The study of classroom discourse has a rich and evolving history, with significant milestones and contributions from various researchers. Here is a timeline of key developments:
1. **Early Work (1970s)**
- **Flanders (1970)**: Used an "introspective" a priori approach to study classroom discourse, as noted by Flowerdew (1990) and Love (1991) [1].
- **Mehan (1979)** and **Erickson and associates (1981, 1982)**: Employed educational ethnography to analyze classroom interactions [1].
2. **Sinclair and Coulthard (1975)**
- Introduced a comprehensive system of discourse analysis, which treated classroom discourse as a structured and hierarchical system. Their framework included five levels: acts, moves, exchanges, transactions, and interactions [1][4].