A Study on College English Majors' Communication Behaviors in English Conversation Classes

[[abstract]]在全球化的時代，英語已逐漸成為一個重要的國際語言。過去數十年來，為了滿足學習者的需求，在許多亞洲國家，例如:中國、台灣、日本以及南韓已積極將英語視為外語或第二語言來教導(Cortazzi and Jin, 1996; Li, 1998; Littlewood, 1999)。有趣的是，近年來在英語及外語學習的文獻中發現，儘管亞洲學生迫切的想精通英語，他們在課堂上的表現卻似乎是沉默且被動的(Cheng, 2000)。此外，許多英語為母語的外藉教師在教導亞洲學生及與其互動時，也因為他們在課堂討論上的靜默與羞怯感到相當困擾。為了幫助亞洲學生受惠於課堂學習，語言教育學者者努力去了解亞洲學習者如何感知課堂溝通，並尋求有效的對策來增進學生的課堂參與。遺憾的是，大部分現有針對亞洲學生靜默行為的研究皆是在國外進行，鮮少研究是在台灣的英語學習環境中進行。 為了彌補上述的不足，本研究旨在探討台灣英語系大學生在英語會話課的溝通行為與造成其沉默的可能原因。八十九位國立高雄第一科技大學英語系三年級學生正式參與此研究的問卷調查。當中，有七位受試者自願參與訪談，由學生的觀點提出可提升課堂參與的建議。 對於英語系學生的課堂溝通行為，本研究有重要的發現。結果顯示，將近一半的受試者表現出外向的溝通風格;而另一半的受試者則傾向於內向的溝通行為。值得注意的是，此研究結果與主張亞洲學生在課堂討論中大多表現沉默與羞怯的文獻並不一致。研究者推測，過去二十年來台灣廣泛實施溝通式教學法(CLT)與提高學生課堂參與討論意願有一定程度的關連性。此外，本研究也分析了多種導致大學英語系學生在英語會話課堂上靜默的原因，其中包含了語言能力不足、溝通技巧不夠充分、文化習俗影響、個人性格等因素。最後根據資料分析的結果，本研究提出有關提升課堂參與的具體教學建議。[[abstract]]In the globalized world, English is increasingly becoming an important international language. To meet the needs of learners, Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea have been actively teaching English as a foreign or second language over the past few decades (Cortazzi and Jin, 1996; Li, 1998; Littlewood, 1999). Interestingly, recent ESL/EFL literature found that while Asian students are eager to master the English language, they often appear to be reticent and passive in the classroom setting (Cheng, 2000). Moreover, many native English-speaking instructors who teach and interact with Asian students are extremely puzzled by such silence and shyness in discussion-based classes. To help Asian students benefit more from classroom learning, language educators strive to understand how Asian learners perceive classroom communication and look for effective strategies to increase participation. Unfortunately, most of the existing research that observes the reticence of Asian students is conducted in a foreign context, and very few studies are carried out in Taiwan. With the intention of addressing the gap in this line of research, the current study aims to explore Taiwanese college English majors’ communication behaviors in conversation classes and possible causes of such characteristics. A total of eighty-nine junior students from National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology (NKFUST) formally responded to the questionnaire survey. Among them, seven participants voluntarily joined the face to face interviews to provide suggestions for increasing class participation from students’ point of view. The results of the present study revealed important insights regarding Taiwanese college English majors’ communication behaviors. Nearly half of the participants in the current study exhibited extroverted communication styles and the other half leaned toward introverted behaviors. The findings were significant because they did not support previous studies that claimed most Asian students acted quiet and shy in discussion-based classes. The researcher speculates that the widespread practice of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) over the past two decades in Taiwan has, to a certain degree, increased students’ willingness to participate in class discussions. Besides, multiple factors were found to contribute to English college majors’ silence and quietness in English conversation class, including lack of language ability, inadequate communication skills, cultural conventions, and individual characteristics. Important pedagogical implications are addressed on the basis of current findings