This paper reports a case study designed to understand classroom interactional processes in a Chinese university. The case study focuses on scaffolding in teacher-student interaction as well as the process of shifting the responsibility from the teacher to student. Our first aim was to determine how teacher-student interactions in two oral English classes were distributed, and our second aim was to determine how the two teachers perceive their roles in teacher-student interaction and how their perceptive differences were reflected in teacher-student interaction in their oral English classes. The data were collected through videotaping and an interview. Results show that distribution patterns of teacher-student interactions were mainly different in the two oral English classes, and the role perception differences of the two teachers were partly reflected in their teacher-student interaction. The study suggests that the process of shifting the responsibility from teacher to student is a complex process which demands great efforts from teachers as well as willingness from students.
