Teacher talk in EAP classes: transition to post-liminal understanding

Abstract

Abstract Effective teacher talk has been reported to be dependent upon the teacher having post-liminal (higher levels of) understanding and has been operationalized as aligning one’s talk with the pedagogic purpose. In EAP classes, however, there are some instances where enacting effective teacher talk can be challenging. This article reports on one such instance by drawing on fifty-one hours of classroom video-recordings and seventeen hours of reflective meetings. It explores EAP teachers’ responses to learner initiatives, tapping into the teachers’ subject knowledge deficit. It also examines the potential of data-led dialogic reflective practice to enable teachers to skilfully manage the interacting influences of face, authority, ethics, input, and learner participation in EAP classes.