The Role of Teacher Talk and Interactional Scaffolding in Modern Communicative Classrooms for ESL: A Review Study

Abstract

This narrative literature review synthesizes empirical and conceptual research (2014-2025) on teacher talk and interactional scaffolding in ESL/EFL classrooms to explain how interactional practices create learning opportunities aligned with Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Drawing on sociocultural theory, interactional/CA-informed classroom research, and SLA perspectives, the review maps recurring interactional mechanisms through which teachers shape participation: contingent questioning, expansion moves, input modification, feedback sequences, and wait-time management. Across studies, teacher talk appears not as neutral input but as a mediational resource that organizes turntaking, sustains learner contributions, and supports negotiation of meaning. The synthesis further shows that scaffolding is most effective when it is contingent, co-constructed, and responsive to learners’ moment-by-moment needs, although evidence remains limited about long-term development and online/multimodal contexts. The review concludes with implications for CLT-oriented pedagogy, emphasizing interactional sensitivity, reduced evaluative closure, and scaffolded participation as pathways to strengthen learners’ interactional competence and communicative development.