Teacher echo of student’s utterances in the third move (F)- giving feedback- of IRF sequences as a way of scaffolding language learning in EFL classes in Turkey’

Tez Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, School of Education, Communication, and Language Sciences, School of Education, Communication, and Language Sciences, Birleşik Krallık

Tez Danışmanı: Prof Steve Walsh

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2015

Tezin Dili: İngilizce

Özet:

This qualitative study investigated whether teacher echo of student’s utterances in the third turn (F) of IRF sequences is a way of scaffolding language learning and whether it creates interactional atmosphere by encouraging learners to participate more in the EFL classes in Turkey. The study also looked at whether it turns traditional IRF sequences, which are highly criticized for causing uncommunicative atmosphere in the class by limiting learner participation, into communicative exchanges in addition to exploring its frequency and purposes of usage. In doing so, 150 minutes of video-recordings collected with two cameras from two different EFL classes at a university in Turkey were analysed, firstly, according to the principles of discourse analysis to identify the IRF patterns and then, using conversation analysis framework to further analyse the interaction in the class. Three English teachers and 46 students participated to the research. The findings of the study reveal that teachers frequently echo learner responses while giving feedback to scaffold language learning by repairing, affirming and asking for clarification in the class, the usage of which changes according to the context of the lesson as form-and-accuracy and meaning-and-fluency. The study also illustrated that echoing while giving feedback enables eliciting more responses from the students by self-selecting; thus, it increases participation in the class. Furthermore, another significant finding emerging from the data is that the teachers also create learning opportunities for the students by taking their attention to the answer as well as enabling all the students to hear and understand it via echoing. However, the current study has been unable to show that echoing of learner’s utterances turn IRF sequences into communicative exchanges by encouraging learners to use the language more. The findings complement those of earlier studies. All in all, the study provides significant implications for the teacher education and practical usage of teacher echo of student’s responses in the feedback, by raising awareness towards the relationship between interaction and language learning in the class.