On the Predictability of Action

Abstract

Gaze has been shown to be an important resource in both mundane and institutional interaction for next speaker selection and for displaying availability and willingness to be selected. In institutional interactions, participants' actions can be predictable due to factors such as how actions are projected, how participants are categorized, and the structure of the activity. This predictability enables participants to anticipate what will happen next, which can be seen through their actions before this anticipated next action actually occurs. Focusing on teacher-student interaction in two distinct EFL educational settings, this paper examines how students employ gaze shifts to anticipate and predict teacher's selection of the next speaker. The analysis displays how, in institutional interaction, the current state of the activity can make a next action, such as turn allocation, more or less predictable, allowing for participants to anticipate the next action and to act accordingly. The ability to anticipate the teacher’s next action in a local context in which this action is predictable is part of students’ classroom interactional competence. In addition, the data show that students' gaze shifts toward the teacher signal willingness to participate, while shifts away indicate resistance. The study highlights how participants navigate learning activities by anticipating and shaping actions, with gaze serving as a crucial interactional resource.

Keywords

• interaction
• predictability of turn allocation
• teacher-student interaction
• willingness to participate