UNTVERSTTY, HANOI UNTVERSITY 0E LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES +e NGO THT PITIGNG LF Face-Saving Strategies in Teachers’ Oral Feedback in the English Classrooms: A Vietnamese- American cross-cultural study Field: Enghsh Linguistics Code: 60.15 Combined Program Supervisor: Prof Neuyen Quang, Ph.D HANOI, 2010 Tabk of Contents ` 1. veal Declaration „ải Table of Contents iii Lisl of Abbreviations v List of ‘Tables List of Fignres and Charts viii Abstract ix CHAPTER IINTRODUCTION. Aiims of the stnấy. Scope of the study - - - 2 TV.
Method of the study V. Organization of the study 3 CHAPTER ILLITERATURE REVEW 4 VIL Speech Acts A VII. Foliteness Theory 6 TL. The Notion of Politeness 6 11.
The Notion of Face 11. Face-saving Strategies 12 1L8. Posilive Polileness Slraiegies. Negative Polileness Strategies + 'VII.
" tre, Hườn —ðH aera CHAFTER II METHODOLQGY. - ~ - 31 1 Alins ofhe siuẩy.ceeeesee Il, Research questions. Populatiows mnd Sampling: PamticipaMs. The Discourse Completion Tasks .2, Data Collection Instruments.
The Administration of the Questionnaires - seeeeeeoeoo.3S IVA, Participants IVS, Data Analysis. ce The 36 CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS. 239 1 Results and Discussions of the MFQ. Result of HaF — - e 12.
Result of HoF - - eed 13. Results and Discussions of the DCT. F8Se Used in Teachers’ Oral Fcodback to Students .2, Realization of FS8s in Teachers’ Oral Feedbadk. Dn- record 52 TL.2, Give advice, suggestions.
[ndude bọth 8 and H in the activity ” 1. [prsonalizc the § and the H. time wie SS TL.9, State the FTA as a general rule $6 vi 1. Go on revord as incurring a debt, or as not indebting, 112.
Use of Strategies as Seen from Typer of Feedback. Majer findings 74 TL. Choice of face saving stratesy Lor types of feedback. Choice of FSSs in terms of feedback receiver 7 IV.
Implications for English language teachers 45 ‘V. Suggestions for further study 76 REFERENCES APPENDICES, LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS. American teachers Corrective Feedback Social Distance per Tisconrse Completion Tack TH Tvaluative Teedback FIA Fuce-threnlening Act FSA Tace-saving Act ESS Fuce-saving Stritegy ‘The hearer HaF Hitall Feeithack Ho HiL-one Feedback HAdy Highly Advisable TnAdv Inadvisable MPQ Metapragmatic Questionnaire umber Negative Politeness Strategy Probability level Relative power PPS Positive Politeness Strategy viii Relation ‘The speaker Strongly Inadvisable Strategic Feedhack Slalislical Package [or Social Sciences Significance level Sit. Situation Stel On-recard strategy Str? Give advice and suggestion: Sted Make joke stra Include both S and H in the activity Sirs Eneourage Str6 Re conventionally indirect.
Str? Apologize Sirk Tmpersonalize Str State the FTA as a general nile Str10 Go ơn revord as incurring a debt, or as not indebling Sm11 Off-record strateay VTs Vietnamese Teachers YN Yee of No. LIST OF TABLES: Table 1 nformants? gialus parameters 37 Table 2 Group statistics 38 Table 3 Independent Sample t test 3p Table’ Categories of Feedback 40 “Assessment on Advisability of Situations for HaF by Vietnamese and American Table 5 Teachers 4 Tables -Atsesement on Advisability of Situations for HoF by Vietnamese and ‘American Teachers Table 7 — Sumunary of leading chowes by Vis aud ATs SL Table Summary of strategies used by VTs and ATs when piving oral feedbacks 82 Table? Vp group Stalislic for Swalegies Used in CF Calegory ‘Tuble 10 AT group statistics for strategies used in CF Category sp Table11 AT & VT group statistics for stratesies used for LaF in CF Category 61 Table 12 VT and AT group statistics for strategies used for HoF ia CF 6 Table 13 Group statisties for Strategics used by VTs for EF 63 Table 14 Group statistics for Strategies used by ATs for EF 65 Table 1S Group statistics for Strategies used by VTs and ATs for HaF in EF Category 66 ‘Table 16 Group statisties for strategies used by VI's and ATs for HoF in EF Category 68 Table 17 Group statistics for strategies used by VI's for Ilal’ in SF Category đa Table 18 Group statistics for strategies used by ATs for HaF in SF Category Tử Table 19 Group statistics for strategies uscd by V's & ATs for Hal in SF Category Table 20 Group statistics for strategies used by VT's & ATs for TToF in SF Category 72 LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS. Figure 1 Selection ofa strategy following an FTAA, (Brown and Levinson, 1987) 10 Figure 2 Strategies to minimize 1iek of losing face (Nguyen Quang, 199930) 10 Figure 3 Brown and Tevinson’s (1987) mechanisms for the realization of PPSs Figure 4 Brown and Levinson’s (1987) mechanisms for the realization of NPSs Chart 1 Choice of F8Ss for HaF in CF Category by VIs and ATs Chart 2 Choice of l'S8s for Lor im Cl’ Category by Vs and ATs Chart 3 Choice of FSSs by V's and ATs for 11al in 1 Category Chart 4 Choice of ESSz by VTs anđ ATs for HoF in EF Category Chart 4 Chaice of FS « by Ts and ATs for HaF in SF Category Chart 6 Choice of ESSs by V's and ATs for HoF an SE CaLegory q CHAPTER L INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale It has long been realized that the forms and uses of a given language reflect the culmral values of the saciety in which the language is spoken. Lingnistic competence alone is not enough for leamers of a langage to he competent in that language (Krasner, 1999), Therefore, together with leaming and using a foreign Tangnage, language users should deepen their understanding of its culture in order to communicate successfully and appropriately.
It cam be said Lhal “polileness” is one of lhe most important calegories in communication ssmd prgguad siudy, especially iu crogs-cullural comununicalionipragratics.Folileuess stralegies are applied consciously and unconsciously in comnmnication in everyday social interaction, These strategies help lo make patticipanls feel satisfied because (wir “face” ix respected, This fact is much truer in such high context culture as Vietnam. ‘Towards successfnl communicarion in the real world, some cross-cultural aludies euch as requesting, refusing, Lhanking, apologizing have been conducted so fax lo help Wielamese students of English avoid confusion when expressing (hemselves. Asa leacher of English, (he author has lo do a lol of interactions wilh her sludents in the class selling and thus, realizes some of the problems in communication belween, teachcre aud students, among which is the uncomfortable and stressful fecling of aludentz when interacting. When the author altended some classes of American teachers, she found it interesting when she realized that there are many differences tbetween the feedback that American and Vietamese leachers give to their students.
For the above-mentioned reasons, the author conducts the study cntitled “Face-saving Strategies in Teachers’ Oral Feedback in English classrooms: A Vietnamese American cross-cultural study”. Such is her hope that her study will be a contribution to the understanding of the nature of this activity across cultures. Alms nfthesindy ‘The arms ofthe study are: + To investigate the face-saving strategies used by American and Vietnamese teachers when giving oral feedhack ta students in Finglish classrooms + To clarify major similarities and differences between American and Vietnamese teachers when giving different types of feedback. * To provide implicanans in Tinghsh Langnage Teaching and contribute to increasing cross-cultural awareness among English langnage teachers and Jeamers.
Scope of the study The stndy deals with verbal aspects of the act af giving feedback. The Paralingnistic and non-verbal factors in communication are beyond the scope of this study. Feedback itself can be given in the oral or written form. As it is a study on face-to-face communication, the audy focuses on ora) form only.
Resides, feedback can We seen in (he light of linguistics or leaching melhodology, however, in Uns sludy, only linguistics aspects are taken into account. Another paint to be noticed is thar a fecdback can be @ positive or a negative evaluation on siudents’ performance. Yel, in Wiis study, only feedbacks for negative performance, seen as obvious VTA, are (argeled. Last but not the least, only oral feedbacks produced by (cachers in speuking aud writing sessions are oxumined in this study as they are considered us productive akills while reading and listening are perceptive, thus, there are not many chances for the diversification of feedback.
In short, the study especially focuses on face-saving strategies used by leuchers in giving oral feedback across Viclmamese and American languages and cultures. Melhoddlagy ‘The research is conducted via quantitative and qualitative, descriptive and comparalive methods. ‘Ihe dala was collecled via questionnaires lermed Discourse Completion ‘Tasks (DC), which was logically and empirically validated before it is used as a dala colleclion insirauent. ‘Ihe instrument used to construct validation of the situations designed for the Dt is Molaprazmalic Questionnaire (MPQ).
‘Then data will be analyzed using Independent Samples t-test and other functions of SPSS 15. Organlzatlon of the study The study will consist of the following parts: ChapterI, Introduction ‘This chapler will inlroduce the ralionale, aims, scope, and organization of the study. Chapter I: Literature Review Theoretical background relevant to the topic and critical survey of related atticles, books and other resources will be presented Chapter If: Methodology This chapter presents the detailed procedure of the study: the methodology, population selection, data collection and analysis. Chapter HI: Findings and Discussion ‘This chapter deals with the findings dravm ont trom the analysis af data.
The findings and discussion are based on describing and contrasting face-saving strategies used by Amencan and Viemamase teachers, Chapter IV. Conclusion Main points and contents of the study are summarized based on the results of the study. Implications of the study and recommendations tor futher research are presented. CHAPTER IL LITERATURE REVIEW L Speech Acts We perform speech acts when we offer an apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation, compliment, or refusal, A speech act is an utterance that serves a finction in communication.
A speech act might contain just one word, as in "Sorry!" to perform an apology, or several words or sentences: "I’m somy I forgot your Dirthday. I just let it slip my mind." Speech acts inclnde real Ife interactions and require not only knowledge of the language but also appropriate use of that langnage within a given cule After Anstin’s initiation of speech acts theory in ‘Tow ta do things with words” (1962), it hak attracted the interest of so many linguists ech as Hymes (1964), Searle (1969), Leech (1983), Schmidt and Richards (1983), Yule (1996). Austin’s main contribution to speech acts theory is the axiom that by saying, something, we oflen perfoum an asi or do somelhing. ‘Thus, a speech act is a uml of speaking and performs different functions in communication.
Austin (1962) believes (hal a speech acl involves ee kinds of separale bụi rclaled sơ, which am loculionazy, Mloculionary and perloculionary. When 4 perso produces an ullerance with a particular form and amore or less determinate meaning, he performs a. It is considered as ‘the basic act of utterance” or simply the act of “producing a meaningful linguistic expression”, (Yule, 1996:48). Llowever, we hardly produce any ullerances wilh 10 purpose.
Suppose, for example, that a bartender utters the words, “Lhe bar will be closed in five Juimuies.” In saying (hig, the barlender is performing an acl of informing (he palrons of (he bar's ummuinent closing and perhaps also the acl of wing them to finish their dcink, This kind of act via utterances we produce with comnmnicative purposes is known as locutionary act. ‘Lhe leculionary act is the fumction of the ullerance thal the speaker has in mind, the communicative purpose that is intended or achieved by the utterance. Besides, in general, an utterance is not produced with just 2 function but wilhoul an intention for a further effect, When saying ‘The bar will be closed in five minder’, Une bartender intends lo cause Une palroms lo believe Lhal the bar is aboul to close and of geving them to finish their drink.