Analyzing Input and Interaction in Second Language Classrooms

Current theories of language input, interaction and second language acquisition have claimed that the kind of language input that has been made available to the learners and the kind of interac tion that they have been involved in have important effects on the language acquired. It has been hypothesized that input which is com prehensible and interaction which has been modified best facilitate second language acquisition. Since the classroom is one of the few places where comprehensible input and modified interaction are made available, and since the teacher is an important source of in put, this paper suggests that it is essential for ESL teachers to analyze what actually has gone on in their own language classrooms. It pro poses a system for analyzing input and interaction in the classroom. This system is then applied to two English lessons in secondary schools in Hong Kong. The observations are discussed in the context of current theories of input, interaction and second language acquisi tion.