From Drill to Interaction: Creative Uses of the IRF Model in EFL Instruction

This paper discusses several issues related to the popular IRF model (initiation, response, feedback), often used in language classes, particularly at lower levels of L2 education. As indicated by the opinions cited in the article and by research results, the traditional model of this didactic procedure is not very eff ective, and students do not receive the emotional support necessary for learning a second language. The article indicates that the use of improvements based on natural creativity resulting from both the desire to enrich language classes and to obtain stronger accents of internal motivation in students can lead to eff ective participation of students in activities based on the aforementioned teaching model and introduce them to issues of more positively marked principles and rules of discourse. In addition to a theoretical and literature- based discussion, the article presents a small-scale classroom case study illustrating the eff ects of a creative IRF-based role-play intervention on learners’ speaking performance. An illustrative example is provided to show how lessons can be organised based on the IRF model, while taking into account not only the benefi ts resulting from the creative approach of the language course, but also the ones that both students and their teachers can expect in this case. The study thus combines a conceptual discussion with empirical classroom data derived from a pretest–posttest design. While the limitations of the traditional IRF model and the pedagogical value of creativity in language instruction have been discussed in previous research, the present study adopts a case-study approach to empirically illustrate how a creative IRF-based intervention functions in a secondary-level EFL classroom.