Developments in Conversation Theory: Actual and Potential Applications

Built-In Learner Participation Potential of Locally- and Globally-Designed ELT Materials

This study aims at empirically measuring a universal criterion for materials evaluation, i.e., learning opportunities, in a locally- and a globally-designed materials. Adopting the conceptual framework of sociocultural theory and its conceptualization of learning as participation (Donato, 2000), the researchers utilized the methodological power of conversation analysis to examine how opportunit...

Assessment and Monitoring for Railway Tracks Reliability and Safety using Nondestructive Testing Measurement Systems

The deterioration of railway tracks raises great concerns about the integrity of assessments and evaluations of railway tracks currently in service. Integrated inspection strategies coupled with innovations in inspection technology can lead to significant improvements in operational cost efficiency and reliability without the requirement of a fundamental shift in the existing understanding o...

Developments in Conversation Theory - Part 1

Exploring the Potential of a Mobile Messaging Application for Self-Initiated Language Learning

With the rapid expansion of deploying mobile instant messaging applications such as Telegram for the purpose of language learning, it is quite apparent that language research in this regard is lagging behind the trend. This study addressed the matter by exploring how language learners utilize a Telegram group for the purpose of language learning. In this regard, the activities of a Telegram lan...

LEARNER INITIATIVES ACROSS QUESTION-ANSWER SEQUENCES: A CONVERSATION ANALYTIC ACCOUNT OF LANGUAGE CLASSROOM DISCOURSE

This paper investigates learner-initiated responses to English language teachers’ referential questions and learner initiatives after teachers’ feedback moves in meaning-focused question-answer sequences to analyze how interactional practices of language teachers, their initiation and feedback moves, facilitate learner initiatives. Classroom discourse research has largely neglected learner init...