Support strategies for student engagement in live online classes: exploring teacher-student and student–student interactions

Abstract Despite acknowledging the significant role of classroom interaction in supporting student learning, qualitative studies on online interactions are lacking. Existing studies mostly focus on teaching English as a foreign language, investigating text-based interaction in asynchronous environments. This paper explores how students of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) are supported when interacting in online live classes. It draws on qualitative data from observations of 2-year Zoom classes and interviews with 28 CFL students in an Australian university. Discourse analysis is used to examine interaction patterns, and thematic analysis helps classify support strategies in interactions, as well as students’ views. Analyses reveal that the teacher most frequently employs confirmation, elicitation, repetition, and recast to scaffold students, while modelling, peer-correction, clarifying information/instructions, assisting with vocabulary, and self-correction are the strategies often employed by students. Findings also indicate a decrease in overall student engagement compared to face-to-face classes, notably with severely reduced opportunities for student–student interactions, due to students’ lack of confidence, sense of distance, difficulty in accessing support, and technical issues. These challenges also affect the teacher’s ability to manage and assist the class. The paper suggests that clear task design, scaffolding, community building, and quality materials can enhance online interactions.