穨Review. Pdf

Table 4.9 Independent Samples Test of the Post Oral Task (N=60) 
Items 
Exp 
Control 
MD 
SD 
t 
p 
Appropriateness 15.33 
13.80 
1.53 
.54 
2.82 
.00** 
Vocabulary 
15.86 
13.06 
2.80 
.60 
4.63 
.00** 
Grammar 
15.53 
14.26 
1.26 
.58 
2.18 
.03* 
Intelligibility 
15.53 
13.33 
2.20 
.64 
3.41 
.00** 
Fluency 
15.20 
15.06 
.13 
.68 
.19 
.84 
** p < .01, * p < .05 
4.1.2 Discourse Competence 
After analyzing the inter- and intra-group statistical results on the scores of the 
two oral tasks, the findings of discourse competence in terms of the following aspects 
were examined: (1) cohesion markers of opening, transition, pre-closing, as well as 

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closing, and (2) the length of each pause.
4.1.2.1 Cohesion Markers 
As shown in Table 4.10, there was no difference in how the students ended their 
conversation between the two groups. Though no difference was found on the 
closing, the experimental group did outperform the control group in terms of the other 
three cohesion markers: opening, transition, and pre-closing, as shown in Table 4.10.
Table 4.10 Inter-group Comparisons of Cohesion Markers (N=60) 
Discourse competence I: cohesion markers 
Types of cohesion markers 
Control Experimental 
1. Opening 
10
20 
2. Transition 
1 
16 
3. Pre-Closing 
5 
11 
D. Closing 
30 
30 
As shown in Table 4.10, 20 students in the experimental group employed 
greetings “hi,” “hello,” “hey,” and “good afternoon” to open their conversation while 
only ten students in the control group used opening markers to start their dialogues.
The majority of the participants in the control group cut right into the topic without 
any opening at all. Without any opening strategies, their conversation sound rather 
abrupt. Here are some of the examples of the first sentence without proper opening 
in the control group: 
1. 
What is your favorite food? (Subject C5
14
) 
2. 
I like fish. How about you? (Subject C18) 
3. 
What are you doing?
15
(Subject C 25) 
4. 
Do you like fish? (Subject C 31) 
5. 
Which do you like? (Subject C7) 
Without openings, these dialogues sounded more like pattern drills than real-life 
conversation. As a contrast, the opening excerpts from the experimental groups 
14
C 5 referred to Student Number Five in Control Group. 
15
There is an interesting cultural difference in the expression of “what are you doing?” In Chinese, it 
could serve as one way of greeting. But in English, it becomes very awkward to ask this question as 
an opening. 

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displayed more smoothness and naturalness to start a conversation. 
1. 
Hi. How are you doing? (Subject E 6
16
) 
2. 
Hi, David. (Subject E 10) 
3. 
Oh, hi. How are you? (Subject E 12) 
4. 
Hello, Lily. (Subject E 31) 
5. 
Long time no see. (Subject E 35) 
6. 
Hey! (Subject E 21) 
7. 
Hi! (Subject E 16) 
When it comes to the transition point in the conversation, the contrast was even 
bigger between the two groups of participants. Table 4.10 showed that 16 
participants in the experimental group used transitions like “hey,” “oh,” “yes,” “hum,” 
“I am sorry,” or addressed their partners as signals of transition to change the topic.
Unfortunately, only one in the control group used transition marker during their 
conversation, a very slight one (hum) though. The only one occurrence of transition 
identified in the control group was identified in the dialogue performed by Subject C 
3 and Subject C 17: (transitions underlined) 
l C 3: Hi, Mark. 
l C 17: Hi, Andy. 
l C 3: Which do you like, pork or fish?
l C 17: I like fish.
l C 3: I like pork. HUM. I have to go now.
l C 17: Good-bye. 
l C 3: Good-bye. 
In comparison with the control group, there were not only more occurrences of 
transition markers in the experimental group, but also more varieties of the transition 
16
E 6 referred to Student Number Six in Experimental Group. 

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markers. Here are some examples of the transitions in the experimental group: 
(transitions underlined) 
l E 8: Oh, I have English class at six o’clock. Good-bye.
l E 14: Hey, Susan, I have to go now. 
l E 17: Hum, I have to go home now. 
l E 23: I am sorry. I need to go now. 
Sixteen participants in the experimental group used at least five strategies (hey, 
oh, hum, I am sorry, Susan) to signal the transition of topic during their conversation, 
as illustrated in the above examples, but only one person used the transition marker of 
hum in the control group. 
In addition to the transition markers discussed above, another item under 
examination here was the signal of pre-closing. The cohesion markers of pre-closing 
that foreshadowed the end of the conversation seemed relatively difficult to both 
groups. However, some significant differences could still be traced between the two 
groups as shown in Table 4.10. Eleven participants in the experimental group 
informed their partners of their future activities (like English class, piano class, going 
to the restaurant, call my father, go home, etc.) as signs of pre-closing to excuse 
themselves. But, only five students employed the pre-closing markers before they 
ended their conversations. Without the proper signals of pre-closing, the endings 
appeared out of harmony and, sometimes, even rude.
A typical conversation without opening, transition, and pre-closing performed by 
Subject C 5 and C 18 was identified in the control group:
l C5: What do you like, fish or pork? 
l C18: I like fish. 
l C5: How about your mother? 
l C18: My mother likes fish, too. 

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l C5: OK, Good-bye. 
l C18: Good-bye. 
Subject C5 asked C18 directly about his favorite food without any prelude or 
greeting like “Hi,” or “Hello.” And there was no transition, nor signs of pre-closing 
before the end of their conversation. 
As a contrast, a demonstrative pattern with opening, transition, pre-closing and 
closing performed by E 9 and E25 was pinpointed in the experimental group: 
(transitions underlined) 
l E9: Good morning, John.
l E25: Good morning, Peter. 
l E9: Where are you going? 
l E25: I am going to the restaurant.
l E9: Oh, what is your favorite food?
l E25: I like fish. Hey, I am sorry, I have English class at six. I 
have to go now.
l E9: Good-bye. 
l E25: Good-bye. 
Figure 4.1 illustrated the comparisons of the cohesion markers between the two 
groups discussed above. 

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0
5
10
15
20
25
30
opening
transition pre-closing
closing
control
exp