Unveiling Power Dynamics in Online ESL Conversation Classes: A Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis of the IRF Pattern
Keywords:
critical classroom discourse analysis; ESL; IRF pattern; power dynamics; tutor-student interaction
Abstract
This study explores power dynamics in online ESL conversation classes through the lens of the Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) pattern, a widely used discourse structure in classroom interactions. The research aims to examine how IRF shapes tutor-student interactions, influences student participation, and impacts learning performance. Utilizing a qualitative research approach, specifically Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis (CCDA), the study analyzes recorded ESL conversation sessions from online platforms to identify patterns of discourse control, student agency, and negotiation of power. The Findings reveal that while the IRF pattern facilitates structured learning, it also reinforces power asymmetry, with tutors predominantly controlling discourse flow and topic management. However, variations in feedback mechanisms, such as open-ended questioning and elaborative responses, create opportunities for more balanced interactions. The study highlights the need for ESL tutors to adopt more inclusive discourse strategies that encourage student-led discussions and minimize hierarchical barriers in online learning environments. The implications suggest that modifying the IRF structure to allow greater student participation fosters communicative competence and enhances learner confidence.
References
Alamrani, D. M. (2020). The Significance of Digital Communication in ESL (English as a Second Language) Improvement. Middle East Journal for Scientific Publishing, 3(2), 10–45.
Ariska, R., Rosyid, O. A., & Puspitasari, D. (2024). Classroom Interaction Using IRF Pattern Carried Out by Lecturer in English Classrooms: A Discourse Analysis. Journal of English Language Learning, 8(1), 479–490. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v8i1.9243
Badash, M. (2025). The Effectiveness of Teacher-Student Interaction in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom. World Journal of English Language, 15(2), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v15n2p129
Brooke, M., Wai-Cook, M. S.-S., & Ramazanu, S. (2021). Seeking to Reduce Physical Distancing in Teacher-Student Interactions. Online Education: Teaching in a Time of Change, 280–290.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dahmash, N. B. (2021). Synchronous and Asynchronous English Writing Classes in the EFL Context: Students’ Practices and Benefits. Arab World English Journal, 12(2), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no2.7
Dalia, A. C., & Putra, F. R. (2024). The Initiation, Response, and Feedback (Irf) in English Language Teaching: a Literature Review. Jurnal Ilmiah Spectral, 10(1), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.47255/ya5nfp19
Dey-Plissonneau, A., Lee, H., Pradier, V., Scriney, M., & Smeaton, A. F. (2021). The L2L System for Second Language Learning Using Visualised Zoom Calls Among Students. European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, 409–412.
Duan, Q. (2024). The Bidirectional Impact of Immersive Experiential Learning on Students’ Emotional Regulation and Learning Motivation in Higher Education. Journal of Higher Education Research, 5(5), 414–416. https://doi.org/10.32629/jher.v5i5.3042
Eye, B. (2024). Interactions between Classroom Discourse and Cultural Identities. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 6(1), 29–49.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings. Pantheon Books.
Han, K. (2021). Fostering students’ autonomy and engagement in EFL classroom through proximal classroom factors: Autonomy-supportive behaviors and student-teacher relationships. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 767079. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.767079
Hidayatullah, E. (2024). Analyzing classroom interactions focusing on IRF patterns and turn-taking. English Learning Innovation (Englie), 5(2), 186–196. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v5i2.33535
Huong, L. P. H., & Hung, B. P. (2021). Mediation of Digital Tools in English Learning. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 14(2), 512–528.
Isidório, M. S., & Reis, M. (2023). The Dialectic of Control in the Classroom: Agency and Exercise of Power Between Teachers and “Pre-adolescent” Students. In The Social Construction of Adolescence in Contemporaneity (Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, Vol. 31) (pp. 123–146). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-466120230000031009
Kumaravadivelu, B. (1999). Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis. TESOL Quarterly, 33(3), 453–484.
Manke, M. P. (1997). Classroom Power Relations: Understanding Student-teacher Interaction (1st ed.). Routledge.
Mariam, A. (2024). A discourse analysis of blind spots in Sinclair and Coulthard (1992) model of classroom discourse. International Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 13(3), 464–477. https://doi.org/10.55493/5019.v13i3.5195
Minosky, S. A., Aini, N. E., Justus, B. J., & Bali, T. (2024). The Effect of Video Camera, Microphone and Chat Box Use on Social Presence and Engagement in an Online Group Activity. Online Learning Journal, 28(4), 328–344. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v28i4.4133
Monteblanco, A. D. (2021). Power Dynamics, Common Pitfalls, and Successful Strategies Associated with Co-Teaching. College Teaching, 69(2), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2020.1810610
O’Connor, C., & Joffe, H. (2020). Intercoder Reliability in Qualitative Research: Debates and Practical Guidelines. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919899220
Pu, Y.-E. A., & Barnard, R. (2025). Teacher and Learner Agency for Collaborative Learning: Academic Writing in a Blended Environment (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032643144
Purwanto, K. D., Gunawan, W., & Syihabuddin. (2024). Students’ Perspectives in the Classroom Discourse Analysis (Criticizing Lecture’s Politeness in Teaching Activities). Deiksis, 16(3), 286–294. https://doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v16i3.24378
Putri, E. B., Vianty, M., & Silvhiany, S. (2021). Analyzing the Initiation- Response and Feedback Patterns and Its Impact on the Interaction between Teacher and Students in English Classroom. Indonesian Research Journal in Education (IRJE), 5(2), 462–478. https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v5i2.14631
Rachmawati, S. A., Retnaningdyah, P., & Setiawan, S. (2022). Critical discourse analysis of language and power in EFL classroom interaction. Journal of English Teaching (JET), 8(2), 224–232. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v8i2.3633
Ranabhat, B. K. (2022). Critical Insights: A Perspective on Discourse Analysis. Journal of Language and Linguistics in Society, 22, 30–36. https://doi.org/10.55529/jlls.22.30.36
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. W. (2011). Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (4th ed.). Longman.
