A Study Of Features Of Language Input In The English Classes Of Chinese Middle Schools

Linguists have proved that language input is the essential condition to foreign language learners. Most theories and practices on language input are carried out in university classes, while there're not enough studies in middle school classes. Since language learners in China spend most years, usually six or seven years, learning the foreign language in middle schools, it is essential to conduct a study on the quality of language input in middle school classes, focusing on the features of language input with suggestions for improving effectiveness in language classes in middle schools.The essence of the current reform in language teaching is to establish a learner-centered model and to carry out effective interaction. Language input in foreign language classes is realized through interaction. Teacher Talk is considered to be not only the teaching media and the teaching goal, but also the origin of comprehensible input that students can acquire.Therefore, the present study is based on the theories of language input and interaction, using classroom-based approach. It, by classroom observation, audio-recording, discourse analysis and questionnaire survey, describes the features of language input in English classes of Chinese junior schools.The thesis consists of six chapters.Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to the background of the study. Chapter 2 is the literature review, which describes the theoretical basis of the thesis and the history of related studies. The theory of input discusses the function of input and concepts of output and intake. Interaction theory focuses on the functions of interaction, questioning, feedback and error correction. The thesis also briefly reviews the history of language input and interaction, interaction modification, questioning, feedback and error correction. Chapter 3 explains the study design, covering the purpose of the study, hypothesis and related questions, study method and instruments, and sources and explanations of data. Chapter 4 is the description and analysis of the study in detail. Some conversations are used to help analyze the features of input, which are described with emphasis on the interaction model, initiating model, questioning, scaffolding, error correction, conversational negotiation and types of feedback. Chapter 5 is about the questionnaire, involving the design, and the results of data analysis in detail. Chapter 6 winds up the study with the concluding remarks.Results of the study indicate that the quality of language input in such classes needs to be improved, especially in the quality of interaction, initiation, questioning, scaffolding, error correction, conversational negotiation and feedback. The analysis leads to useful advice to English teachers about the possible improvement of teacher-learner interaction in English in a meaningful classroom.