Description
This study investigates interactions between two Japanese foreign language teachers and their students in the United States. Specifically, the goal is to consider the effect of teaching experience on the nature of interaction in their classes. To this end, the analysis focuses on one teacher with twenty years' experience and another in her first year as a foreign language teacher. It was found that the experienced teacher's interactions with her students are similar to those commonly used in the United States. It was also observed that her students might not realize what the Japanese discourse rules are, and that they might not be able to use them appropriately in the classroom. On the other hand, the students in the beginning teacher's class are exposed to more examples of Japanese discourse style. However, as expected from previous research one point of concern is that English speaking students might feel uneasy using the Japanese discourse style in terms of receiving corrective feedback. Therefore, the study concludes that contextual factors must be considered when foreign language teachers decide how to interact with their students in class. Specifically, it is argued that they need to consider when it is more appropriate to interact in a manner preferred in the country where the target language is used, or when students' familiar discourse style is more suitable.
