Representation of Teacher Talk Comprehensibility Strategies in the Discourse of English Language Teacher Trainees (Article 28): A Teacher Education Study

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how teacher talk comprehensibility strategies are represented in the discourse of English language teacher candidates enrolled in the Article 28 teacher education program. Given the role of these strategies in facilitating message comprehension, supporting classroom interaction, and providing comprehensible input for language learners, the study focused on how teacher candidates describe and explain such strategies. Within this framework, examining their discursive representations can provide insights into how they understand the pedagogical functions of teacher talk comprehensibility strategies. Methods: This qualitative study employed a discourse-analytic perspective to investigate participants’ conceptualizations. Nineteen pre-service English language teachers were selected through criterion-based purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, reflective teaching scenarios, and instructional documents. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in participants’ discourse on teacher talk strategies. Findings: The analysis yielded five major themes: classroom interaction management, facilitating learning through interaction, interactive feedback, creating a positive interactive environment, and the use of interactive activities. The findings revealed that the participants did not view teacher talk comprehensibility strategies merely as linguistic simplification techniques; rather, they associated them with managing learner participation, providing feedback, supporting learner comprehension, and designing interactive classroom activities. Conclusion: The findings suggest that teacher candidates conceptualize teacher talk comprehensibility strategies as a set of linguistic and interactional practices aimed at facilitating learner understanding, participation, and language learning. These results highlight the importance of incorporating more explicit and systematic instruction on such strategies into teacher education programs.