Initiation-Response-Follow-Up and Beyond: An Analysis of Discourse in a Tutorial Setting

• In Event: 44.071 - Research in Reading and Literacy SIG III

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of discourse occurring in a tutoring setting. Because tutoring interactions approximate the give-and-take and addressivity of conversation, the study is framed using Bakhtin’s construct of dialogism. Audio-recordings of 30 tutoring sessions were transcribed and analyzed, employing move, nuclear exchange, and sequence as the primary discourse codes. Findings demonstrate that tutoring interactions: (a) were characterized by particular discourse patterns such as asking questions, providing information, and demonstrating strategy use, (b) exhibited particular power dynamics relating to interruptions, tentative language, supportive language and silence, and (c) differed from those found in the research literature in terms of responsivity, variety, and balance.

Author

• Elizabeth L. Jaeger, The University of Arizona