Student-teacher classroom interaction: a case study of an American and a foreign TA

Abstract

Videotapes of two math TAs--one American and one foreign--were analyzed and compared in terms of student-initiated student-teacher interaction (questions directed to the TA). In addition, the TAS and students who asked questions were interviewed & the resulting 'interpretive analysis' was also used as a basis for comparison and as a way of getting at speakers' 'intended meanings'. The analyses showed that the FTA had more difficulty, compared with the American TA, in terms of handling student-initiated interaction. In particular, the FTA experienced more difficulty in: 1) fielding questi9ns related to classroom bureaucracy than to course content and 2) handling restatements of original questions that deviated considerably from the original. Suggestions for improving the interactive component of TA training courses including the provision of videotaped genuine TA classes and recommendations for further research are included.