| L2 Classroom interaction patterns and characteristics have been recurrently explored.Nevertheless,relatively few research has been conducted to delve into the communicative features of English as Foreign Language(EFL)classroom interaction based on a national English teaching competition of junior high school.Hence,this paper aimed to fill this research gap by analyzing the predominant patterns and communicative characteristics of EFL classroom interaction in junior high school based on reading classes in the 13 th National Quality English Teaching Competition in China.By adopting the method of video-transcribed classroom observation,210 minutes of six quality classes from the 13 th National Quality English Teaching Competition of Junior High School were chosen to be observed and transcribed under the premise of ensuring the consistency of lesson types,lesson content and the grade.By utilizing Sinclair and Coulthard’s(1975)IRF model and the Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching(COLT)scheme proposed by Fr(?)hlich et al.(1985),a transcribed corpus of approximately 15,700 words was analyzed to examine interactive patterns and features in reading classes.The major findings showed that:(1)The predominant pattern in English reading quality classes was IRF(Initiation-Response-Feedback)exchange(M=39.7%).However,a more complicated interactive pattern called Extended IRF also occurred to a great extent(M=32.4%).Extended IRF observed in this study were commonly IRIbR(IbR)F,IRFRF(RF),IIbRF,IRFIbRF(IbRF),among which IRFRF(RF)appeared most frequently.(2)The communicative orientation of quality classes was at an intermediate level,with an average score of 11.67 out of 20.The holistic features of classroom interaction could be summarized as: Activities were organized dominantly in the form of class work(M=62.3%)rather than group work(M=17.5%)or individual work(M= 20.3%);teaching contents were more meaning-focused rather than form-focused;topic selection was primarily controlled by the teacher(M=56.6%),and then jointly by the teacher and students(M=32.5%),but rarely controlled by students alone(M=11.0%);the most extensively fostered skill was RS(Reading and Speaking),with a mean proportion of 32.2%,tightly followed by LS(Listening and Speaking),which accounted for 31.4%.(3)Communicative features embedded in classroom interaction could be concluded as: The target language was spoken in classrooms to a remarkable extent(M=99.5%)to get students to be exposed to English use;display questions(M=69.2%)were asked much more than referential questions(M=30.8%);teachers spoke more sustained sentences(M=32.4%)than minimal phrases(M=27.8%).Students’ speech was mainly minimal speech(M=18.8%),followed by ultral-minimal speech(M=13.4%)and sustained speech(M=7.6%);diverse forms of feedback were given by the teacher,among which comment(M=38.4%)was provided most frequently,followed by repetition(M=24.7%),expansion(M=17.9%),elaboration(M=10.0%)and paraphrase(M=6.6%).This research may shed light on expanding research on EFL classroom interaction from a micro perspective.These findings may contribute to a better and in-depth understanding of classroom interaction especially for English teachers in junior high schools in China.This thesis closes with some tentative implications for English language teaching,limitations of the study and suggestions for future research. |
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