Understanding Basic English Users’ Classroom Interaction: A Case Study

Abstract

This qualitative case study seeks to understand the importance of interaction in an A1-English language course at a public university in Colombia. Data were collected through six non-participant observations and four semi-structured interviews. Data were organized and analyzed by using MAXQDA software. These instruments provided enough information of the participants’ perspectives about the importance of interaction when learning a new language. With these instruments, it was also possible to find the types of interaction that occurred between the participating teacher and students in the observed foreign language classroom. The findings reveal five different interaction patterns that emerged depending on its purpose, who started them, when they occurred, and how they were given.