Saputra, S., Tahir, M. H. M., Albakri, I. S. M. A., Zaini, K., Mokhtar, M. M., Ismail, N., Anisaturrahmi, & Sholihah, S. Z. (2023). Online Learning Experiences for Speaking Activities among Malaysian Undergraduate ESL Students. World Journal of English Language, 13(7), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n7p355
Shawaqfeh, A. T., Jameel, A. S., Al-adwan, L. A. Y., & Khasawneh, M. A. S. (2024). Interaction as a Mechanism to Enhance English Language Proficiency in the Classroom. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 15(1), 229–234. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1501.25
Si, P. (2019). A Study of the Differences between EFL and ESL for English Classroom Teaching in China. IRA-International Journal of Education & Multidisciplinary Studies, 15(1), 32–35. https://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v15.n1.p4
Sinclair, J. M., & Coulthard, R. M. (1975). Towards an analysis of discourse: the English used by teachers and pupils. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500007363
Spall, S. (1998). Peer Debriefing in Qualitative Research: Emerging Operational Models. Qualitative Inquiry, 4(2), 280–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/107780049800400208
Subedi, K. R. (2022). Teacher Identity and Hierarchy: Narrative Inquiry of Primary Teachers in Nepal’s Public Schools. KMC Journal, 4(2), 224–237.
Suputra, D. (2021). Teaching English Through Online Learning (A Literature Review). The Art of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 2(1), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.36663/tatefl.v2i1.104
Syahriani, I., Supriadi, S., Mustafa, M., Saifullah, A. R., Riski, H., & Mubarok, Y. (2024). Power dynamics in a classroom interactions context: Critical discourse analysis. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 12(3), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijscl.2024.2037993.3632
Thanh, H. L. (2022). IRF Sequences and Space for Participation in EMI Classroom Interaction: A Case Study at Hanoi National University of Education. Journal of Science Educational Science, 67(3), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1075.2022-0045
Zaki, M. S. (2021). Discourse analysis in EFL classes: A teacher’s perspective on its benefits and uses. Çukurova Ara?t?rmalar?, 7(2), 223–229.
Ariska, R., Rosyid, O. A., & Puspitasari, D. (2024). Classroom Interaction Using IRF Pattern Carried Out by Lecturer in English Classrooms: A Discourse Analysis. Journal of English Language Learning, 8(1), 479–490. https://doi.org/10.31949/jell.v8i1.9243
Badash, M. (2025). The Effectiveness of Teacher-Student Interaction in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom. World Journal of English Language, 15(2), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v15n2p129
Brooke, M., Wai-Cook, M. S.-S., & Ramazanu, S. (2021). Seeking to Reduce Physical Distancing in Teacher-Student Interactions. Online Education: Teaching in a Time of Change, 280–290.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dahmash, N. B. (2021). Synchronous and Asynchronous English Writing Classes in the EFL Context: Students’ Practices and Benefits. Arab World English Journal, 12(2), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no2.7
Dalia, A. C., & Putra, F. R. (2024). The Initiation, Response, and Feedback (Irf) in English Language Teaching: a Literature Review. Jurnal Ilmiah Spectral, 10(1), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.47255/ya5nfp19
Dey-Plissonneau, A., Lee, H., Pradier, V., Scriney, M., & Smeaton, A. F. (2021). The L2L System for Second Language Learning Using Visualised Zoom Calls Among Students. European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, 409–412.
Duan, Q. (2024). The Bidirectional Impact of Immersive Experiential Learning on Students’ Emotional Regulation and Learning Motivation in Higher Education. Journal of Higher Education Research, 5(5), 414–416. https://doi.org/10.32629/jher.v5i5.3042
Eye, B. (2024). Interactions between Classroom Discourse and Cultural Identities. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 6(1), 29–49.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings. Pantheon Books.
Han, K. (2021). Fostering students’ autonomy and engagement in EFL classroom through proximal classroom factors: Autonomy-supportive behaviors and student-teacher relationships. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 767079. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.767079
Hidayatullah, E. (2024). Analyzing classroom interactions focusing on IRF patterns and turn-taking. English Learning Innovation (Englie), 5(2), 186–196. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v5i2.33535
Huong, L. P. H., & Hung, B. P. (2021). Mediation of Digital Tools in English Learning. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 14(2), 512–528.
