A Case Study Of Novice English Teachers’ Professional Development Through Walsh’s SETT Framework In Middle Schools

The role of interaction in the classroom has aroused increasing attention in recent years.Regarding the dynamic nature of the language classroom and its complexity,there is a need for EFL teachers to develop knowledge and ability to observe,analyze and evaluate their teacher talk.Thus,the interactional awareness of EFL teachers is an indispensable part of pedagogic and practical knowledge.Based on the Self-Evaluation of Teacher Talk(SETT)framework proposed by Walsh(2006),this thesis attempts to investigate the interactional features of the middle school novice English teacher talk,evaluate the applicability of the SETT Reflective Practice(RP)cycle and its contribution to the professional development.For this purpose,six novice English teachers from middle schools participate in the study.Four of them received training on analysis of their own talk by using the SETT framework and conducted the SETT RP cycle three times.The other two received the standardized training of elementary and middle school teachers in Shanghai without SETT experience.The data were collected from the SETT RP cycle where participants recorded and transcribed snapshots of their teaching to analyze different interactional features of the language,held group meeting with peers to discuss each other’s language use and wrote reflective diaries.The author compared and coded the qualitative data to reach certain sub-categories and then main categories to answer the research questions by using the Constant Comparison Method.The results were cross-checked with the participants.Meanwhile,qualitative data were quantified through descriptive statistics by using the number of communication units and percentages.The extracts were taken from the transcriptions of snapshot recordings and supported by the teachers’ diaries for detailed analysis.The findings indicate that:(1)As for the mode’s distribution,Material Mode plays a dominant role in class with frequent use of display questions and teacher echo,which can be influenced by the learning setting,institutional requirements and teaching experience.(2)With the application of the SETT framework,middle school novice English teachers are more conscious of the relationship between teacher talk,pedagogic purpose and learning potential and make practical adjustments to the language use;(3)Middle school novice English teachers can benefit from the SETT RP cycle in terms of teacher professional development.The SETT experience helped them to analyze teacher talk,understand the complex nature of classroom interaction and enhance their own Classroom Interactional Competence(CIC)by linking Walsh’s theory with their own teaching contexts.To conclude,the findings offer valuable insights into teacher talk and its contributions to the development of classroom interaction.This thesis has implications not only for developing critical reflective practice for middle school novice English teachers but also for teacher training.