Moving out of IRF (Initiation-Response-Feedback): A Single Case Analysis

A common practice in classroom discourse is the IRF sequence (teacher initiation-student response-teacher feedback; Sinclair & Coulthard, 1975; cf. IRE in Mehan, 1979). Based on a single case analysis from an adult English as a second language (ESL) class, this article demonstrates how one ESL student manages, in close coordination with the teacher, to move out of a series of uninterrupted IRFs during a homework review activity, establishing instead a renewed participation structure that allows for student-initiated negotiations, which her coparticipants then jointly orient to and successfully accomplish. The analysis suggests that creating negotiation-rich opportunities is paramount not just during pair and group activities, but more critically, during teacher-whole class interactions.