Teacher talk in English speaking classes at University

Tóm tắt

Abstract: Teacher talk plays a very important role in English language teaching and learning. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of first year EFL students towards teacher talk in English speaking classes at a university. It also examined how teacher talk was actually carried out in these classes. The participants of this study included 120 first year EFL university students. The data were collected through the questionnaire, interviews and audio-recorded classroom observations. The findings of the study revealed that first year EFL students had positive attitudes towards teacher talk in English speaking classes. It was also found that all teachers used both English and Vietnamese when teaching and they tended to use English language more frequently than Vietnamese language in English speaking classes. Additionally, they often used English to give oral instructions, information related to the lectures and to ask questions. Based on the study findings, some implications were suggested for EFL teachers and students in order to enhance the quality of teacher talk in English speaking classes as well as to help students to understand their teachers’ speech more effectively.