Genre Changes and Privileged Pedagogic Identity in Teaching Contest Discourse

82 Pages·2017·2.013 MB·English

by  Ning Liu, Derek Irwin (auth.)

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN LINGUISTICS
Ning Liu
Derek Irwin
Genre Changes
and Privileged
Pedagogic Identity
in Teaching
Contest Discourse
123
SpringerBriefs in Linguistics
Series editor
Helen Aristar-Dry, Dripping Springs, TX, USA
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11940
Ning Liu Derek Irwin
(cid:129)
Genre Changes
and Privileged Pedagogic
Identity in Teaching Contest
Discourse
123
NingLiu Derek Irwin
Faculty of Arts andSocial Sciences University of Nottingham Ningbo China
UniversityofNottinghamMalaysiaCampus Ningbo
Semenyih, SelangorDarul Ehsan China
Malaysia
ISSN 2197-0009 ISSN 2197-0017 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs inLinguistics
ISBN978-981-10-3685-9 ISBN978-981-10-3686-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3686-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017930137
©TheAuthor(s)2017
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Preface
Thisresearchaddsanewperspectivetotheexistinglimitedstudiesofcontestsand
contest discourse by proposing that the winning contest discourse chosen from a
teaching contest represents a particular genre: in essence, it is a change from the
classroom-based pedagogic genre which presents a meta-pedagogic identity privi-
leged by the contest adjudicators. This conclusion is based on a careful systemic
functional linguistic(hereafter SFL) discourse analysis of thepublished recordings
of winning Mock Teachings and the published adjudicators’ comments from the
finals of the 2nd Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (hereafter SFLEP)
contest,along with acomparisonbetween these data andLee’s(2011)genrestudy
of ESL classroom teaching. The existing studies of contests and contest discourse
usually treat contests as independent social events and contest discourse as a par-
ticular discourse type. Therefore, little is known about the relationship between
contestdiscourseandnon-contestdiscourse,andthislackofunderstandinghasled
to an underestimation of the importance of contest discourse. The present research
aims to fill this gap by analyzing the data from an initial stage of register analysis
of the contest discourse, then comparing the generic features of the contest dis-
courseandtheESLpedagogicdiscourse,andfinallyanalyzinghowgenericfeatures
are privileged in an evaluation loop in the contest adjudicators’ post-contest com-
ments. The research then reconceptualizes these processes as “genre blurring” and
“genre solidification” in the contest discourse.
Semenyih, Malaysia Ning Liu
Ningbo, China Derek Irwin
v
Contents
1 Introduction.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1 Research Context: SFLEP Contest .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1.1 Background of the Contest .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1.2 Social Process in the SFLEP Contest .... .... ..... .... 2
1.1.3 Contest Finals in the Media ... .... .... .... ..... .... 4
1.2 Meaning of Contest and Contest Discourse . .... .... ..... .... 4
1.2.1 What Does “Contest” Mean in the Present Research?. .... 4
1.2.2 What Does “Contest Discourse” Mean in the Present
Thesis? .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 5
1.3 Impact of the Present Research... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 5
1.3.1 Collective Identities Reflected in Contest Discourse.. .... 5
1.3.2 Washback and Impact of Contest ... .... .... ..... .... 6
1.3.3 Knowledge Gap .... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 7
1.4 Research Focus.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 8
1.5 Organization of Chapters ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 8
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 9
2 Theoretical Foundation... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 11
2.1 Approach to Genre... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 11
2.1.1 SFL Theory... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 11
2.1.2 Sydney School SFL Genre Theory .. .... .... ..... .... 12
2.2 Change of Pedagogic Discourse in Mock Teaching in SFLEP
Contest.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 13
2.2.1 Register Shifts of Pedagogic Discourse
in Mock Teaching... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 13
2.2.2 Mock Teaching in SFLEP Contest as a Genre . ..... .... 14
2.2.3 Genre Relations in SFLEP Contest.. .... .... ..... .... 15
2.2.4 Social Purpose of SFLEP Contest Realized in Genre
Relations. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
2.2.5 Mock Teaching Genre Generated
from Pedagogic Genre.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 17
vii
viii Contents
2.2.6 Genre Instantiation and Individuation.... .... ..... .... 18
2.2.7 Bernsteinian Theory of Pedagogic Identity .... ..... .... 20
2.2.8 Privileged Pedagogic Identity in Contest Adjudicators’
Post-contest Comments... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 22
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 23
3 Methods... .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 25
3.1 Methods and Instruments in Approaching the Data ... ..... .... 25
3.1.1 Data Used.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 25
3.1.2 Data Transcription... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 26
3.1.3 Data Translation .... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 33
3.1.4 Ethical Considerations.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 37
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 37
4 Discourse Semantic Analysis of Mock Teaching Discourse .... .... 39
