Teacher-as-Mediator In Task-Based Junior English Class

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is a popular term in foreign language teaching. Based on the theoretical researches and teaching practice, many researchers believe that in TBLT class, the teachers'roles have shifted from transmitters of knowledge and information to assistants and guides in the meaning construction of the learners. The study on the teachers' roles has been an important topic in the field of educational research for a long time. But the researches on TBLT in China mainly focus on the teaching mode or its meaning, the training of the learners'communicative abilities, the change of learners'roles, task design, and the researches on the teachers' roles are often too general.The theory of mediation emphasizes the importance of teacher-as-mediator in students'cognitive development and helping them grow into autonomous learners. Feuerstein, an Israel psychologist, put forward twelve mediation features, which afford practical and workable theoretical reference for teacher-as-mediator. TBLT class is a kind of communicative class full of interactive activities, so it's of great importance for teachers to act as mediators in the interaction between learners, learning materials, tasks and their partners. The major research questions in this thesis are:(1) What is teachers'and students'understanding about teachers as mediators in task-based language teaching in junior middle school?(2) How does teachers'actual performance match students'expectations?(3) How can teachers do to fully display their roles as mediators to better task-based language teaching?Questionnaires, interviews and teaching experiments are the research instruments in this research. Thirty teachers and two hundred students from four middle schools were chosen to be the subjects. Both of the teachers and students were asked to complete the questionnaires originally designed by William and Burden(2000:85-87) but modified according to the present study. It's transcribed into the teacher's version and student's version with the similar content but different emphasis relating to the TBLT.Results demonstrate that nearly 100% of the teachers and students think the mediation features of shared intension, control of behavior and goal setting are important, while challenge and a sense of belonging are of little importance. There exist some differences between teachers'actual performance and students'anticipations on such mediation features as a sense of competence, a belief in positive outcomes and sharing.In order to examine the value of the theory of mediation, the writer also conducted teaching experiments applying the theory in TBLT class. Special attention was paid to the mediation features which were neglected by the teachers. The results suggest that in pre-task phase, the mediation features of purpose beyond the here and now, challenge, sharing, and individuality can motivate the students and help them build their self-concepts. In the during-task phase, the mediation features of a sense of competence, individuality and a sense of belonging can help students feel confident and have a better sense of belonging. In the post-task phase, the mediation features of change, a belief of positive outcomes and control of behavior can help foster students'abilities of self-evaluation and help them become autonomous learners...