A Contrastive Study On English Teacher’s Directive In Open Classes And Regular Classes In Junior High School From The Perspective Of Interpersonal Function

As an important component of teacher talk,teacher’s directive is a key part in the construction of teacher-student relationship.Under the background of advocating student-centered teaching,junior high school English teachers have a weak sense of the interpersonal meaning of directive,and the construction of teacher-student relationship doesn’t gain enough attention,which is not conducive to the in-depth teaching and the construction of harmonious teacher-student relationship.Only a thorough understanding of the characteristics of junior high school English teachers’directive from the perspective of interpersonal function can prompt teachers to optimize their directive,ease the tensions in English classroom to promote the building of a harmonious teacher-student relationship of equality.Based on Halliday’s Interpersonal Function Theory,this study employs classroom observation,interview and statistical analysis of data to analyze the characteristics of the employment of teacher’s directive and investigates the teacher-student relationship in open classes ad regular classes in junior high school in Nanning,and then the author put forward implications for the betterment of teacher’s directive.The research questions are as follows:（1）From the perspective of interpersonal function,what are the characteristics of the employment of teachers’directive in junior high school English open classes and regular classes?Is there any difference between them?（2）What kind of teacher-students relationship does the interpersonal meaning of teacher’s directive convey in junior middle school English open classes and regular classes?Through a contrastive study in teacher’s directive of the 6 open classes of the 13^thNational Junior High School English Teaching Demonstration Workshop and the 6regular classes of a junior high school in Nanning,the results show that:（1）In open classes,teachers tend to use declarative and interrogative mood,median-value modality and first-personal plural form to issue directive,while the use of imperative mood,high-value modality and second-personal pronouns in regular classes is higher.There is a certain distance between the use of the mood system,the choice of modal expressions and the distribution of personal pronouns in these two kinds of classes.（2）In teacher-student relationship,the teacher-student relationship in open classes is student-centered and equal,while the teacher-student relationship in regular classes is teacher-centered and strict.Based on findings,four pedagogical implications are put forward:（1）Teacher should make a balance of the employment of different mood in teacher’s directive;（2）Teacher should employ the modal expressions with the consideration of students’emotion;（3）Teacher should choose more targeted personal pronouns according to the specific context;（4）Teacher should be patient and friendly to relax the teacher-student relationship.