Empirical analysis of teacher-student interaction patterns in synchronous online learning: Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Vietnam

Abstract

Synchronous online learning (SOL) is becoming a common learning modality among students in higher education. However, concerns remain about student loneliness, stress, anxiety, and social isolation arising from reduced face-to-face interaction. Students’ language learning often depends on teacher-student interaction, an important element of language acquisition. While studies examine interaction types and their frequencies, how these occur in SOL needs more focus. This exploratory study explored various interaction patterns between a university teacher and students in an online English class delivered through Microsoft Teams. Interaction transcript data were extracted from fourteen SOL sessions and analyzed using Content and Thematic Analyses. The findings reveal five interaction patterns: Moving along, Coaxing, Degrading, Demanding, and Polling. Data were further analyzed for prevalence and frequencies. Moving along was the most prominent pattern observed in the data. In this pattern, the teacher tends to progress the learning activities after observing students performing satisfactorily on a given task. Coaxing was the second frequently observed pattern. It entails the teacher encouraging interaction among students when they sense students are delaying their response to particular activities, stimulating in-depth discussion. Degrading and Demanding were the least common patterns to students’ unsatisfactory responses. Polling interaction patterns occurred fairly often when students were given time and space to respond to the teacher’s query, intended to improve engagement. The study provides a generic and practical view of interaction patterns in SOL and implications for teaching and learning in SOL environments.