Isidório, M. S., & Reis, M. (2023). The Dialectic of Control in the Classroom: Agency and Exercise of Power Between Teachers and “Pre-adolescent” Students. In The Social Construction of Adolescence in Contemporaneity (Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, Vol. 31) (pp. 123–146). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1537-466120230000031009
Kumaravadivelu, B. (1999). Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis. TESOL Quarterly, 33(3), 453–484.
Manke, M. P. (1997). Classroom Power Relations: Understanding Student-teacher Interaction (1st ed.). Routledge.
Mariam, A. (2024). A discourse analysis of blind spots in Sinclair and Coulthard (1992) model of classroom discourse. International Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 13(3), 464–477. https://doi.org/10.55493/5019.v13i3.5195
Minosky, S. A., Aini, N. E., Justus, B. J., & Bali, T. (2024). The Effect of Video Camera, Microphone and Chat Box Use on Social Presence and Engagement in an Online Group Activity. Online Learning Journal, 28(4), 328–344. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v28i4.4133
Monteblanco, A. D. (2021). Power Dynamics, Common Pitfalls, and Successful Strategies Associated with Co-Teaching. College Teaching, 69(2), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2020.1810610
O’Connor, C., & Joffe, H. (2020). Intercoder Reliability in Qualitative Research: Debates and Practical Guidelines. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919899220
Pu, Y.-E. A., & Barnard, R. (2025). Teacher and Learner Agency for Collaborative Learning: Academic Writing in a Blended Environment (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032643144
Purwanto, K. D., Gunawan, W., & Syihabuddin. (2024). Students’ Perspectives in the Classroom Discourse Analysis (Criticizing Lecture’s Politeness in Teaching Activities). Deiksis, 16(3), 286–294. https://doi.org/10.30998/deiksis.v16i3.24378
Putri, E. B., Vianty, M., & Silvhiany, S. (2021). Analyzing the Initiation- Response and Feedback Patterns and Its Impact on the Interaction between Teacher and Students in English Classroom. Indonesian Research Journal in Education (IRJE), 5(2), 462–478. https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v5i2.14631
Rachmawati, S. A., Retnaningdyah, P., & Setiawan, S. (2022). Critical discourse analysis of language and power in EFL classroom interaction. Journal of English Teaching (JET), 8(2), 224–232. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v8i2.3633
Ranabhat, B. K. (2022). Critical Insights: A Perspective on Discourse Analysis. Journal of Language and Linguistics in Society, 22, 30–36. https://doi.org/10.55529/jlls.22.30.36
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. W. (2011). Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (4th ed.). Longman.
Saputra, S., Tahir, M. H. M., Albakri, I. S. M. A., Zaini, K., Mokhtar, M. M., Ismail, N., Anisaturrahmi, & Sholihah, S. Z. (2023). Online Learning Experiences for Speaking Activities among Malaysian Undergraduate ESL Students. World Journal of English Language, 13(7), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n7p355
Shawaqfeh, A. T., Jameel, A. S., Al-adwan, L. A. Y., & Khasawneh, M. A. S. (2024). Interaction as a Mechanism to Enhance English Language Proficiency in the Classroom. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 15(1), 229–234. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1501.25
Si, P. (2019). A Study of the Differences between EFL and ESL for English Classroom Teaching in China. IRA-International Journal of Education & Multidisciplinary Studies, 15(1), 32–35. https://doi.org/10.21013/jems.v15.n1.p4
Sinclair, J. M., & Coulthard, R. M. (1975). Towards an analysis of discourse: the English used by teachers and pupils. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500007363
Spall, S. (1998). Peer Debriefing in Qualitative Research: Emerging Operational Models. Qualitative Inquiry, 4(2), 280–292. https://doi.org/10.1177/107780049800400208
Subedi, K. R. (2022). Teacher Identity and Hierarchy: Narrative Inquiry of Primary Teachers in Nepal’s Public Schools. KMC Journal, 4(2), 224–237.
Suputra, D. (2021). Teaching English Through Online Learning (A Literature Review). The Art of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 2(1), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.36663/tatefl.v2i1.104
Syahriani, I., Supriadi, S., Mustafa, M., Saifullah, A. R., Riski, H., & Mubarok, Y. (2024). Power dynamics in a classroom interactions context: Critical discourse analysis. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 12(3), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijscl.2024.2037993.3632
Thanh, H. L. (2022). IRF Sequences and Space for Participation in EMI Classroom Interaction: A Case Study at Hanoi National University of Education. Journal of Science Educational Science, 67(3), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1075.2022-0045
Zaki, M. S. (2021). Discourse analysis in EFL classes: A teacher’s perspective on its benefits and uses. Çukurova Ara?t?rmalar?, 7(2), 223–229.
Published
2025-05-01
How to Cite
Zulfah, S., Hisan, L. C., & Al Farisi, M. R. (2025). Unveiling Power Dynamics in Online ESL Conversation Classes: A Critical Classroom Discourse Analysis of the IRF Pattern. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics, 10(1), 213-232. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v10i1.908
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
