An analysis of interactions in English as a foreign language classrooms in Mexico: implications of classroom behaviour and beliefs for speaking practice

This study explored the nature of classroom interactions in which teachers and learners from a Mexican university engaged to practise speaking. Throughout a five-year programme, learners in this context are trained to become EFL teachers or translators, and are also expected to learn the language skills to an advanced proficiency level. In a previous study conducted in the same context (Garcia Ponce, 2011), learners were found to obtain passing grades in speaking tests, but were perceived to develop a low oral competence which deters them from communicating. Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis, the study draws attention to the role of teacher and learner ideologies in language learning outcomes, showing how the teachers' and learners' diverse and sometimes conflicting beliefs shaped the nature of classroom interactions and speaking practice. In particular, the teachers' and learners' interactional- and teaching and learning-related choices and beliefs were found to influence three aspects of learner talk: oral performance, discourse functions, and negotiations of meaning. This study concludes that the teachers and learners need support from inside and outside their classrooms to break away from existing pedagogical beliefs and interactional behaviour to try new approaches which might be more beneficial for developing learners' speaking skills