L2 oral academic discourse socialization through group discussion in TESOL

Abstract

Learning discipline specific communicative norms is crucial for academic success in higher education, especially for EFL students in institutions using English-medium instruction (EMI) as is becoming increasingly common in Asia. An emerging body of literature has examined oral academic discourse socialization in higher education. However, it focuses primarily on Western settings. Drawing on classroom interactions in a TESOL graduate course in Taiwan, this study examines students’ socialization into group discussions. Informed by theoretical frameworks of language socialization and community of practice, this study uses qualitative and discourse-analytic methods to analyse audio-recordings of group discussions, interviews with students, and classroom observations. The students collaboratively facilitated discussions by asking open-ended questions, coupled with elaborate contextualization of the questions. In responding to questions, they linked self-experiences or knowledge of the world to the concepts discussed to establish epistemic stance. Discussion of how these discourse features are different from those used in another course is also provided. The paper concludes with pedagogical implications for EAP courses to prepare students for oral discussions in specific academic communities.