group Instruction, Secondary School Teachers, Secondary School Students, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Context Effect
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Languages and Literature studies, University of South-Eastern Norway, Borre, Norway; 2Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; 3Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK