The Influence Of Gender On Oral Communication Strategy

This thesis is intended to find out the influence of gender on EFL learners' communication strategy.The past decades have seen the shift of the research emphasis in second language acquisition, linguists and researchers start to focus on learning process rather than product, on learners' behavior rather than teachers' behavior, on communication strategy development rather than language knowledge (Ellis, 1998; Cohen, 1998; Cotterall, 2000). The development of communication strategy results from this shift.Communication Strategies (CSs) are those used by speakers, esp. language learners to promote communication when they have a limited command of the language. It was viewed as a major component in the framework of communicative competence (Canale, Swain, 1980 & Bachman, 1990).However differently the sociolinguists vary in their ideas, they hold one thing in common, that is, socio-cultural aspect plays an important role in determining one's communicative competence. Gender is one of the important socio-cultural factors influencing one's communicative competence. As a major component of communicative competence, does gender also play an important role in determining one's communication strategy? Past research has shown that gender is not a major factor affecting CSs, but it is a factor that can affect CSs. This thesis is intended to find out in Chinese context, will we get the same conclusion? If so/not, why? And what is the demonstration? The present research is significant theoretically and practically. Nowadays, in the field of foreign language teaching, more and more teachers tend to adopt the communicative language teaching (CLT). This approach aims to develop learner's communicative competence. As a major component of communicative competence, the study of strategic competence, may not only further illuminate the nature of communicative competence, but also may throw some light on the development of learners' communicative competence. Therefore, it is of theoretical and practical importance.The subjects of the present study are 160 students of Guangdong Vocational School of Agriculture, Industry and Business, they come from different departments, but most of them are Cantonese. Research instruments include a proficiency test, a questionnaire and an interview. Through statistical analysis and analysis of the interviews, we find that, in the communication strategies use, as to 40%, boys and girls show difference in their choice, that is, 6 factors out of the 15 factors. This result corresponds with the conclusion of past studies; at the same time, we find that girls are more likely to use some of the CSs to maintain the conversation. This point can show us some implication in EFL teaching and learning, the author gives suggestion from teachers' and students' perspective.