The Impact of Role-Play on Thai EFL Learners’ Interactional Competence: A Case Study of Pre-engineering and Pre-architecture Students in Vocational Education

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia

Interactional Competence (IC) is essential for second/foreign language learners in face-to-face communication, requiring effective turn-taking, repair of conversational difficulties, articulation of ideas and topics, organization of act sequences, and full participation within a participation framework. This case study evaluates whether role-play improves IC for Thai EFL learners, targeting participation framework development, turn-taking strategies, repair mechanisms, sequential act organization, and topic management. Two mixed-gender vocational college classrooms participated during an English for Everyday Communication shopping unit; performances were video recorded and analyzed using Conversation Analysis. Role-play strengthened learners’ interactional abilities by shifting participation toward the learners’ center, increasing interactive discursive practice, supporting both self-initiated turn-taking and topic articulation, and enabling other- and self-initiated repair to complete role-play successfully. Greater planning time improved effectiveness, while avoiding script reading is recommended.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Role-play in English Language Teaching

Interactional competence

The Impact of Role-Play on Thai EFL Learners’ Interactional Competence: A Case Study of Pre-engineering and Pre-architecture Students in Vocational Education Rungkan Leelasopawut* *Corresponding author’s [email: Rungkan@rmutl.ac.th](email: Rungkan@rmutl.ac.th) Rajamanga University of Technology Lanna, Chiang Mai, Thailand Received: August 13, 2024 Revised: May 16, 2025 Accepted: June 17, 2025 Abstract Interactional Competence (IC) is necessary for second/foreign language learners in using the second/foreign language in face-to-face interaction. Since social interaction is a complex process. It requires the participant’s ability to; manage turn-taking; repair conversational troubles; articulate ideas and topics; organize the sequence of acts; and fully participate in the participation framework. This study posits that EFL learners’ IC can be promoted through teacher’s use of engaging, practical, and interactive teaching methods. Thus, this study investigated whether role-play benefits the teaching of IC for Thai EFL learners (i.e. participation framework, turn-taking strategies, repair mechanism, sequential organization of acts, and topic management). Therefore, two EFL classrooms comprised of Thai students of mixed gender, studying in a vocational college, were recruited. Data collection occurred during the English for Everyday Communication lesson, which focused on the topic of shopping. The learners’role-play performances were video recorded. Conversation Analysis was adopted for data analysis. The findings suggested that role-play benefited the teaching of IC. Appropriate use of role-play promoted interactive learning by moving the learners’ participation framework towards the learners’ center. Passive learners became interactive in the discursive practice. Self-initiated turn-taking strategy and the ability to articulate relevant topics for face-to-face interaction were adopted by the learners during the task. Other-initiated repair and self-initiated repair strategies helped the learners carry out their role-play successfully. This increased the learners’ ability to organize multiple sequences of acts and increased their interactional abilities in using English in face-to-face interaction. However, role-play can be more effective in developing EFL learners’ IC when the learner’s planning time is adequate and script reading is avoided during role-play. Keywords: interactional competence, role-play, face-to-face interaction, conversation analysis THAITESOL JOURNAL 38(2) 2 Introduction Acquiring the ability to develop meaningful conversations in a second or foreign language is seen as the ultimate goal of language learning. However, it appears that many classroom activities are limited in offering learners opportunities to develop conversation skills for authentic social interaction. It has been pointed out that classroom interaction is far from the practice of authentic social interaction which requires unpredictable conversational features in conversation opening, developing conversational topics, turn-taking, organizing sequences, negotiating meaning, and participation. Walsh (2012, 2014) highlighted that these interactional abilities can be developed through classroom activities when increase opportunities for learners’ involvement, engagement, and participation. Because interaction is a social activity therefore successful social interaction requires various interactional resources, not only the knowledge of language. In line with Walsh (2014), the present study views that the interactional competence or IC of L2 learners can be developed with effective teaching methods. This teaching method needs to go beyond the traditional methods i.e. lecture or note-taking. The present study believes that role-play activity may be an effective technique in improving the teaching ofIC in L2 classrooms since it is a simulation of real-life encounters in various contexts of social interactions. Elsewhere, role-

FAQs

How does the study define Interactional Competence (IC) for EFL learners?

IC involves managing turn-taking, repairing conversational troubles, articulating ideas and topics, organizing sequences of acts, and fully participating in the interaction framework.

What learning activities and data collection methods were used in the case study?

Two EFL classrooms used role-play during an “English for Everyday Communication” lesson focused on shopping; learners’ performances were video recorded and analyzed with Conversation Analysis.

What benefits of role-play were found for Thai EFL learners’ IC?

Role-play promoted interactive learning by moving participation toward learners’ center, increased interactive discursive practice, improved self-initiated turn-taking and relevant topic articulation, and supported other- and self-initiated repair.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Ophelia