Discussions Without Argument in English Classrooms

Page No.: 
348
Writer(s): 
Yoko Kobayashi, International Christian University; Jitsuko Kitsuno, Tokyo Polytechnic University

Reference Data:

Kobayashi, Y., & Kitsuno, J. (2016). Discussions without argument in English classrooms. In P. Clements, A. Krause, & H. Brown (Eds.), Focus on the learner. Tokyo: JALT.

In this paper we examine the characteristics of classroom discussions in English among Japanese university students. It is often said that discussion is an effective way of teaching English at the university level because it can help to develop not only learners’ English skills, but also their critical thinking skills. In this study, the participants were told to discuss the following topic: “Should high school students join club activities?” We found that the participants did not scrutinize the topic from different perspectives or challenge other participants’ opinions. Analyzing the data based on M-GTA (modified grounded theory approach), we found 6 features in their discussion and organized them into 3 categories: limited perspectives, communication gaps, and going on-and-off the discussion. We believe that these findings will be beneficial for English teachers in Japanese tertiary education in terms of how they can plan to use discussions in their classrooms.

本論文は、日本の大学英語授業におけるディスカッションの特徴を質的に分析したものである。4人の大学生によるディスカッションの録音データから、M-GTAに基づき、議論の構造とそこに見られる特性を同定し、さらにそれを3つのカテゴリー<視野の狭さ、コミュニケーション・ギャップ、オンとオフの使い分け>に分類した。ディスカッションはクリティカルシンキング力を養う効果があると考えられるが、そのために必要なアーギュメントが今回のグループには欠けており、一面的な見方で結論を導こうとする傾向が見られた。

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