ESL and EFL perspectives on explanation: From theory to practice

Recent studies on explanation in classroom contexts (Landolfi 1988, 1989) show that both teachers and students contribute to the development of explanatory processes. Explanations can be defined as identifiable social exchanges which are: (1) cyclically achieved; (2) socially constructed, and (3) linguistically mediated. Explanations are triggered by necessity conditions and serve two major functions: they re-establish harmony among the interactants’ perception of the world and create new universes of knowledge.