A Multiple-case Study On Teachers’Instructions In Primary School English Classroom

Instructions given by teachers in English classroom are one of the significant components in teacher talks, which are regarded as one medium for teachers to do things like imparting, organizing and managing the class. Besides, instructions are also related to students’ accomplishments of tasks and understanding of teaching contents. Therefore, the study on teachers’instructions is of great value for teachers in English language teaching practice.Focusing on primary school English teaching, this study aims at exploring how to optimize teachers’instructions in primary school English classroom. In this article, the study on teachers’instructions is mainly based on Comprehensible Input and Code-switching. Besides, this article presents a qualitative case study approach, and the main instruments are classroom observation, video recording, and transcription. In addition, six cases are collected and studied for a comparative analysis.The study indicates that there are three main forms of instructions:1) declarative sentences2) imperative sentences3) interrogative sentences. Factors that contribute to ineffective instructions are:1) obscure language2) unclear referent3) redundant speech. Methods that can optimize teachers’instructions are:1) simplified instructions2) instructions plus explanation3) instructions plus check-up4) instructions plus emphasized repetition. In addition, the study also provides some suggestions for teachers in primary school to give out instructions:1) Be brief2) Clear referent3) Chinese if necessary4) Timely adjustment.As the data is not quite sufficient, there exist many deficiencies in this study which can not reflect all the features of teachers’instructions in primary school. Therefore, more deep studies on teachers’ instructions are asked for in the future.