Richard Watson Todd

INDUCTION FROM SELF-SELECTED CONCORDANCES AND SELF-CORRECTION

Abstract This paper investigates three growing areas in language teaching, namely, induction, the use of concordances, and self-correction. For a class of students at a Thai university, lexical items causing errors in writing were identified, the students made small concordances of the lexical items from the Internet, and they then induced patterns from the concordance to apply in self-correction of their errors. Generally, students were able to induce valid patterns from their self-selected concordances and make valid self-corrections of their errors, and there was a strong correlation between these two abilities. Their ability to induce and self-correct, however, was perhaps affected by the part of speech of the lexical items focused on, and their ability to apply the induced patterns in self-correction was influenced by other aspects of the lexical items.

EAP or TEAP

Abstract Most previous work in EAP has focused more on the content of teaching than on the methodology. By examining reports of EAP teaching practice, this paper identifies six key approaches to the teaching of EAP: inductive learning, process syllabuses, learner autonomy, authenticity, technology, and team teaching. Reasons for the emphasis on these approaches are given. The paper concludes by arguing that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on methodology in EAP.

Topic-Based Analysis of Classroom Discourse.

Abstract Discourse analysis has largely focused on function at the expense of content. This paper attempts to redress the balance by providing an analysis of classroom discourse by identifying the topics in the discourse and following their development. To identify topics, bottom-up approaches based on theme–rheme progression and lexical networks were used together with a top-down schematic approach producing semantic networks of keywords. Having identified topics, topic development can be followed through the semantic network and categorised as topic maintenance, topic drift, topic shift, topic renewal or topic insertion. To illustrate the effectiveness of such an approach, an extract of classroom discourse from an EST course at a Thai university was analysed. Classroom discourse was chosen because of the importance of content structure to the effectiveness of such discourse, especially for explanations and eliciting. The analysis shows that identifying topics and following topic development are possible and may lead to a deeper understanding of the structure of classroom discourse.

A Functional Analysis of Teachers' Instructions:

Instructions are an under-researched aspect of classroom discourse. In this paper, we attempt to describe the functional structure of teacher instructions using the framework proposed by Sinclair and Coulthard (1975). We examine nine directing transactions or sets of instructions from four lessons taught on an English for Academic Purposes course at a Thai university. The directing transactions were video recorded and transcribed, and the functions identified from the teacher comments in an interview. The frequency of the various types of exchange and move in the discourse, correspondences between exchanges and moves, and pairs of exchanges and moves which co-occur significantly frequently were identified. From these, a potential structure of directing transactions is suggested. This structure starts with a boundary exchange which is followed by one or more instruction exchanges. The teacher instructions can also include insertion and inform exchanges, and usually end with a further instruction exchange.

A fuzzy approach to discourse topics

Abstract Discourse-level topics are one of the most elusive and intractable notions in semantics, because they are inherently subjective and because more than one topic may be identifiable for a given stretch of discourse. Despite these characteristics of topics, much previous research into topics has attempted to identify a single topic for a stretch of discourse. In the present study, however, based on fuzzy logic, multiple topics are identified. Using data from an English language classroom at a Thai university, the identification of multiple topics involves, first, using six different approaches to analyse the data: theme-rheme progression, given-new progression, the speech act analysis of Sinclair and Coulthard (1975), Hoey’s (1991) lexical analysis, association-based networks of concepts, and topic-based analysis. These methods were then validated through comparison with a control method of analysis, allowing weightings of importance to be assigned to each of the six approaches. The various topics identified by each approach, taking the weighting of the approach into account, were combined to identify a range of topics with values indicating prominence for each point in the discourse. The extent to which a given point in the discourse is centred on a potential topic was calculated using the concept of fuzzy entropy. Although complex, it is argued that this fuzzy approach to discourse topics provides greater precision in describing and identifying topics.

‘In An Aeroplane, Yes, In An Aeroplane’: Within-Unit Repetitions in Classroom Discourse

This paper looks at the functions of repetition of lexical items which fall within a single T-unit. Examining data from a foundation English course at a Thai university, transcripts of eliciting transactions from 12 lessons were divided into T-units. Within-unit repetitions were identi-fied and categorized. Categories of repetition found, in order of frequency, were emphasis, clarification, affirmation, left-fronting, choral units, re-initiation, and pedagogic reformulation. These functions were found to be related to the discourse move the repetition occurs in and to the type of repetition, but were not related to individual teachers. The findings suggest that within-unit repetition is primarily used to aid students’ comprehension of teacher talk.

Textual Patterns in Teachers' Eliciting

Previous investigations of classroom discourse have focussed at the level of exchange or below and ignored larger-scale aspects of discourse. This paper presents a framework for analysing discourse at the level of exchange and above. The analysis, based in semantics, uses logic to provide an objective description of the discourse. By logically identifying the levels of specificity in the discourse, textual patterns of the transaction can be found. A sample analysis of a teachers eliciting is presented to show how to use logical analysis and the value of finding textual patterns.

Analyzing discourse topics and topic keywords

Abstract Discourse topic is an intractable and inherently subjective notion making analysis problematic. This paper overcomes some of the problems by treating topic as a fuzzy concept and views discourse topics as sets of topic keywords. The study examines the identification of topic boundaries and topic keywords by informants and by four methods of analyzing topics — topical structure analysis, given-new progression, lexical analysis, and topic-based analysis. Comparing the findings from these four methods against those from the informants, it was found that given-new progression is the most valid method for identifying topic boundaries, and topic-based analysis is the most valid for identifying topic keywords. There are also notable differences in the types of keywords identified and the bases for identifying keywords between the methods and the informants.

Text cohesion visualizer

In this paper, we describe the concept and design of a novel visualization tool to aid in academic writing of English as a Second Language students. The tool makes use of theory in classroom discourse, WordNet API, and linguistics rules given by a linguistics expert, by analyzing English language essays for their linguistic bond counts and links within and between paragraphs. These linguistic indicators reveal the structure and flow of essays, clusters of main ideas, as well as incoherent sentences, which obstruct essay unity. The lack of essay unity is one of the most common writing errors of English as a Second Language learners. The output of the system is shown as several kinds of visualizations that provide writing feedback to users, as well as an autocorrect functionality to improve essay unity. Novice English learners may benefit greatly from this system.

National-Level Educational Innovations in Thailand

The quality and effectiveness of education, and especially English language education, in Thailand is a source of national concern. Thai students frequently rank low in international educational comparisons, despite Thailand devoting a high proportion of its national budget to education and having progressive national laws concerning education. Each report of a low ranking for the country stimulates a round of soul-searching and generates numerous proposals for improvement. These proposals, however, usually result in little change, perhaps because they do not often account for highly influential context factors such as national-level tests. In this chapter, I will examine national-level innovations in Thai education with a particular focus on English language education. I will start by looking at the legislation concerning education, which, in addition to having the potential to stimulate change, also provides the context within which other innovations occur.