A STUDY ON PERCEPTION OF LECTURER-STUDENT INTERACTION IN ENGLISH MEDIUM SCIENCE LECTURES

Abstract

This paper, which is a part of a thesis, investigates the perception and practice of lecturers and students with regard to lecturer-student interaction in English medium science lectures of a university in Sri Lanka where English is a second language. This paper argues that dialogic lecturer-student interaction, which enables students to take a more active role in discussions compared to the use of recitation scripts (questions-answers-evaluations) developed in non-dialogic interactions, is likely to be beneficial for students’ content (lecture comprehension) and language development. The study revealed the complexity of the perception-practice dynamic, and the multi-faceted sub-set of factors which influenced students’ and lecturers’ behaviour in class, and their perception of that behaviour. Students’ lecture comprehension and classroom interaction were influenced by their language proficiency, though the students considered the lecturers’ lecture delivery style to be more important than their own language proficiency. This study also revealed that a culturally-embedded behaviour perpetuated by senior students, known as ragging (a kind of bullying), restricted the classroom interaction of the students.

Keywords

• Interaction, English Medium Instruction, dialogic, non-dialogic

A STUDY ON PERCEPTION OF LECTURER-STUDENT INTERACTION IN ENGLISH MEDIUM SCIENCE LECTURES

Öz

Bir tezin bölümü olan bu çalışma, İngilizce’nin ikinci dil olarak kullanıldığı Sri Lanka’da bir üniversitenin İngilizce olarak sürdürülen bilim derslerinde öğretmenlerin ve öğrencilerin öğretmen-öğrenci etkileşimine dair algılarını ve uygulamalarını incelemektedir. Bu araştırma, diyalojik olmayan etkileşimlerdeki ezbere senaryoların (soru-cevap-değerlendirme) kullanılmasıyla karşılaştırıldığında öğrencilerin tartışmalarda daha aktif bir rol almalarını sağlayan diyalojik öğretmen-öğrenci etkileşimlerinin öğrencilere içerik (dersi anlama) ve dil gelişimleri için daha faydalı olabileceğini ileri sürmektedir. Bu makale algı-uygulama dinamiğinin karmaşıklığını, sınıfta öğrencilerin ve öğretmenlerin davranışlarını etkileyen çok yönlü faktörleri, ve öğretmen ve öğrencilerin bu davranışları nasıl algıladıklarını ortaya koymaktadır. Her ne kadar öğrenciler öğretmenlerin ders verme tarzlarının onların dil yeterliğinden daha önemli olduklarını düşünseler de, öğrencilerin dersi anlamaları ve sınıf etkileşimleri onların dil yeterliğinden etkilenmektedir. Bu çalışma aynı zamanda ortaya çıkarmaktadır ki zorbalık veya bir tür sataşma olarak da bilinen son sınıf öğrencileri tarafından gösterilen kültürle iç içe geçmiş bir davranış öğrencilerin sınıf etkileşimlerini sınırlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Etkileşim, Öğretim Dili Olarak İngilizce, diyalojik, diyalojik olmayan

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