4.1 Rose’s Analytic Framework. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
4.2 Pedagogic Relations in Mock Teaching Discourse.... ..... .... 41
4.2.1 Shift of Exchange Roles in Mock Teaching Discourse.... 41
4.2.2 Shift of Participation in Mock Teaching Discourse... .... 42
4.3 Pedagogic Activities in Mock Teaching Discourse.... ..... .... 43
4.3.1 Shift of Cycle of Phases in Mock Teaching Discourse.... 43
4.4 Pedagogic Modalities in Mock Teaching Discourse... ..... .... 49
4.4.1 Shift of Sources of Meanings .. .... .... .... ..... .... 49
4.5 Knowledge and Value Projected in Mock Teaching Discourse.... 53
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 54
5 Blurring ESL Pedagogic Genre in Mock Teaching Discourse .. .... 55
5.1 Lee’s ESL Pedagogic Genre. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 55
5.2 Blurring Lee’s ESL Pedagogic Genre in Mock Teaching
Discourse .. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 56
5.2.1 Blurring Generic Structure .... .... .... .... ..... .... 56
5.2.2 BlurringPhases andSub-stagesofESLPedagogicGenre
in Mock Teaching Discourse... .... .... .... ..... .... 59
Reference .. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 63
6 Solidifying Mock Teaching Genre in Contest Adjudicators’
Post-contest Comments... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 65
6.1 Solidification of Generic Structure of Mock Teaching Genre. .... 65
6.2 Comment on Register Features and Solidification of Mock
Teaching Genre . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
6.2.1 Examples of Comments on Register. .... .... ..... .... 67
6.2.2 An Overview.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 70
6.3 Privileged Pedagogic Identity in SFLEP Contest . .... ..... .... 73
6.4 Conclusion. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 76
Chapter 1
Introduction
Abstract This chapter introduces five pieces of content in order to frame the
present thesis. Firstly, it introduces its research context: the SFLEP contest; sec-
ondly,itexplainsthemeaningsof“contest”and“contestdiscourse”soastodefine
the boundary of the research; thirdly, it clarifies the motivations of the present
researchbypointingouttheresearchgapsitaimsatfillingin;fourthly,itclarifiesits
research focus; finally, it concludes by outlining the organization of the book.
1.1 Research Context: SFLEP Contest
1.1.1 Background of the Contest
Accordingtotheanonymous(2011) “Minutesofthe2ndSFLEPNationalCollege
English Teaching Contest” published in the journal Foreign Language World, the
SFLEPcontestmadeitsdebutin2010inChina.Itwasheldagainstthebackdropof
theissuanceof“StateGuidelinesforMedium-to-Long-TermEducationReformand
Development Plan between 2010 and 2020” (China, State Guidelines for
Medium-to-Long-Term Education Reform and Development Plan between 2010
and 2020 2010) by the Chinese Ministry of Education. The guidelines propose to
improve teachers’ professional skills, professional qualities and developmental
potential,whichinturnledtothedebutofthecontest.By2016,thecontestwasin
its sixth sessions. This book draws its data from the second session of this contest
held in 2012, which was the year in which the research began. One reason this
research focuses on the second session is because it is a reiteration of the first
session, and therefore more routinized; this is integral to the action of “genre”
whichwillbeexplainedinmoredetailinChap.2.The2ndSFLEPcontestattracted
contestantteachersfrommorethan1500universitiesin28provincesofChina.The
awards from the contest were accredited by the Chinese ministries of education at
the provincial level. The contest was therefore meaningful for the participating
©TheAuthor(s)2017 1
N.LiuandD.Irwin,GenreChangesandPrivilegedPedagogicIdentity
inTeachingContestDiscourse,SpringerBriefsinLinguistics,
DOI10.1007/978-981-10-3686-6_1
2 1 Introduction
contestants, because gaining teaching awards from these ministries was a valuable
accreditation of their professional skills and an important credit in the professional
evaluation system for Chinese university teachers.
1.1.2 Social Process in the SFLEP Contest
As is shown in Fig. 1.1, the 2nd SFLEP contest is a well-organized social event.
There was first a 3-month pre-selection process in the universities involved.
Wheneachuniversityreceivedthecontestnotification,theyfirstdeterminedoneor
two contestant teachers (hereafter CT). This is because the 2nd SFLEP contest
dividedEFLteachingintotwocategories:audio-visual-speaking(hereafterA-V-S)
and reading-writing-translation (hereafter R-W-T). This division is in accordance
with the EFL curricula in Chinese universities. Therefore, each university had a
maximumoftwoCTstoattendthesecategories,thoughsomehadthesameteacher
attendboth.Afterthis,asupportinggroupwassetupateachuniversitytosupervise
and guide the preparation of CTs. A CT designed his/her performance of teaching
and rehearsed it several times together with the supporting group until it was
Contest organizers Pre-selection in Attending colleges Announcing the
inform colleges of the colleges prepare and record result of the
the contest, and representative preliminary
colleges sign up CTs’ Mock contest
for attending the Teaching and send
contest it for a provincial
preliminary
The top 20
contest
colleges
Colleges win the
(including top 10
champions in Colleges with A-V-S, and top 10
A-V-S and R-W-T award winners Intermediate of R-W-T) prepare
prepare for the announce the Contest for Report
Mock Teaching
results in their Teaching in the
and Report official websites intermediate
Teaching in the
contest
Finals
Colleges with Contest Sponsors
award winners announce the Contest materials
Finals announce the contest results in get published
results in their various media
official websites
Fig.1.1 Organizationof2ndSFLEPTeachingContest