DISCOURSE ANALYSIS IN EFL CLASSES: A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON ITS BENEFITS AND USES

Abstract

This paper explores the importance of classroom discourse analysis in language learning classes. It presents the language teacher’s perspectives and attitudes in implementing discourse analysis in language classes. Discourse analysis assists students in evaluating their acquired knowledge critically, strengthens social interaction, and builds self-confidence. Furthermore, it reduces the dominant role of the teacher in the class and allows students to be more active participants. In addition, students gain enough linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge to reflect critically. Likewise, discourse analysis discovers the hidden talents and abilities of the students, and it allows them to observe and evaluate problems from a higher perspective and obtain a comprehensive view of learning problems. Classroom discourse analysis minimizes the role of teachers in the class and maximizes the role of students in language learning. Discourse analysis deals with intended meaning and its relationships within the context, while pragmatics deals with the interpreted meaning from linguistic processing and social interaction. In addition to that, classroom discourse analysis enhances teachers’ and students’ meta- discursive reflection, and at the level of the current globalized educational system, it is considered critical in multilingual education. Lastly, the discourse analysis research found that classroom discourse analysis enriches the language learning process and diminishes the teachers’ load covering all class activities. Keywords: