The effect of dialogical style in the first graders' classroom on their acquisition of school culture

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The purpose of this research is, through the discourse analysis of the homeroom discussion in one first grade class in Japan, to identify the characteristics of discussion as the open system where no goal is readily set and to clarify the relationship between "mastery in learning" and "appropriation in learning", considering the significance of introducing discussion, and the effect of discussion on knowledge acquisition by pupils. In the discussion, three cultural tools were as follows mainly observed. One of them was a "decision by majority" to facilitate the pupils to express and exchange their own opinions, and to have them accept the absolute opinion positively. Several "formal or formulated phrases", a kind of catchwords, were introduced for helping pupils to negotiate with peers, and also to put their own products of discussion into practice effectively. It was-also found that the teacher's wording varied between formal or polite style (shown as the single-underlined sentences i … More n the above instances) and informal or casual/plain style (double-underlined ones) depending on the form of discussion and the content of her utterances. The aim for introducing a collaborative interaction of "discussion" in the homeroom is to let pupils form creative attitude such as creating their or his/her own aim through an equal-stand interaction and identify themselves to the whole class. This is shown from the pupils' expression of their high motivation to participate and their expressed emotion toward the shared result. In this sense, it can be said that the discussion provides a situation for "appropriation in learning". However, discussion in homeroom, which seems to be a free dialogical interaction, is controlled by the cultural tools with the tendency to "mastery in learning". In conclusion, it can be suggested that the coincidental relation of "mastery in learning" to "appropriation in learning" seen in the discourse of homeroom discussion with open task plays a great role in a process of pupil's acquiring knowledge through situated activity. It is also suggested that early introduction of this sort in school life plays an important role in a process of pupil's adaptation to school culture. Less