Discourse Analysis of Questions in Teacher Talk

Abstract

This study is an investigation of certain aspects of classroom verbal interaction with a focus on description and analysis of questions in teacher talk. Transcriptions of recorded classroom sessions were analyzed to identify the type of the questions used by an Iranian EFL teacher, teaching in a language institute in Iran. After data analysis of 8 sessions of instruction, the researcher identified four categories of teacher questions and their related frequency across the discourse of teacher talk

Technology as an Educational Equalizer for EFL Learning in Rural China? Evidence from the Impact of Technology-Assisted Practices on Teacher-Student Interaction in Primary Classrooms

“…Current research on teacher-student interaction in EFL classrooms in China and other countries has mostly centered on classrooms without technology in secondary or post-secondary settings (e.g., Ahangari & Amirzadeh, 2011;Faruji, 2011;Lei, 2009;Liu & Le, 2012;Panova, & Lyster, 2002;Qashoa, 2013;Walsh, 2002). Few (e.g., Kim, 2005; J.…”

“…The sequence of interaction concludes with the teacher providing feedback on or evaluating the student response. Studies of classroom interaction in L2 classrooms have focused on all three steps of the teacher-student interaction sequence, specifically examining teachers' language use, especially teacher questions (Faruji, 2011;Y. Lee, 2008;Qashoa, 2013); learner responses (Walsh, 2002); and teacher feedback and turn allocation behaviors (B. Zhao, 2009).…”

The Use of Open Ended versus Closed Ended Questions in Turkish Classrooms

“…They potentially are a valuable tool in increasing the amount of speech of the students and they demand more thought and generate a longer response and for which the teacher does not know the answer in advance. Long & Sato (1983) found that in naturalistic discourse, referential questions are more frequent than display questions (Faruji, 2011(Faruji, : p. 1821.…”

Developing Pedagogical Practices in Turkish Classrooms

“…It is where answers to puzzling questions can be found, thoughtful argument and discussion make way for the understanding of new skills and different concepts and the meaning is negotiated (Smith, 2005: p. 86). Xu (2010) claims that teachers should improve their talking and questioning behavior by providing an information gap between their students and themselves; that is, by asking them authentic questions (Faruji, 2011). Walsh (2002) identifies a number of ways in which teachers can improve their talk to facilitate and optimize student contributions: 1) Examining more closely the link between pedagogic purpose and language use.…”

“…4) Raising their awareness of their language use in the classroom by making audio or video-recordings of their lessons and analyzing the transcripts (Faruji, 2011(Faruji, : p. 1821). …”