Discourse markers in the ESL classroom: A survey of teachers' attitudes

Discourse markers in the ESL classroom: A survey of teachers' attitudes

• Fung, Loretta University of Nottingham

Asian EFL Journal, 13(2), 199-248, 2011

Nanzan University

2011

• G Curriculum, Teaching & Learning: Specific Disciplines
  • GB English Language
    • GBC Teaching Methods of Listening, Conversation, Speech & Their Outcomes
• M Teachers & Education for Teachers
  • MG Identities, Attitudes & Opinion of Educational Workers

Pedagogical Content Knowledge English Language -- Study & Teaching -- Foreign Speakers English Teachers Factor Analysis Discourse Markers Attitudes Esl Classroom Pedagogic Use

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Primary Education
• Secondary Education

• View Full Text 全文連結

There has been increasing research on the study of discourse markers (DMs) in terms of their pragmatic use. However, their pedagogic use in the ESL classroom has received less attention. This paper explores the attitudes of Hong Kong teachers towards the pedagogic values of DMs using a questionnaire (N=132), a reliability test, factor analysis, and interviews (N=3) with NS and NNS teacher-informants. Both the quantitative and qualitative results indicate a very positive perception of the pragmatic and pedagogic values of DMs by the subjects, where students at the intermediate-advanced level are challenged to acquire DMs for both receptive and productive purposes. The findings also 200 reveal the underrepresentation of DMs in existing teaching materials and in subjects' teaching. The study proposes the need to develop learners' linguistic awareness of this aspect of spoken features to facilitate communication and suggests that DMs can be included as part of the lexical input in the ESL/EFL syllabus. The results have implications for utilizing corpora to exploit the polyfunctionalities of DMs in different contexts and across registers, modifying existing teaching materials and promoting professional involvement in preparing learners to develop more effective communication.
[Copyright of Asian EFL Journal is the property of Nanzan University.
Access via Directory of Open Access Journals: http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/]

• English

Journal Articles

• 17381460

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/214956d9

2013-11-16