ELT Journal Advance Access published online on August 28, 2009
ELT Journal, doi:10.1093/elt/ccp060
© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
Why are students quiet? Looking at the Chinese context and beyond
Xiaoyan Xie is a lecturer in the English School at Shanghai International Studies University, China. Her research interest is in classroom discourse. She did both her MA and PhD in the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Email: xiesh2{at}gmail.com
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Abstract |
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This paper is part of a larger project on teacher–student interaction and the contextual issues which shape them. It reported that the reticence of English majors is caused by the communicative environment that the teachers create in their interactions with their students. The data were collected through observations, audio- and videotaping, and stimulated reflection across a two-and-a-half-month period. Informed by Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory which puts talk at the core of successful teaching and learning, the analysis presented reveals how the teachers’ thematic control leads to students’ low interaction levels. Based on the findings, implications are discussed and some possible changes to teaching practices proposed, which are applicable not only to the Chinese context but beyond.