Classroom Discourse: Theoretical Orientations and Research Approaches

Abstract

This chapter reviews developments in classroom discourse research, starting with earliest studies which focused on observable dimensions, that is, the linguistic and paralinguistic features, and moving on to subsequent studies which focused on unobservable dimensions, that is, the sociocultural factors that shape classroom discourse. It discusses important contributions to classroom discourse research under two major theoretical orientations, namely, information processing theory and sociocultural theory, and three major research approaches, namely, ethnography, conversational analysis and critical discourse analysis. It then reviews studies in progress and points out that they are typified by drawing on conceptual frameworks from neighboring disciplines to illuminate classroom discourse processes, including activity theory, ecological theory, social theory of learning, language socialization and phenomenography. This is followed by outlining the challenges faced by the field. The chapter ends with a discussion of the future directions and areas that need further research.