English in the EFL classroom: Why not? Classroom discourse patterns and teachers' beliefs

Abstract

This dissertation draws on theoretical and empirical research to answer a question that continues to puzzle many who are involved or interested in second or foreign language teaching: Why is there little target language spoken in the secondary school language classroom? The question stems from the generally accepted notion that one needs to practice speaking the foreign language to learn to speak the language but that instruction focuses on memorizing grammar rules despite the need for developing oral abilities. How instruction is delivered, in terms of the discourse patterns established by teachers, is linked to the type of learning that occurs. Teachers who follow IRF patterns of interaction, or 'monologic discourse' promote the memorization of facts, and teachers who ask open-ended questions, or 'dialogic discourse' stimulate higher order thinking. Our qualitative research, conducted in the framework of sociocultural theory in three teachers' classrooms, examined the relationship between patterns of classroom discourse and teachers' beliefs about how languages are learned and how they should be taught in the context of the classroom and school. The data revealed that the teachers' beliefs, and thus language use, are the result of a complex and often implicit interaction between the teacher's beliefs and those of the students, faculty and school. School policy and culture play a role in reinforcing certain beliefs and this interplay between the teacher's beliefs and those of the school results in some teaching practices being encouraged over others, as observed in the type of discourse that occurred in the three classrooms. If changes are to be made so that dialogic discourse in classrooms can flourish and communicative competency can be achieved, teachers' beliefs need to be examined, challenged and possibly changed. Yet given that teachers work within a system, changes pertain equally to the students, faculty and school policy that make up the complex environment in which they work