An Analysis Of Teacher Talk In College Oral English Class

In terms of language acquisition, the talk of English language teachers is of great importance because it's not only the medium of instruction but also the major source of comprehensible target language input the learners are likely to receive. The amount and type of teacher talk is regarded as a decisive factor of success or failure in classroom teaching(Hakansson, 1986). For many Chinese university students, much time has been spent on learning English, yet producing less satisfactory results. One of the reasons lies in the fact that teachers have not made fully use of their talk to enhance students' comprehensive skills. In recent years, more and more Native English Teachers(NET) have joined the teaching faculty, contributing their wisdom and expertise in teaching English at university levels. The comparison of teacher talk between Native English Teachers(NETs) and Chinese Teachers of English(CTEs) can yield insight into what type of teacher talk works, thus improving the efficacy of teacher talk.The present study looks at the teacher talk of ten teachers, including five NETs and five CTEs at C University. The amount of teacher talk, types of questions, feedback and interaction modifications are analyzed by observing, transcribing and coding ten oral English lessons recorded. In addition, questionnaires are administered to the students(N=274) and interviews are conducted with teachers to validate the results and gain a better understanding of why some types of talk are used more frequently than others. The results are listed as follows:(1) NETs and CTEs do not show any significant difference in the amount of teacher talk. Both groups decrease teacher talk to provide students with more opportunities to speak in class;(2) NETs and CTEs show significant difference in question types. CTEs have asked more display questions than NETs who favor the use of referential questions;(3) NETs and CTEs show significant difference in feedback types. CTEs have provided to students more discoursal feedbacks. But in terms of the use of evaluative feedback, NETs and CTEs do not show any significant difference. Both groups have employed a large proportion of evaluative feedback, which is mostly made up of positive feedback;(4) NETs and CTEs show significant difference in the types of interaction modification. CTEs prefer comprehension checks while NETs tend to use more confirmation checks. Both groups seldom employ clarification check.The results from students' questionnaire and teachers' interview reveal that NETs and CTEs differ in the choice of teacher talk, showing unique features and influenced by teaching methods, teaching beliefs. The study carries some implications for teachers of both groups to learn from each other by observing, analyzing and reflecting on teacher talk. It is suggested that teachers should improve their teacher talk to provide better comprehensible target language input for students.