Discourse features in Hong Kong primary reading classrooms = 香港小學中文閱讀課堂的話語特徵

Abstract

任何一個課堂都少不了課堂話語，它肩負多種不同的教學目的，例如提供資料、考查學習情況、給予指令，進行課堂活動等，如果沒有了課堂話語，所有的活動都不能實踐出來，可見其重要性。課堂話語分析是一有效的分析工具，讓我們更了解學習實況和學生的學習。本研究計劃主要探討在不同教學模式下，小學中文閱讀課堂的話語特徵。 整個計劃由兩個研究組成。研究一旨在分析拼圖閱讀教學和教師主導閱讀課堂的課堂話語，從中探討它們的課堂話語特徵，同時發展一個更仔細的課堂話語分析工具。研究二則探討不同的小學中文拼圖閱讀課堂的課堂話語特徵。 研究一的研究對象是教師甲及他所教授的兩班小五學生。研究二的研究對象是教師乙、教師丙及他們所教授的兩班小五學生。整個研究採用課堂話語分析法，運用課堂話語類別框架(EORA)及啟動-回應-回饋模式(I-R-F)分析課堂的話語內容，從中找出中文閱讀課堂的話語特徵。同時，研究員也收集和分析其他質性及量化的資料數據，例如課堂觀察紀錄、學生前測、後測成績等加以分析，令分析結果更全面。 整個研究根據已有的課堂話語分析框架，把不同的話語類別結合學習成果進行分析，發展一個更仔細的課堂話語分析工具，以分析香港小學中文閱讀課堂的話語特徵，有助了解在教育改革下，小學閱讀課堂學習的實際情況。除此之外，本研究探討不同閱讀教學法下的課堂話語特徵，發現一些指引課堂活動的監控話語對促成學習也有其重要性，較多高認知層次的問題與學生的學習表現有關，而教師高層次回饋在學生匯報後出現尤其重要。無論在教師主導課堂或者拼圖教學課堂，課堂中沒有出現負面的師生情感話語。如果在學習過程中，教師對於學生的讚賞具體、適時，這有助學生建立良好的學習行為及提升學生的內在動機。另外，本研究的課堂話語結果顯示，雖然拼圖學習法是由西方教育理念發展而來的教學法，但是在中文教學課堂中，學生和教師的課堂話語也呈現出華人學習者的特點，包括課堂中少發問、少讚賞、多管束行為的情況。 總括而言，本研究探討不同閱讀教學法下的課堂話語特徵，有助教師了解在課堂教學中如何運用不同課堂話語，更有效地提升學生的學習動機及效能。 Discourse is a crucial component in classrooms which informs us how a teaching is implemented and also the interactions among teachers and students. Invesitgating and describing discourse patterns in classrooms would provide us insight on whether classroom interactions vary across classes, teaching methods and even societies. This study was aimed at investigating the discourse patterns in the Chinese reading classrooms in Hong Kong. It is one of the few studies to describe the discourse in Chinese reading classrooms in detailed, with direct relationship among students’ learning outcome. The entire research consists of two studies: Study 1 was aimed to compare the classroom discourses between two classes, one by teacher-led approach and another by jigsaw teaching, together with their influence on the learning outcome; Study 2 investigated the teacher effect on the discourse patterns by comparing the classroom discourses from two jigsaw reading classrooms taught by two teachers. The research outcomes would shed light on the development of a detail classroom discourse analysis framework. The entire discourses of the four classes for the two studies were video-recorded and analysed by the taxonomy of speech functions (EORA) and I-R-F model. The studies involved three teachers and four P.5 Chinese reading classes. In order to evaluate the learning outcome resulted from the experimental treatments (i.e. teaching methods and teacher effect), pre- and post-tests were given to the students prior to, and after the experiments respectively for further analysis. The classroom discourse analysis framework was developed and refined for analyzing classroom discourse. The research explores the features of classroom discourse under different reading teaching methods. It is found that some regulatory discourse that guides classroom activities are also important for promoting learning. It is also found that the higher thinking order questions raised in class may have postive effect on students' learning performance. In addition, teacher’s feedback is especially important after students’ presentation in the co-operative learning classroom. On the other hand, it is interesting that whether a teacher-led classroom or a jigsaw classroom, there are no negative affective teacher-student discourses, but it is suggested that teachers should give postive feedback more specific and timely in the class, this will help the students to establish good learning behaviors and enhance their intrinsic motivation. Even though jigsaw teaching is developed from western educational theories, the classroom discourse of students and teachers in Chinese teaching classrooms also presents the characteristics of Chinese learners, including less questioning, less appreciation, and more restraint in class. In summary, my research outcome helps to construct a clearer picture of the interactions between teachers and students in the Chinese reading classrooms. I stress the importance of the classroom discourse and its role in improving students’ reading abilities. The classroom discourse also provides a reference on improving teaching by more effective discourses in the classrooms. Not only Chinese reading, many classes are currently transiting from traditional teaching where direct instruction and whole-class instruction dominates, to cooperative learning. Therefore, understanding and improving the teachers’ discourse is particularly important in local primary schools where students are used to passive learning.