The high school teacher's role in maximizing learners' initiative in English second language classes in Lesotho

[摘要] English: The introductory chapters of this study explain minimum and maximum learner initiative and the forms in which they can be identified in the languageteaching-Ieaming process. In other words, second language learners' andteachers' positions in language classrooms are defined. In so doing the advantagesand disadvantages of maximum and minimum learner initiative were shown. Therepercussions of the traditional IRF pattern of interaction in English second languageclasses are discussed in datalUsing Bowers (1987) as conceptual framework, the researcher proceeded to identifythe most recurrent pattems of interaction in Form E classes in some of the highschools in Lesotho, with specific reference to lingual data. She audiotaped sevenpre-counselling lessons and seven interviews between the teachers and her. Shealso gave a questionnaire to the students so that she could collect more data forvalidation and triangulation purposes. The transcription of the lingual data, inBowers' (1987) pre-counselling phase, revealed that most of the teachers adhered tothe traditional IRF discourse cycle in English second language classes.The analysis of the lessons, interviews and questionnaires led to Bowers' (1987)counselling/intervention phase. It also made it easy for the teachers to identify theirlearner initiative-minimizing techniques in language classes. This meant a detaileddiscussion on maximizing and minimizing learner initiative and their effects in secondlanguage learning. The teacher's role in maximizing leamer initiative was thusemphasised. The researcher, then, suggested various ways in which the teacherscould maximize leamer initiative. They were also advised to set learning outcomesso as to provide a guide for the implementation of these suggestions.The intervention phase was followed by the post-counselling/intervention phase ofBowers' model. Each of the seven teachers had his or her post-counselling lessonrecorded and transcribed. The main purpose was to make it easy for the researcherand the teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention phase. Evidentlyall the teachers had maximized leamer initiative through different techniquesalthough they could not implement all the suggested techniques.One cannot tell whether the teachers still adhered to the notion of maximizing leamerinitiative after the researcher's departure. The researcher therefore recommended,in this study, that second language teachers should receive regular counselling fromthe inspectors, their colleagues in their schools and from other schools, and lecturersfrom Lesotho College of Education and the National University of Lesotho. The needfor teachers' communicative and pedagogic competences to be developed is alsoapparent from this study.

[发布机构] University of the Free State