Do learners learn from classroom interaction and does the teacher have a role to play?

This article describes a study that sought to investigate possible links between classroom interaction and the learning of new vocabulary. Twenty-four learners, all but one from Asian backgrounds, were asked to report the new words they could recall immediately after their lessons. They were then tested at two weekly and six weekly intervals for retention of the new vocabulary items. Following this, transcripts of the classroom interaction in each lesson were examined closely to see if connections could be established between teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction and the recall/retention of new vocabulary. The study found both positive and negative links between mentioning new words, repeating new words, focusing upon new words, turn-taking around new words and the recall and retention of new vocabulary. It was also found that learners recalled vocabulary items that the teacher intended to teach and which were made pivotal to the interaction of the lesson as well as items that arose spontaneously during the lesson.