Abstract

In China’s English classroom, teachers are the very important bond between students and English language. And English teachers’ instructional language is the primary channel for students to receive language input. Proper instructional language can not only enrich teaching contents of English classes, but also improve students’ ability of English using.

    Junior middle school is a place where students lay a foundation of English. Whether English teachers’ instructional language in junior middle school classroom is proper or not has great influence on development of students’ English ability and improvement of teachers’ English teaching quality. However, there still exit some problems in English teachers’ instructional language in junior middle school classroom, which limit development of students’ ability and teaching contents. Therefore, it is necessary to make a study of English teachers’ instructional language in junior middle school classroom. Then, I try to analyze its status and also find out some corresponding solutions.

Based on the Comprehensible Input Hypothesis, the Comprehensible Output Hypothesis and the Study of Communication, four English teachers’ classes were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. At the same time, questionnaires were distributed to explore students’ attitudes towards and expectations concerning the status of English teachers’ instructional language in junior middle school classroom. I have collected all kinds of instructional language by methods of classroom recording and observation, and through analysis I divide it into three categories: teachers’ directives, communication language and teachers’ feedback. And the research would focus on three categories above.

Through the research, I find that there exit some problems in English teachers’ instructional language in junior middle school classroom: when teachers give directives, they ignore effects of different sentences; when teachers use communication language, a small number of teachers ask display questions more than referential questions, and they also spend less time waiting for students to answer their questions, which do no good to students’ language output; when teachers offer feedback, a small number of teachers prefer to make comments on students simply and generally, which not only does no good to students’ language input, but also can’t encourage students to speak out more words.

I try to work out some corresponding solutions through the analysis on teachers’ instructional language as well as its problems in junior middle school classroom, thus assisting teachers in improving teaching quality and facilitating students’ English learning in the meantime. And the thesis can be divided into six chapters.

    Chapter One introduces significance and necessity of the research on teachers’ instructional language in junior schools, as well as its background and research questions.

    Chapter Two is a literature review of instructional language, which shows theories and achievements of previous people.

Chapter Three illustrates definition of instructional language as well as its theoretical basis.

Chapter Four makes an empirical study of instructional language in junior English classroom. And it focuses on teachers’ directives, communication language and teachers’ feedback.

    Chapter Five is a result of analysis and the research, on which we have a further discussion.

    Chapter Six is a conclusion of the whole paper, and then I put out some corresponding solutions.

Keywords: teachers’ directives, communication language, teachers’ feedback, language input, language output

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

I. Introduction-1

  1.1 Background-1

  1.2 Research Significance-1

    1.2.1 Theoretical Significance-1

    1.2.2 Practical Significance-1

  1.3 Research Questions-2

 II. Literature Review-2

  2.1 Introduction-2

  2.2 Studies at Home-3

  2.3 Studies Abroad-4

III. Definition and Theoretical Basis-5

  3.1 Definition of Instructional Language-5

  3.2 Theoretical Basis-5

    3.2,1 Searle's Classification of Speech Acts-6

    3.2.2 Swain's Output Hypothesis-6

    3.2.3 Krashen's Input Hypothesis-6

IV. Research Methodology-7

  4.1 Research Questions-7

  4.2 Participants-7

  4.3 Research Methods-8

  4.4 Data Collection and Analysis-9

    4.4.1 Data Collection-9

    4.4.2 Analytical Framework-9

V. Resulte and Discussions-10

  5.1 Teachers' Directives-10

    5.1.1 Classroom Management-10

    5.1.2 Tasks Assignment.-10

  5.2 Communication Language.-12

    5.2.1 Two Types of Questioning.-12

    5.2.2 Different Waiting Time of Questioning.-14

  5.3 Teachers' Feedback.-15

  5.4 Students' Attitudes Towards the Status of English Teachers' Instructional Language.-17

  5.5 Students' Expectations Concerning the Status of English Teachers' Instructional Language-18

Ⅵ. Conclusion-20

  6.1 Findings-20

  6.2 Solutions-20

    6.2.1 Teachers Should Give Directives More Properly by Using Different Sentences.-20

    6.2.2 Teachers Should Adjust Their Questioning Strategies.-20

    6.2.3 Teachers Should Promote the Way of Feedback.-20

  6.3 Limitations and Further Research Suggestions-21

References-22