Initiating Acts in Classroom Discourse

This thesis is a contribution to the linguistic and methodological analysis of classroom discourse. The linguistic analyses and interpretations, based on the classification of initiating acts suggested by A. B. M. Tsui, examine the kind, sequence, and frequency of initiating acts. The methodological ones search for any correlations between teachers' initiations on the one hand and grouping of the students, basic language skills, and instructional sequences on the other hand. Considering these criteria, four lessons taught by four different teachers are analysed in terms of the similarities and differences between their initiations, and furthermore, typical initiations in lower and higher secondary school lessons in general are looked for. Finally, our findings are summed up, classroom-specific features outlined and other options for further research, including relevant factors which need to be taken into consideration, are suggested