英語課堂上中英文使用的情況和理念之探討:以台灣兩位大學英語教師為例

Abstract

母語(L1)在教室的使用長期以來一直是研究第二語言(L2)和外語(FL)學習的探討重點之一, 而最近相關研究也提出教師理念對語言教學的重要性。然而仍少有實驗性的研究提出教師語言使用理念與實際語言教學之間的關聯。因此，本研究旨在探索教師在外語教室內母語與目標使用的情形，以及教師語言使用理念與實際語言教學的關聯。 本研究目的在探索兩位台灣的大學英語教師在課堂上使用母語(中文)和目標語(英文)的情形及兩位教師語言使用的理念。以下為四個研究問題: 第一, 教師在英語教室內使用多少的母語和目標語? 第二, 教師使用母語和目標語在功能上有甚麼不同? 第三, 教師的語言使用理念為何? 第四, 教師語言使用理念和實際教室內語言教學情形有何關聯? 兩位台灣大學英語教師參與本研究。研究資料的蒐集是透過課堂觀察與訪問教師的語言使用理念。教室觀察以及教師訪問皆以錄音的方式作為日後分析的資料。本研究的資料分析方法參考及使用Kim and Elder (2005)的跨語言語碼分析系統 ‘FLAATT’ (Functional Language Alternation Analysis of Teacher Talk)(教師語言轉換的功能分析)。 研究結果顯示兩位教師在母語和目標語使用的數量以及功能上皆有很大的不同。此外，兩位教師亦呈現分歧的語言使用信念，差異的理念解釋為何以及如何兩位教師在同一教學情境下有如此不同的母語及目標語的使用。整體而言，兩位教師的語言使用理念和實際的教室語言使用呈現一致的結果。本研究希望能解釋影響教師語言使用的選擇以及教師的理念如何對實際的語言教學產生深遠的影響，也希望能讓外語教師了解自身的語言使用理念和實際語言教學的關聯。

Research of second and foreign language (FL) learning have been interested in the issue of first language (L1) use in classrooms and recently have suggested a critical role of teacher belief in practice of teaching. However, research which has empirically documented the link between teachers’ beliefs of language use in classrooms and their practice of teaching is still scant. Therefore, this study attempts to explore teachers’ actual language use (the L1 and the TL) in the classrooms as well as the relationship between their beliefs of language use and their actual language teaching behaviors in classrooms. The present study aims to explore two Taiwanese English teachers’ L1 (Chinese) and TL (English) use in class and their beliefs of language use. Four research questions guide the investigation of the study: (1) What are the amounts of teachers’ uses of the L1 and the TL in the FL classroom? (2) How do teachers differ in the functions of their code-switching between the L1 and the TL? (3) What are the teachers’ beliefs of language use in FL classrooms? and (4) What is the relationship between teachers’ beliefs of language use and their actual code-switching behavior in the classrooms? Two Taiwanese college English teachers participated in the study. Data was collected through classroom observation and teacher interview concerning teacher’s beliefs of language use in the context of FL teaching. Both classroom observation and teacher interview were audio recorded for analyzing. The study adopted the cross-linguistic coding system ‘FLAATT’ (Functional Language Alternation Analysis of Teacher Talk) developed by Kim and Elder (2005) to analyze classroom data. Results of the study showed a very different language use between the two teachers both in the amount of TL and L1 use and in the functions language performed. Moreover, the two teachers’ beliefs of language use in FL classrooms are divergent in some degree as well, which explains how and why teachers in the same EFL teaching context act distinct in terms of TL and L1 use. Overall, both teachers’ language uses in the classrooms are in consistent with their self-reported beliefs. To conclude, the study may be of importance in explaining what may influence teachers’ decision-making of language use and how teachers’ beliefs have profound impact on their actual language teaching behaviors, as well as in providing FL teachers with a better understanding of how beliefs of language use are related to their language teaching behaviors.