The Influence of Teacher's Talk on Learners' Second Language Socialization Process in an Adult ESL Classroom: A Critical Discourse Analysis

• Published in: Hwa Kang English Journal 2020-07, Vol.25, p.14-30
• Main Author: 李昱(Yue Christine Lee)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2218-8088
• DOI: 10.3966/221880882020072501002

Informed by language socialization theory (Ochs, 1988, Schieffelin＆Ochs, 1986) , this paper examined the political ideologies second language teachers construct through classroom discussion. Language socialization theory highlights the impact of ideologies with regard to expert-novice interactions. With the use of Fairclough's (19923 2003) three-dimensional critical discourse analysis, the study analyzed teacher-student interaction in an adult English as a second language classroom. This approach considers the relationship between social structures and social events as dialectical, and is mediated by social practices. The data demonstrates that the teachers' avoidance of positioning themselves as the more knowledgeable others through classroom interaction could lead to a less asymmetrical relationship. The data also shows that regardless of teachers' attempts to avoid passing on particular values and beliefs, their political ideologies are still present in classroom discussions. The study concludes by suggesting educators to foster critical reflexivity with the goal of becoming more aware of the ideologies they create in the classroom context and its potential impact on learners.