Oral Academic Discourse Socialization of an ESL Chinese Student: Cohesive Device Use

Sue Wang,Tammy Slater

doi:10.5539/ijel.v6n1p65

Abstract

<p>Framed in language socialization theory, this study examines the longitudinal cohesive device development of an ESL Chinese graduate student over time during his discourse socialization by focusing on his oral presentations through a systemic functional linguistics approach. The study found that the participant improved in his use of textual resources as he continued his discourse socialization in the academic community that he had joined. Yet the problems and challenges the participant faced during his development of cohesive devices also illustrated the complexity and non-linear characteristics of academic discourse socialization. The study contributes to language socialization research by employing a systemic functional linguistics approach as an analysis tool for longitudinal linguistic discourse development. The findings inform second language curriculum and instruction, particularly oral language instruction.</p>

Highlights

The existing English-as-a-second-language (ESL) literature indicates that Asian students, as one of the biggest international student population both in the United States (Project Atlas) and Canada (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2015), listed academic presentation as one of the most important skills for academic success in their graduate courses (e.g., Kim, 2006)
The systemic functional linguistics (SFL) approach was adopted in this study focused on the mode, which refers to the textual resources used in oral presentations during the participant’s academic discourse socialization
The examination of the four presentation texts by the participant over a year reveals an interesting increase in the numbers of “and” and “so.” As he continued his language socialization in this academic community, it seemed that he developed the sense that there should be some connectors between the clauses or sentences in his oral texts

Summary

Introduction

The existing English-as-a-second-language (ESL) literature indicates that Asian students, as one of the biggest international student population both in the United States (Project Atlas) and Canada (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2015), listed academic presentation as one of the most important skills for academic success in their graduate courses (e.g., Kim, 2006). Some researchers (e.g., Ho, 2011, Kobayashi, 2005; Morita, 2000; Zappa-Hollman, 2007) have explored this dynamic and complex academic activity from a discourse socialization perspective. Their findings indicated that discourse socialization is far from a smooth, one-way process. Instead, it was a process of constant negotiation and exercise of agency. It was a process of constant negotiation and exercise of agency These studies provided a dynamic picture of the oral academic discourse socialization from sociocultural theoretical perspectives (Lantolf, 2000). Few of the second language socialization studies so far have addressed how the second language (L2) progressed during this discourse socialization process

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion