ERIC Number: EJ1130030
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jul
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0215-773X
EISSN: N/A
EIL in Practice: Indonesian and Chinese International Postgraduate Students Negotiate Meaning
Abdullah, Umar
TEFLIN Journal: A publication on the teaching and learning of English, v22 n2 p103-124 Jul 2011
Interaction in English as an International Language (EIL) setting provides myriad opportunities for negotiation of meaning, arguably beneficial for language acquisition. The present study aims at finding out how meaning is negotiated in EIL interaction among two groups of postgraduate TESOL international students from two Asian countries, Indonesia and People's Republic of China (PR China). The findings reveal that the students indeed utilized various strategies such as clarification requests, confirmation checks, comprehension checks, word-coinage, and use of approximation, self-repetition, other repetition, self-correction, and non-verbal expression of non-understanding. The relative frequency of strategies used appears to have been influenced by the interaction tasks. The variation of strategies across the three pairs is relatively similar. Some EIL features corresponding to pronunciation and grammatical structures also emerge in the present study. Finally, the study suggests that negotiation strategies need to be included in the English teaching syllabus. Moreover, current foreign or second language teaching methodology needs to pay serious attention to EIL features and to develop learners' intelligibility and communication strategies by making them aware of standard varieties of English.
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Language of Instruction, Graduate Students, Foreign Students, Foreign Countries, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Qualitative Research, Questionnaires, Interaction, Interpersonal Communication, Video Technology, Audio Equipment, Language Usage, Communication Strategies, Student Characteristics
Association for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia (TEFLIN). Malang, East Java, 65145, Indonesia. TEFLIN Publication Division, Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jalan Semarang 5, Tel: +62-341-570566; Fax: +62-341-567475; e-mail: journal@teflin.org; Web site: http://journal.teflin.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China; Indonesia; Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A