LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 18:7 July 2018
ISSN 1930-2940

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An Instructor’s Style of Questioning in an Undergraduate L2 English
Classroom in Assam

Sarat Kumar Doley, PhD

Abstract

This paper focuses on two aspects of classroom interaction between the instructor and the learner participants in English as a second language (L2) classroom in Assam. First, the style of questioning of the instructor that helped him to create spoken discourses between himself and the learners and among the learners themselves. Secondly, focus is on the various cultural information that the instructor brought in for discussion and the ways in which the information was integrated with the course under study. The researcher attempted to investigate the specific cultural aspects highlighted by the instructor and the manner in which the weaving of culture and language was promoted in the classroom discourse by keeping a close look at the instructor’s questions.

Keywords: L2, Assam, India, Culture Teaching, Pedagogy, SLA, ELT

1. Introduction:

The style of questioning adopted by an instructor influences the nature and the pattern of discourse in a classroom. In interactions between the instructor and learners in English as second language (L2) classroom, it becomes extremely important. The style of questioning may decide the length and quality of interaction between the instructor and learners. If the style of questioning is conducive to classroom discourse, it will offer ample opportunities for language use and practice too. So, experienced instructors often take special care about the way the questions are posed to the learners in a classroom. The findings of this paper are based on a study undertaken at North Lakhimpur College, Assam. It was part of a case study focusing on the oral interactions between the instructor and the learner participants in English as an L2 classroom. The main objective of the study was to understand the incorporation of culture teaching in language teaching. The style of questioning adopted by the instructor during the class sessions recorded during study is presented here.

There were four types of questions asked by the instructor in the classroom discourse sessions of the present study. The first type of questions was the ones of which the instructor knew the answer and they are termed as demonstrative questions. The second type of questions was the ones in which the instructor requested for the unknown information and they were the imploring questions. The third type was called explanatory questions in which the instructor asked the learners to provide more elaborate explanation of their responses. The fourth type of questions was the follow-up questions which were asked by the instructor not in anticipation of any answer from the learners but as a link to more explanation from the instructor himself of the points that he happened to raise in the course of the interaction with the learners.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Sarat Kumar Doley, PhD
Assistant Professor of English
Department of English and Foreign Languages
Tezpur University, Assam
India
dolesar@tezu.ernet.in

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