Iraqi Novice vs. Experienced EFL Teachers’ Beliefs about Classroom Interactional Competence

Classroom interaction is the result of interplay of complex feelings and varying ideas and thoughts between the students and the teacher. As a major player, the L2 teacher can deploy different interactional resources to promote classroom interaction. Their decision to do so depends partly on their beliefs about the role of interaction in developing second language competence. To explore novice and experienced Iraqi EFL teachers’ knowledge and experience of classroom interaction and its practical components, in-depth interview data were obtained from ten high school English teachers. The data were transcribed and analyzed through deductive content analysis. The findings revealed that while both novice and experienced teachers believed in the promotion of classroom interaction, their conceptions of the adoption and practice of interactional resources varied. The findings underscore the need for L2 teacher education that equips teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement interactional competence in their classrooms.