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Most photographs reproduce acceptably on positive microfilm or microfiche but lack the clarity on xerographic copies made from the microfilm. For an additional charge, 35mm slides of 6"x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography. Order Number 8717668 An observation and analysis of teacher foreigner talk in an English as a Second Language classroom at the secondary level: An ethnographic perspective Larson, Elizabeth Wellman, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1987 Copyright ©1987 by Larson, Elizabeth Wellman. All rights reserved. UMI 300N.ZeebRd Ann Arbor, MI 48106 AN OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF TEACHER FOREIGNER TALK IN AN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Elizabeth Wellman Larson ***** The Ohio State University 1987 Readiaig Committee: Approved by Edward D. Allen ^ A * A Frederick R. Cyphert ^^W 1> • At*^ Edward D. Allen, Adviser Elsie J. Alberty College of Education Theory and Practice Copyright by Elizabeth Wellman Larson 1987 For David and Mem and Dad because you always believed in me. ii ACKKDWLEDQ1ENTS I would like to thank my adviser, Dr. Edward D. Allen, without whom the realization of this dissertation would not have been possible. Dr. Allen is the epitome of a devoted professional and caring academic adviser on whom I have counted for professional guidance and moral support for several years as a student at this university. Most of all, I have appreciated his positive approach in advising me and his unabiding faith in me as a graduate student. I will always be indebted to him and find it difficult to express in so few words all that he has done for me. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Frederick R. Cyphert and Dr. Elsie J. Alberty, for their confidence in me and for their sugges­ tions and many words of encouragement. I include a special thank you to Dr. James W. Altschuld for his time, patience, and sense of humor throughout this research project. I include a second special thank you to the participant in this study for permitting me to conduct my research in her classroom for seven weeks and for making those weeks an enjoyable and rewarding learning experience. In addition, I would like to thank the school district personnel for their help in making this research project possible. iii I would also like to thank the members of my study group ("RET.LM"), Rick, Ed, Leslie, and Mike for their friendship and for helping me keep things in perspective. I extend a special thank you to "The Captain" for his many kindnesses. In addition, I would like to thank three educators at my high school who, like my parents, taught me about the joy of learning at an early age. I wish to thank Mrs. Pamela Berger, for stimulating my interest in foreign languages; Miss Sharene Schmalz, for teaching me the beauty of the written word; and Miss Frances Sedge, for encourag­ ing me to persevere in my studies. I thank my husband, David, my mother and father, and other members of my family for their loving understanding and support throughout my years as a doctoral student. Their love for me and understanding of me are a part of every page. May the completion of this dissertation be one way of thanking them for all that they have done for me. Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Virginia Stump for her time and patience while typing this manuscript and for her diligent and selfless efforts in helping me meet deadlines. iv VITA April 20, 1954 Born - Cincinnati, Ohio 1976 B.S. in Ed., summa cum laude, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1979 M.A. in Ed., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1979, present Teacher of French, Wbrthington High School, Vforthington City Schools, Worthington, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Foreign Language Education Studies in Foreign Language Education. Professors Edward D. Allen, Elizabeth B. Bernhardt, and Gilbert A. Jarvis. Studies in Teacher Education. Professor Frederick R. Cyphert. Studies in Curriculum. Professor Elsie J. Alberty. Studies in Ethnographic Research. Professor Judith L. Green. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii VITA v FIELDS OF STUDY v CHAPTER I. THE PROBLEM 1 Introduction 1 Statement of the Problem 2 Significance of the Study 2 Theoretical Assumptions for the Study 3 Definition of Terms 5 Limitations of the Study 5 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 7 Preface 7 Ethnographic Literature 7 Teacher Talk Literature 13 (Teacher) Foreigner Talk Literature 16 III. PROCEDURES 27 Population and Sampling 27 Gaining Access 28 Research Design and Data Collection Methods . 32 Chronological Sequence of the Study 34 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page IV. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA 36 Preface 36 Data Analysis . 36 V. SUMMARY, FINDINGS, LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Ill APPENDICES A 117 B 118 C 120 LIST OF REFERENCES 343 vii CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM INTRODUCTION The study of a second language is an important domain of many secondary school curricula due, perhaps, to the awareness of educa­ tors of the importance of learning a second language in a society that is becoming more internationally oriented with respect to economical, political, social, and educational issues. Because of these societal changes, many second language educators strive to aid students in acquiring a second language not only so they can become linguistically competent in a second language, but also so they can become multi-culturally sensitive in an ever changing world. Learning a second language, however, is not a facile process for many learners. Henzl (1973) states that "whenever participants in a verbal communication do not have equal facility of the language in use, adjustments in choices of linguistic means may take place. The speaker of a language seems to know intuitively how to talk, for example, to a little child or to a foreigner; he modifies his speech to what he thinks will be simpler and easier for the listener to comprehend. The choices he makes tend to be consistent for speakers of whole speech communities, and, in fact they may show a systematic 1 2 patterning that allow us to view the modified speech variety as a subsystem or "register" of the language (p. 207). Henzl refers to this system of language as Foreign Language Classroom Register. Like Henzl (1973), Chaudron (1983) espouses that "the simpler accommoda­ tions to the learner help improve the learner's chances to comprehend the meaning of the speech addressed to him or her" (p. 128). STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The notion that native speakers of a particular language modify and simplify their speech to non-native speakers in a multitude of contexts is an area of research that has been well documented (Henzl, 1973; Ferguson, 1975; Gaies, 1976; Katz, 1977; Freed, 1978; Hatch, Shapira, and Hough, 1978; Tarone, 1982; Schinke-Llano, 1983; Chaudron, 1983; Long and Sato, 1983). This phenomenon, however, has not been exhaustively researched in classroom environments at the secondary level. This study, then, will focus on the patterns of speech of a native speaker of English (the teacher) to non-native learners of English (the students) in a classroom environment at the secondary level by attempting to answer the question, "How does a native teacher of English modify her speech to non-native students of English in an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom environ­ ment at the secondary level?" SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The significance of this study is to further knowledge about the phencmenon of teacher foreigner talk by conducting an in-depth 3 descriptive case study research project. Specifically, the results of this study may enhance second language educators* knowledge about teacher foreigner talk in the secondary ESL classroom by attempting to achieve the following goal: to observe, analyze, and characterize teacher foreigner talk in a secondary ESL classroom. In addition to furthering our knowledge about this area of study, information gained from this research may enhance teacher education programs in Foreign Language Education, not only so potential teachers are aware of what constitutes teacher foreigner talk at the secondary level, but also so they can learn effective means of incorporating teacher foreigner talk in their classroom speech in order to aid students in the language learning process. THEORETICAL ASSUMPTIONS FOR THE STUDY Lutz (1981) has stated that "ethnography and ethnographic methods have become increasingly in vogue among educational research­ ers in the last decade" (p. 51). This shift in research focus is due in part, perhaps, to some researchers' disillusionment with other research methodologies that have long prevailed in social science and educational research.