Lesley Gourlay

Adult Foreign Language Learning in the Classroom Setting

The area to be focused on in this study is classroom discourse, more specifically learners' questioning behaviour, and the other ways in which learners attempt to shape the discourse and proceedings of the classroom. It aims to investigate:

  • the types of questions employed by the learners in the discourse, referring to taxonomies of teachers' questions elaborated in previous studies with a view to developing a taxonomy of learner question types
  • the environments in which these questions occur, looking at factors such as the identity of the addressee (learner or teacher), the information flow in the preceding discourse, the stage of the lesson, task type engaged in, and the grouping configuration
  • the effect of differing question types on the ensuing discourse, in terms of topic, length and complexity of reply
  • individual learners' questioning habits, purposes and perceptions of their questioning "rights"
  • ways in which learners attempt to shape the discourse through proactive behaviour

    • The extent to which learners' questions contribute to a directing of the discourse, and to opportunities for comprehensible input and the negotiation of meaning will be considered.

    To download this paper, please return to Proceedings of the 1997 Postgraduate Conference

    Page created June 6th, 1997, by Chris Whincop
    Last updated: 11th June, 1997