A Comparison of Real and Media-Based Classroom Discourse BY THARINEE BOONYUEN

Background of the study Data collection Methods of analysis Findings Discussion Questions

Education Media Critical discourse analysis (CDA)

“Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education…we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgement. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.”

(Jean-Jacques Rousseau, philosopher)

1.Education (principals, administrators, and teachers) 2.Society (governors, parents, employers and local community) Hedge (2000)

Media representation means “the re-presentation of the real” which is “the way in which ideas, objects, people, groups and life-forms are depicted by mass media” (Price, 1994, p. 33).

“No representation of reality can ever be totally “true” or “real”” (Croteau and Hoynes, 1997, p. 135).

Good representative of the media Sufficient information Worldwide effects

an approach to language analysis examine spoken and written language and study “how language serves to construct particular

ideological positions which entail unequal relations of power” (Coffin, 2001, p. 99).

“defamiliarization and consciousness-raising” (Fowler, 1996, p. 5)

CDA bridges the gap between micro-level and macro-level analysis. (van Dijk, 1998)

Purpose of the study   What are the similarities and differences between

real and media-based classroom discourse?

6 comparable transcripts of classrooms - 3 real classroom transcripts

- 3 movie-classroom transcripts

released during 1995 – 2005 with a present day setting. have good worldwide box offices. written by different screenwriters. last around 5 minutes. in the field of Humanities and Arts. have some teaching and learning or some subject

matter. teacher-learner and/or learner-learner interactions

Requirements/Data MCD 1 MCD 2 MCD 3

From movies released during 1995 - 2005 with a present day setting

From Never been Kissed released in 1999

From Finding Forrester released in 2000

From Save the last dance released in 2001

Worldwide box offices $84,565,230 $80,049,764 $131,706,809

American movies Yes Yes Yes

Literature lesson Yes Yes Yes

High school level Yes Yes Yes

Estimated number of students 30-35 25-30 25-30

Containing teacher-learner interaction beginning with teachers’ initiating and leading the discussion

Yes Yes Yes

Different directors, screenwriters, actors and actresses

Directed by Raja Gosnell and screen written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein

Directed by Gus Van Sant and screenwritten by Mike Rich

Directed by Thomas Carter and screenwritten by Duane Adler and Cheryl Edwards

Around 250 – 500 words long Around 300 words Around 350 words Around 250 words

The characteristics of the collected movie-classroom data (MCD)

Requirements/Data RCD 1 RCD 2 RCD 3From published or online sources released during1995 – 2005

From Multiple ways of knowing in literature classrooms (Hines and Appleman, 2000)

From Theory, Identity, and Practice: a study of two high school English teachers' literature instruction (Agee, 2000)

From How experienced English teachers assess the effectiveness of their literature instruction (Agee, 1998)

American classroom Yes Yes YesLiterature lesson Yes Yes YesHigh school level Grade 12 Grade 11 Grade 10Containing teacher-learner interaction beginning with teachers’ initiating and leading the discussion

Yes Yes Yes

Different teachers and different classes of students Yes Yes Yes

Around 250 – 500 words long Around 300 words Around 400 words Around 300 words

The data sharing the same features of discourse transcriptions.

Yes Yes Yes

The characteristics of the collected real classroom data (RCD)

Length of turns Directions of communication Patterns of classroom communication Nominations Teachers’ questions Teachers’ feedback Discipline

How: 1. Proportion of TTT and STT 2. Length of turns by T and Ss 3. Length of turns among Ss

To find out: Who talks most in the class

How: Six patterns of directions of communication

To find out: who is the focus of the communication

Directions of communication Symbolsthe teacher to students T→ Ssthe teacher to a particular student T→ Sx

a particular student to the teacher Sx→Tstudents to the teacher Ss→Ta particular student to a particular student Sx→Sy

a particular student to the teacher and students Sx→T&Ss

How: Triadic structure of classroom exchange (initiation, response and feedback)

To find out: 1. who control the content of the conversation 2. the variation in IRF patterns 3. negotiation of meaning

How: General solicit and personal solicit

To find out: how teachers control the turn taking

How: Open and closed questions

To find out: how teachers control over the learners’ response

How:

To find out: how teachers exercise power through the use of evaluative and non-evaluative feedback strategies

Degrees of evaluation Feedback strategiesMost evaluative

Non-evaluative

1. Criticizing2. Praising

3. Indicating an incorrect answer4. Acknowledging a correct answer

5. Asking follow-up questions6. Expanding or modifying

7. Summarizing8. Repeating

How:

To find out: how teachers control students’ behavior through the use of judgmental and non-judgmental discipline strategies

Degrees of judgment Discipline strategiesMost judgmental

Non-judgmental

1. Punishment2. Promise and rewards

3. Authoritative language4. Removing a student

5. Direct appeal6. Using humor

7. Showing interest8. Planned ignoring

Analysis Methods To find out aboutResults

HowSimilar Different

Proportion of TTT/STT Power of Ts & Ss The teachers talk more than the students do.

Average length of grouped turns

Power of Ts & Ss The teachers hold the turns longer than the students do.

Average length of individual students’ turns

Power among Ss No students dominate the discourse.

Directions of communication

Focus of comm. The focus of communication is the teachers.

Proportion of the distribution of moves

Who controls content of the talk

The teachers control the content of the talk.

Patterns of communication IRF Patterns IRF & IR patterns occur most.Length of patterns of communication

Negotiation of meaning

RCD may contain more negotiation of meaning than MCD.

Nomination Ts’ control turn taking The teachers in RCD control turn taking less than the teachers in MCD do.

Teachers’ questionsTs’ control learners’ input

The teachers frequently use open questions.

Teachers’ feedback Power of Ts The teachers in RCD use less power than the teachers in MCD do.

Discipline Ts’ control learners’ behavior

The teachers in RCD control the students’ behavior less than the teachers in MCD do.

1. Amount of negotiation of meaning MCD < RCD2. Teachers controlling turn taking MCD > RCD3. Teachers using power through feedback MCD >

RCD (Ex. criticizing feedback strategy) 4. Teachers disciplining MCD >

RCD

Why?

Wright (1987) says that teachers’ and students’ beliefs and attitudes directly and indirectly affect their expectations about classroom behavior.

1. Amount of negotiation of meaning MCD < RCD2. Teachers controlling turn taking MCD > RCD3. Teachers using power through feedback MCD > RCD (Ex. criticizing feedback strategy) 4. Teachers disciplining MCD > RCD

Why? Because: The beliefs and attitudes of teachers and students vary

in each class.

“Authoritarian teachers”

the teacher is viewed as “professeur” (Widdowson, 1990, p. 188) who “claims a superior and dominant position by virtue of a role which has been socially ascribed to him or her” (ibid).

control the interaction tightly (Widdowson, 1990)

criticize and put down students when they make mistakes, and control student behaviors (Moore, 1995)

Examples: Students’ learning Course material, teaching method and curriculum

According to Moore (1995), an authoritarian leadership style often results in a feeling of competitiveness among students.

According to Margonis (1992), authoritarian is often used to label teacher-centeredness because the teachers impose knowledge and experience on the students without regard for students’ interest and abilities.

For educationalists Be aware of the perception of people outside

education. Approach and communicate with people.

For non-educationalists Be aware of the influence of media on their

perception. Be critical of their opinion when taking part in

educational decision making.