While I was doing an internship in several English classes in a ‘Gymnasium’ in 2007, a teacher asked me to take a test in his class (8th grade) of the vocabulary of a certain unit in their textbook. I did so and graded the tests according to his requirements. Every incorrect word led to zero points regardless of how ‘wrong’ the word was. In one case the students were supposed to give the English word for “Süßigkeiten” which, of course, is “sweets”. While some simply gave no word, others gave solutions that were wrong, yet creative, for instance a circumlocution, “sweet things” or newly coined word, “sweetys”. It did not seem fair to me to disregard these solutions, as someone using them in a communicative situation would be able to better communicate his intention than by simply saying nothing. From this experience I got the idea for my B.A. thesis to deal with the topic of communication strategies , to which these examples belong, and to further examine their role in language learning.
This thesis is an attempt to inspect what CSs are and what their part in education could and should be, respectively actually is. In the beginning I will present a summary of the history of research in the field of CSs and I will give an overview of existing (and often varying) theories, definitions and taxonomies of CSs. After introducing this background knowledge I will examine the practical implications of CS research. By discussing studies and theories by various researchers I will prove that the employment of CSs in communication is useful and effective and that teaching CSs in school is both possible and sensible.
I will then go on in the empirical part to examine the curricula for ‘Sekundarstufe I and II’ of the ‘Gymnasium’ in North Rhine Westphalia with regard to CS teaching. I will also look at various school books to see to what degree results from CS research have been taken into consideration in their design, i.e. whether or not they teach CSs, and if so, how they do it. I will evaluate these results and make suggestions for possible improvements. In the conclusion I will sum up my results and make suggestions for further research. The appendix includes various material used for this thesis that is helpful and sometimes necessary to understand the text, such as taxonomies of CSs or charts showing results of my research. At the end of the thesis is a list explaining common abbreviations used in this thesis, as well as a glossary of ...
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. A Theoretical Introduction into Communication Strategies
2.1 The History of Communication Strategies Research
2.2 Communication Strategies: Approaches and Definitions
2.3 Communication Strategies: Taxonomies and the Range of Strategies
2.4 The Practical Implications
2.4.1 The Effectiveness of the Use of Communication Strategies
2.4.2 The Teachability of Communication Strategies
2.4.3 Communication Strategies: Teaching Concepts
2.4.4 Variables in the Choice of Communication Strategies
3. The Empirical Part
3.1 Examination and Evaluation of Communication Strategies in the Curriculum
3.1.1 The Curriculum for ‘Sekundarstufe I’
3.1.2 The Curriculum for ‘Sekundarstufe II’
3.1.3 Comments on the Findings in the Curricula
3.2 Examination of Text Books
3.2.1 Quantitative Examination
3.2.2 Qualitative Examination
3.2.2.1 Categories 1 and 2: Range, Frequency and Quality of CS Teaching
3.2.2.2 Categories 3 and 4: Potentially Useful Teaching Material
3.2.3 Evaluation of Results
3.2.4 A Critique of the Corpus
4. Suggestions for Improvements of the Curricula and the Teaching Situation
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This thesis investigates the nature of communication strategies (CSs) and their role in language education. It aims to determine if the use of CSs is beneficial for effective communication and language learning, and to examine whether these strategies are adequately integrated into the school curricula for the 'Gymnasium' in North Rhine-Westphalia and in common English textbooks.
- Theoretical history and definition of communication strategies.
- Evaluation of the teachability and pedagogical effectiveness of CSs.
- Critical analysis of curricula and school textbooks regarding CS integration.
- Identification of variables influencing the choice of communication strategies.
- Suggestions for improving CS teaching and curriculum development.
Auszug aus dem Buch
2. A Theoretical Introduction into Communication Strategies
The term “communication strategies” here is a specific term in the scientific field of linguistics and particularly that of language teaching and learning. It is a term for a number of strategies that a language user employs to cope with difficulties encountered in communication, such as giving a definition in case the word for the intended expression is not known. If, for instance, someone wants to explain that he could not go skiing as the snow had already started melting away, but does not know the word “to melt”, he could instead say “the snow became water”.
2.1 The History of Communication Strategies Research
The topic of communication strategies appeared for the first time almost four decades ago when: researchers first raised the notion of second language (L2) communication strategies (CSs) at the beginning of the 1970s, following the recognition that the mismatch between L2 speakers’ linguistic resources and communicative intentions leads to a number of systematic language phenomena whose main function is to handle difficulties or breakdowns in communication. (Dörnyei & Scott, 1997: 174)
In an article in 1972 “that first introduced the term ‘interlanguage’ “ (Ellis, 1995: 351), Selinker coined the term ‘communication strategy’ “as one of the five central processes involved in L2 learning” (Dörnyei & Scott, 1997: 175) without going into further detail; at the same time Savignon “published a research report in which she highlighted the importance of coping strategies (the term she used for CSs) in communicative language teaching and testing” (Ibid.).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the motivation for the thesis, stemming from personal internship experience, and sets the scope for examining the role of communication strategies in language learning and their integration in school materials.
2. A Theoretical Introduction into Communication Strategies: Provides a summary of the history of CS research, discusses various definitions and taxonomies from different linguistic perspectives, and explores the practical implications regarding their effectiveness and teachability.
3. The Empirical Part: Analyzes the curriculum for 'Sekundarstufe I and II' and evaluates multiple English textbooks to see if and how communication strategies are taught in the classroom.
4. Suggestions for Improvements of the Curricula and the Teaching Situation: Proposes specific recommendations for curriculum updates and didactic approaches to better integrate CS teaching into language lessons.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes the main findings, confirms the value of CSs in communication, and highlights the need for teacher training and better alignment between research and classroom practice.
Keywords
Communication Strategies, Language Learning, Second Language Acquisition, Curriculum Analysis, School Textbooks, Strategic Competence, Communicative Competence, Pedagogy, Interactional Strategies, Psycholinguistic Approach, Sociolinguistic Approach, Teacher Education, Learner Autonomy, Teaching Concepts, Language Teaching.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the basic focus of this thesis?
The work focuses on the role and teachability of communication strategies (CSs) within the context of second language learning and their actual implementation in German 'Gymnasium' curricula and textbooks.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The thesis covers theoretical definitions and taxonomies of CSs, the debate on their teachability, an empirical analysis of school textbooks, and the influence of variables like age and proficiency on strategy choice.
What is the primary goal of the research?
The goal is to determine if teaching CSs is beneficial for learners and to evaluate whether current educational frameworks successfully implement this pedagogical potential.
Which scientific method is applied in this study?
The study employs a literature-based theoretical analysis followed by an empirical examination of curricula and a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of English textbooks using a defined system of 'CS points'.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main part includes a deep theoretical exploration of CS history, approaches, and practical implications, followed by the empirical investigation of specific textbooks like 'Camden Town' and 'English G 2000'.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include Communication Strategies, Strategic Competence, Curriculum Analysis, English Language Teaching, and Pedagogical Effectiveness.
Why is the role of the teacher highlighted in the conclusion?
The author concludes that teachers are the key factor in successful CS teaching; they need background knowledge and a pedagogical concept to turn even non-explicit textbook materials into effective learning opportunities.
How do the findings regarding textbooks differ between school years?
The research finds that most CS teaching takes place in grades 9 and 10, while early years (5-8) often lack diverse strategy instruction, although some books like 'Password Green' form a positive exception.
- Quote paper
- Bachelor of Arts Holger Meier (Author), 2009, The Teachability of Communication Strategies, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/184654
