This study focuses on developing a framework to identify dialogic interaction in English-medium science lectures in a small faculty of a Sri Lankan university. In Sri Lanka, English-medium instruction was introduced with an objective of developing language proficiency of students along with the content delivery. It is asserted that teacher-student interaction in ESL content classes would help develop language proficiency of students. However, generally, lectures in English-medium undergraduate courses in Sri Lanka tend to be monologic, leaving the language development a question. The lecture delivery style, along with other reasons, affects students’ language development in English-medium classes. Although increased dialogic interaction could help change this situation, few studies have examined the occurrence of dialogic interaction in tertiary-level ESL science classes. The main objective of this study is to develop a framework by analysing the lectures given at the faculty in a method that contextually suits the lecture delivery style in the Asian countries. Data were collected from transcribed recordings of 12 hours of lectures, involving four lecturers. The interactional episodes in the lectures were the basis of developing the analytical framework, which refines and extends the MICASE corpus interactivity rating in a contextually-focused way, was especially designed to categorise the lecture discourse along a monologic-interactive/dialogic continuum. This paper also suggests how this framework could be adopted to analyse the lecture deliveries from a practitioner’s point of view. Within the scope of this paper it is explained how this framework was designed focusing attention to interactional episodes. It can be envisaged that the proposed framework can make a concrete contribution to teaching and learning in higher education, mainly to the concept of developing language through dialogic lecture delivery at tertiary level ESL content classes.

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Introduction of English Medium Instruction (EMI) is linked to language development, mainly in countries where English is not the mother tongue of the majority of the population. It is believed that teacher questions that trigger teacher-student interaction, especially dialogic interaction in an EMI classroom, can help students’ content and language development. Hence, this study investigates the types of questions lecturers ask, and the patterns of interaction developed in the lecture deliveries in English Medium Instruction (EMI) undergraduate lectures of a Sri Lankan university. It also looks into the underlying reasons for such practices. Six lectures delivered by two lecturers were recorded for this purpose and they were transcribed verbatim. The lecture transcripts were analysed to find the questions lecturers asked and the subsequent pattern of interactions developed. Interview with lecturers informed the underlying reasons for the existing questioning patterns. The majority of the questions asked by the lecturers were rhetorical in nature, and only a limited number of non-rhetorical questions, which could create meaningful interactional episodes of dialogic nature, were found. This study enlightens that lecturers should be trained to ask non-rhetorical questions in order to develop interaction if the objectives of EMI are to be achieved.

Ragging is a form of teasing introduced into Sri Lankan universities with an alleged aim of assimilating new students to the university culture. The origin of ragging is not known and over the years ragging has become a form of violent action and bullying, which harms junior students physically as well as mentally. It is generally accepted that classroom interaction would help develop students’ English language proficiency, especially speaking skills. Among some of the reasons for students not to involve in interaction with lecturers, ragging (hazing) in universities seems to play a significant role. The study focused on the effects of ragging on students’ participation in language classes and their involvement in classroom discussions with lecturers, especially in the English medium content classes. Classroom discussion in the English medium classes is believed to be effective in improving the comprehension of content matters while offering a platform to develop language skills as well. Data were collected through focus group discussions and personal interviews with students and the staff of the university. The study revealed that multi-faceted sub-set of factors influenced students' behaviour in class. Students’ perception and justification of the said behaviour affect classroom interaction. Among the significant sub-set of factors, culturally embedded behavioural patterns perpetuated by senior students that come in the form of ragging seem to restrict the classroom interaction of the students in English. The study stresses the importance of examining the influence of culturally embedded behavioural factors on classroom interaction of the undergraduate community.

This study examines the possibility of using of IRF (Initiation-Response-Follow-up) sequence of teacher-student interaction in Sri Lankan ESL (English as a Second Language) classes for developing longer interactional exchanges which are believed to be useful for language development. Usually, in Sri Lankan ESL classes, teachers ask more display questions and a few referential questions. As a result, teacher-student interaction occurs only occasionally and they follow the traditional IRF pattern with an evaluation at the third move. Teachers could develop longer interactional exchanges by giving follow-up questions or prompts at the third move of the IRF sequence so that students respond, elaborate, explain or prolong their responses. This study examines how the teacher trainees on their teaching practice of a TESL degree programme at a university interacted with their students in ESL classes and how they changed their pattern of interaction to sustain more student interaction. Using lecture discourse data as the basis of the analysis, this study evaluated the changes after an intervention that focussed on training the teacher trainees in developing longer interactional episodes. The results revealed that there was only a slight improvement in the way teacher trainees maintained interactions in the lessons after the intervention. Hence, this study enlightens the possibility of utilizing interaction for language development through intensive teacher training.