The effect of instructor stance on ESL speakers' language production in a conversation group setting

Numerous approaches to second language teaching emphasize the important role of instructors in eliciting extended language production from their students (Walsh, 2011 and Wong and Waring, 2010). To shed light on the relationship between instructors' elicitation techniques and student talk, the current study analyzed the content exchanges initiated by preservice instructors (N = 19) during conversation group discussions. More specifically, this study examines how the instructor's stance (evaluative or non-evaluative) affected the language production of the ESL speakers. The findings indicated that non-evaluative exchanges elicited more student talk than evaluative exchanges. Additional insight into the relationship between stance and student responses to instructor-initiated exchanges is provided through excerpts from the conversation groups. Implications are discussed in terms of raising preservice instructors' awareness of social positioning and its impact on student interaction.