Cover Image

Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS

Communication strategies (CS) are strategies used by the speakers to overcome linguistic inadequacies in their communication and to enhance negotiation of meaning in interaction. This study investigates the influence of social context on the use of communication stra...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jennifer,, Sim Sing Ee.
Format: Final Year Project Report
Language:English
Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, UNIMAS 2007
Subjects:
LB Theory and practice of education
LB2300 Higher Education
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6732/7/INFLUENCE%20OF%20SOCIAL%20CONTEXT%20ON%20THE%20USE%20OF%20COMMUNICATION%20STRATEGIES%20AMONG%20TESL%20UNDERGRADUATES%20IN%20UNIMAS.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6732/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
id my.unimas.ir.6732
record_format eprints
spelling my.unimas.ir.67322023-07-04T04:06:44Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6732/ Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS Jennifer,, Sim Sing Ee. LB Theory and practice of education LB2300 Higher Education Communication strategies (CS) are strategies used by the speakers to overcome linguistic inadequacies in their communication and to enhance negotiation of meaning in interaction. This study investigates the influence of social context on the use of communication strategies. It examines the types of CS used by the TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS in three different contexts, namely, presentation, discussion and casual conversation. It also studies how the types of CS are associated with certain language functions in order to achieve communication purposes. The utterances of 25 TESL undergraduates in the three contexts were audiorecorded in natural settings, transcribed and analysed in light of the interactional perspective of CS (Tarone, 1978) and the pragmatic perspective (Clennell, 1995). The findings of the study indicate that social context does influence the use of CS, particularly, in the use of CS as communication-problem- solving device. In the presentation, only target- language based CS, prominently, restructuring, were used. On the other hand, language switch and restructuring dominates the data set in the discussion. As for casual conversation, language switch is extensively used. The use of language switch mounts as the context shift from formal to informal along the continuum. The result that reveals the greater use of CS to enhance message than to overcome communicati on difficulties also lends supports to Clennell’s suggestion to expand the functions of CS by recognising its use as message enhancer in lieu of the its sole function on resolving communication problems. Overall, the discourse-based strategies were used mainly to mark key information whereas the avoidance strategies were resorted in the participants’ attempts to avoid unknown concept. In order to gain thinking times, fillers or hesitation devices as well as the lexical repetition were sought. Additionally, lexical repetition, offering help and appealing for assistance were used to maintain conversational topic besides retaining an interaction. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, UNIMAS 2007 Final Year Project Report NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6732/7/INFLUENCE%20OF%20SOCIAL%20CONTEXT%20ON%20THE%20USE%20OF%20COMMUNICATION%20STRATEGIES%20AMONG%20TESL%20UNDERGRADUATES%20IN%20UNIMAS.pdf Jennifer,, Sim Sing Ee. (2007) Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS. [Final Year Project Report] (Unpublished)
institution Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
building Centre for Academic Information Services (CAIS)
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
content_source UNIMAS Institutional Repository
url_provider http://ir.unimas.my/
language English
topic LB Theory and practice of education
LB2300 Higher Education
spellingShingle LB Theory and practice of education
LB2300 Higher Education
Jennifer,, Sim Sing Ee.
Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS
description Communication strategies (CS) are strategies used by the speakers to overcome linguistic inadequacies in their communication and to enhance negotiation of meaning in interaction. This study investigates the influence of social context on the use of communication strategies. It examines the types of CS used by the TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS in three different contexts, namely, presentation, discussion and casual conversation. It also studies how the types of CS are associated with certain language functions in order to achieve communication purposes. The utterances of 25 TESL undergraduates in the three contexts were audiorecorded in natural settings, transcribed and analysed in light of the interactional perspective of CS (Tarone, 1978) and the pragmatic perspective (Clennell, 1995). The findings of the study indicate that social context does influence the use of CS, particularly, in the use of CS as communication-problem- solving device. In the presentation, only target- language based CS, prominently, restructuring, were used. On the other hand, language switch and restructuring dominates the data set in the discussion. As for casual conversation, language switch is extensively used. The use of language switch mounts as the context shift from formal to informal along the continuum. The result that reveals the greater use of CS to enhance message than to overcome communicati on difficulties also lends supports to Clennell’s suggestion to expand the functions of CS by recognising its use as message enhancer in lieu of the its sole function on resolving communication problems. Overall, the discourse-based strategies were used mainly to mark key information whereas the avoidance strategies were resorted in the participants’ attempts to avoid unknown concept. In order to gain thinking times, fillers or hesitation devices as well as the lexical repetition were sought. Additionally, lexical repetition, offering help and appealing for assistance were used to maintain conversational topic besides retaining an interaction.
format Final Year Project Report
author Jennifer,, Sim Sing Ee.
author_facet Jennifer,, Sim Sing Ee.
author_sort Jennifer,, Sim Sing Ee.
title Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS
title_short Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS
title_full Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS
title_fullStr Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS
title_full_unstemmed Influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among TESL undergraduates in UNIMAS
title_sort influence of social context on the use of communication strategies among tesl undergraduates in unimas
publisher Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, UNIMAS
publishDate 2007
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6732/7/INFLUENCE%20OF%20SOCIAL%20CONTEXT%20ON%20THE%20USE%20OF%20COMMUNICATION%20STRATEGIES%20AMONG%20TESL%20UNDERGRADUATES%20IN%20UNIMAS.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/6732/
_version_ 1770555380881948672
score 13.211869

Similar Items