A study of the influence of teachers' language on students' learning

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dc.contributor.advisorChorny, Merron
dc.contributor.authorNewton, Constance Joan
dc.coverage.spatial200000102en
dc.date.accessioned2005-07-19T20:09:40Z
dc.date.available2005-07-19T20:09:40Z
dc.date.issued1974
dc.descriptionBibliography: p. 118-120.en
dc.description.abstractPurpose This study was undertaken in order to explore the means by which the language of teachers may influence the learning of their pupils. The analysis of the language was based principally on the theory of James Britton. The Study. To attain this purpose, the study concentrated upon the language of two student teachers , each of whom was observed in an evolving relationship with a class of ten. A sequence of eight lessons with each class was taped and observed. To further the researcher's understanding of pupils' responses to the teacher, pupils from the classes involved in the study were interviewed, and the interviews taped, at the conclusion of each lesson. The data were subjected to two kinds of analysis. The quantitative analysis examined the language according to categories based on the analysis systems of Flanders, Gallagher and Aschner, and Britton. The qualitative analysis explored the specific elements of verbal interaction, relating to the theory on which the study was based. Summary and Conclusions The teacher's language appeared to create a definite learning environment in the classroom. In the lessons observed, the teachers' habitual closed questions, heavy emphasis on their view of the subject, insistance on transactional language, and structuring devices, often resulted in rote response, pseudo-participation and an impersonal study of subject matter, on the part of the pupils. Learning appeared to be more effective, however, on the occasions when the teacher's language engaged with the inner monologue of the pupils and stimulated them to perceive the relationship between the known and the unknown. Learning was also facilitated by the teacher's using her language to encourage the children to speculate on the subject matter, relate it to personal experience, and discuss it in expressive language. Implications The relationship between the teacher's language and the students' learning is a complex one that goes far beyond the matter of clear communication. An awareness of the influence of language on learning would seem to be basic to any teacher's education. How children are taught to respond to their teachers' language patterns, how the teacher's talk creates classroom roles for individuals, how praise and censure determine learning, and how much pseudoparticipation is a part of lessons, are some of the questions that this study suggests for further research.
dc.description.notesThis title is not available online. Access options are: - consulting the copy from Archives in our reading room in person - https://asc.ucalgary.ca/visiting/ - borrowing a circulating copy from the Library catalogue – https://ucalgary.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01UCALG_INST:UCALGARY&lang=en
dc.format.extentviii, 120 leaves ; 30 cm.en
dc.identifier82480910en
dc.identifier.citationNewton, C. J. (1974). A study of the influence of teachers' language on students' learning (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/12664en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/12664
dc.identifier.lccLB 1139 L3 N48 1974 Microficheen
dc.identifier.other82480910en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/13486
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.publisher.placeCalgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject.lccLB 1139 L3 N48 1974 Microficheen
dc.subject.lcshChildren - Language
dc.subject.lcshOral communication
dc.titleA study of the influence of teachers' language on students' learning
dc.typemaster thesis
thesis.degree.disciplineCurriculum and Instruction
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)
ucalgary.thesis.notesPLen
ucalgary.thesis.uarcreleasenoen
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