Abstract

Classroom instructional language, an important part of teacher talk, plays a significant role in English teaching. The classroom instructional language is an act that teachers used to ask or guide students to do something, such as a demand, a request, and a suggestion. In this paper, the author studies some aspects of classroom instructions, such as the definition, the features, the functions of the classroom instructions based on mediating theory, relevance theory, and speech act theory.

    The findings are as following:

    1) Classroom instructional language is important, and has a great impact on English teaching. So students and teachers should pay more attention to classroom instructional language.

    2) There is a generation gap between students and teachers. For instance, teachers like using oral expressions, while students prefer to use something new, such as multimedia equipment. Therefore, both of them should strengthen the communications in daily life.

    3) The author found some factors that contribute to ineffective instructions, such as teachers’ poor vocabulary, fast speed, poor organizing ability, the interest in English of students and participation of students, etc.

    4) What’s more, there are some ways to effective instructions. For teachers, to improve teachers’ own professional knowledge, to promote teachers’ organizing ability, to encourage the interest of students and increase students’ participation in English classes, etc. 

    Key words: classroom instructions; English teaching; factors

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

1.1 General description of the research-1

1.2 Purpose and the importance of the study-1

1.3 Structure of this thesis-2

2 Literature Review-3

2.1 Classroom instructions-3

2.1.1 The definition of CI-3

2.1.2 The features of CI-4

2.1.3 The functions of CI-4

2.2 The previous studies of classroom instructions-5

3 Theoretical Bases-6

3.1 Mediating theory-6

3.2 Relevance theory-6

3.3 Speech act theory-7

4 Research Methodology-8

4.1 Research purposes-8

4.2 Research questions-8

4.3 Research subjects-9

4.4 Research tools-9

4.4.1 Questionnaire-10

4.4.2 Class observation-11

4.5 Data collection and analysis-11

4.5.1 Data collection-11

4.5.2 Data analysis-12

5 Results and Discussions-12

5.1 Results-12

5.1.1 Teachers and students’ understanding of classroom instructions-12

5.1.2 The influence of classroom instructions on English teaching-17

5.2 Discussions-18

5.2.1 The factors of the ineffective classroom instructions-18

5.2.2 Ways to the effective classroom instructions-19

6 Conclusions-20

6.1 Major findings-20

6.2 Suggestions-20

6.3 Limitations-21

References-22

Appendix I: Chinese questionnaires-23

Appendix II: English questionnaires-27