Exploring Pauses in English ReadingClassroom Interaction:A Conversation Analytic Approach

Abstract： This paper examined the pedagogical employment of pauses in classroominteractions in EFL reading lessons in senior high school using a conversationanalytic approach. The data for this study were collected from two EFL classes at thesame Chinese high school， each taught by a different teacher. The length and contextof pauses naturally occurring in the whole lessons were analyzed in terms of readinglessons in EFL classrooms. Findings were as follows. Appropriately prolonged pausescombined with teachers’explicit interventions can enhance the quality and quantityof students’ answers and promote their involvement， maximizing their learningopportunity. These results offer valuable insights for recommendations regardingclassroom interactions for teaching reading in English lessons in senior high school.

Key words： conversation analysis; pause; English reading teaching; classroominteraction; turn-taking

1. Introduction

This paper attempts to examine the way to employ pauses within the context ofEnglish reading classroom interaction in high school. “There are talking words andwords talked， like talking silences and silences talked” （Baldini， 1988： 14）. Silentpauses are scarcely just the complete refusal to speak. Instead， in different turntaking structures， they have different roles， giving rise to various interactionalbehaviours （Ingram & Elliott， 2014）

Pauses shape the structure of students’participation， potentially enhance thequality of their responses and cultivate students’thinking ability. So far， somestudies have explored pauses as part of the sequential organization observing lessonsof a certain subject such as mathematics （e.g.， Ingram & Elliott， 2014; Maroni，Gnisci & Pontecorvo， 2008; Maroni， 2011）. However， few relevant studies havestepped into a certain lesson type of a subject such as English reading class in highschool. A conversation analytic approach provides a more detailed insight into therole of pauses in classroom interaction （Walsh， 2013）. Therefore， this study aims toexplore the pedagogical significance and the employment of pauses in Englishreading classroom interaction in high school using a conversation analytic approach.

2. Literature review

2.1 Turn-taking in classroom interaction

The sequential-production model （Sacks， Schegloff， & Jefferson， 1974） posits thatturn-taking in conversation occurs at transition relevance places （TRPs）， which arethe ends of turn constructional units like words， phrases， clauses， or sentences.According to Sacks et al. （1974）， conversations generally follow these rules： Only oneperson speaks at a time， with minimal overlaps and no gaps. When a speaker finishesa turn and nominates someone to continue， that person must speak next withoutinterruption. If no one is nominated， any participant can take the floor， and if no onedoes， the current speaker may continue

However， classroom turn-taking often differs from ordinary conversation due toinherent features of classroom interaction （McHoul， 1978; van Lier， 1984）. Inclassrooms， interactions are less discursive and more focused on pedagogical goals，with the teacher typically dominating the communicative rights and duties， arrangingturn-taking and controlling turn-taking and topics （Seedhouse， 2004; G佼mez Alemany& Mauri Maj佼s， 2000; Margutti， 2006; Walsh， 2002）.

For example， based on the analysis of geography classrooms， McHoul （1978）found that the turn-taking rules differ from those in ordinary conversation. First， onlythe teacher has the right to be the initial speaker. Second， the teacher can nominatethe next speaker， but if they don’t， they must continue speaking， preventing studentsfrom self-selecting. Third， students usually select the teacher as the next speaker，reflecting the teacher’s dominant role. If a student doesn’t nominate the nextspeaker， another student can self-select， with the teacher’s approval， or the currentstudent can continue speaking. Such similar phenomena also largely prevail theconversations in the TESOL classroom （Walsh， 2002）.

In conclusion， classroom turn-taking emphasizes the teacher’s right to speakfirst， minimizing overlap and preventing students from self -selecting as the nextspeaker. This structure allows teachers to pause and create space in their turnswithout interruptions from students.

2.2 Pauses in classroom interaction

Sacks et al. （1974） identify three types of silences in everyday conversation：gaps， lapses， and pauses. A pause occurs within a turn， such as when a speakerselects the next speaker but then remains silent， causing a salient pause （Levinson，1983）. A gap happens before a new speaker is chosen， before another participantchooses himself to speak， or before the current speaker resumes （Jaworski， 1993： 17）.A lapse is a prolonged gap when neither the current speaker nor another participantspeaks. In classrooms， teachers often take the next turn if there is silence， resultingin few lapses.

While silent pauses do not convey spoken content， they carry significantinformation and are intricately linked with discourse （Clair， 1998）. In everydayconversations， pauses can express a range of emotions and attitudes， such ashostility， sympathy， agreement， or disagreement （Maroni， 2011）. In classroom settings，pauses also play crucial roles in the teaching and learning process.

A fundamental role of pauses in teaching is to manage student participation andmaintain classroom order （McHoul， 1978）. Typically， a teacher asks a question ormakes a statement， pauses， and then nominates a student to respond， therebycontrolling both verbal and non-verbal student participation.