A Study on Language Learning Opportunities in China’s EFL Classes across Grades — From Classroom Discourse Perspective

------Take middle schools in Zhejiang province as examples  

Abstract This thesis reports a small-scale study on the situation of language learning opportunities in EFL classes in China’s middle schools from classroom discourse perspective at aim at enhancing language learning equity for students in class. The research questions are “what’s the current situation of language learning opportunities in EFL classes?” and “what are the affecting factors which influence the equality of classes?” 164 Chinese EFL learners at intermediate level who are students from a junior high school and a senior high school in Zhejiang province and their teachers participated in the research. The analysis of classroom observation and two questionnaire surveys support the result of this research, that is, the unfairness of language learning in EFL classes does exist and is quite serious in China’s middle schools now and the unreasonable time distribution is one of the main affecting factors of this problem. Additionally, several implications presented in this article add support to improve the equality of English learning in classes. 71255

Key words:  classroom discourse, time distribution, learning opportunity, ALT

从课堂话语分析角度跨年级探讨中国英语课堂的语言学习机会

摘 要本文从课堂话语分析角度探究了中国中学英语课堂不同年级的语言学习机会情况，旨在改善学生课堂语言学习机会不足之问题。本文研究的要点在于英语课堂语言学习现状和影响语言学习机会公平性的因素。164位来自中国浙江省的初高中生参与了本次调查，研究表明中学英语课堂的语言学习机会不公平性普遍存在且不合理的课堂学习时间分配是主要影响因素。根据现状及影响因素分析，本文进一步提出了有效的建议，力图改善现实存在的问题。

毕业论文关键词： 课堂话语， 时间分配， 学习机会， 学术学习时间

Contents

1 Introduction 1

2 Literature Review 1

3 Methodology 4

3.1 The Participants of the Research 4

3.2 The Instruments of the Research 4

3.3 The Procedure of the Research 4

4 Results and Discussion 5

4.1 Analysis on the Features of Discourse Interaction in EFL Classes 5

  4.1.1 Analysis based on the conversational actions 5

  4.1.2 Analysis based on the problem solving actions 8

4.2 Analysis on the Affecting Factors of Language Learning Unfairness in EFL Classes 10

  4.2.1 The time distribution between students and teachers 11

  4.2.2 The time distribution between students and students 11

4.3 Analysis on the Learning Results under the Unfair Learning Environment