Home Linguistics & Semiotics “We usually use paragraph one to introduce the topic”: trust building via appraisals by practicum EFL teachers in classroom interactions
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

“We usually use paragraph one to introduce the topic”: trust building via appraisals by practicum EFL teachers in classroom interactions

  • Xueyu Wang

    Xueyu Wang received her PhD in linguistics from Nanjing University and is currently professor at Nantong University in China. Her research fields include educational discourse analysis, media and political discourse studies, and interpersonal pragmatics. She is particularly interested in participants’ discursive behaviour related to facework, identity construction and trust-building. Her recent publications include articles in Text and Talk (2023), Discourse & Communication (2022), Discourse Studies (2021, 2020) and East Asian Pragmatics (2020).

    ORCID logo EMAIL logo
    and Xiangxiang Ni

    Xiangxiang Ni received her MA degree in English Teaching from Nantong University and is currently an English teacher working at Nantong Tianjianbing Junior High School. Her research interest is discourse analysis in the pedagogical setting.

Published/Copyright: September 19, 2024

Abstract

This study investigates how practicum EFL teachers build trust through appraisals in classroom interactions at a local senior high school in Mainland China. Building upon prior research on trust discourse and appraisals, we present a model of teachers’ trust discourse, which we apply to analyze six English reading lessons conducted by three young EFL practicum teachers. The findings reveal that the practicum EFL teachers construct two distinct types of trust: cognition-based trust (CBT) and affect-based trust (ABT). CBT is formed through the communication of the teachers’ epistemic and deontic authority, while ABT is fostered by emphasizing values congruence and guanxi (interpersonal connections) between the teachers and the students. Appraisals play a crucial role in the trust-building efforts of the practicum teachers. Our analysis further indicates a preference among the practicum teachers for prioritizing CBT, as evidenced by their strategic use of appreciation and judgment resources in the attitude system, as well as the application of force resources in the graduation system. This study provides valuable insights into the pivotal role of appraisals in cultivating trust between EFL teachers and students in classroom settings.


Corresponding author: Xueyu Wang, School of Foreign Studies, Nantong University, No. 9 Seyuan Road, Nantong City, 226019, PR China, E-mail:

Funding source: Jiangsu Provincial Modern Technology Research Project

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2021-R-92296

About the authors

Xueyu Wang

Xueyu Wang received her PhD in linguistics from Nanjing University and is currently professor at Nantong University in China. Her research fields include educational discourse analysis, media and political discourse studies, and interpersonal pragmatics. She is particularly interested in participants’ discursive behaviour related to facework, identity construction and trust-building. Her recent publications include articles in Text and Talk (2023), Discourse & Communication (2022), Discourse Studies (2021, 2020) and East Asian Pragmatics (2020).

Xiangxiang Ni

Xiangxiang Ni received her MA degree in English Teaching from Nantong University and is currently an English teacher working at Nantong Tianjianbing Junior High School. Her research interest is discourse analysis in the pedagogical setting.

Appendix

Transcription Symbols
(.) Micro-pause (less than 0.2 s)
(0.0) Pause (time in seconds and tenths of second)
:: vowel lengthened
↑,↓ rising, falling tone
underlined Accented sound or syllable
#…# Smiley voice
((nodding), (laughing)) Paralinguistic and nonverbal information

References

Austin, John. 1962. How to do things with words. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.Search in Google Scholar

Borko, Hilda & Vicky Mayfield. 1995. The roles of cooperating teacher and university supervisor in learning to teach. Teaching and Teacher Education 11(5). 501–518.10.1016/0742-051X(95)00008-8Search in Google Scholar

Brock, Cynthia. 1986. The effects of referential questions on EFL classroom discourse. Tesol Quarterly 20(1). 47–59. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586388.Search in Google Scholar

Brown, Penelope & Stephen C. Levinson. 1978. Universals in language usage: Politeness phenomena. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Butterfield, Fox. 1983. China: Alive in bitter sea. New York: Coronet Books.Search in Google Scholar

Candlin, Christopher & Jonathan Crichton. 2012. Discourses of trust. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.10.1007/978-1-137-29556-9Search in Google Scholar

Chen, Fenghua & Xueyu Wang. 2023. “Oops! I can’t express this in English!”: Managing epistemic challenges by Chinese EFL peer tutors in writing tutorials. Text & Talk 43(1). 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2020-0139.Search in Google Scholar

Chen, Jing & Xin Zhao. 2023. An empirical study of Chinese university student advisors’ dynamic identity construction in the context of individual consultation. Pragmatics 33(1). 23–48. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.21005.che.Search in Google Scholar

Chua, Roy. 2012. Building effective business relationships in China. MIT Sloan Management Review 53(4). 27–89.Search in Google Scholar

Claessens, Luce, Jan van Tartwijk, Anna C. van der Want, Helena J. M. Pennings, Nico Verloop, Perry J. den Brok & Wubbels. Theo. 2016. Positive teacher–student relationships go beyond the classroom, problematic ones stay inside. The Journal of Educational Research 110(5). 478–493. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1129595.Search in Google Scholar

Edwards, Jeffrey & Daniel Cable. 2009. The value of value congruence. Journal of Applied Psychology 94(3). 654–677. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014891.Search in Google Scholar

Feng, Wen Jing & Xin Ren Chen. 2020. Identity (self-) deconstruction in Chinese police’s civil conflict mediation. Pragmatics 30(3). 431–457. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.19039.fen.Search in Google Scholar

Franke, Richard H., Geert Hofstede & Michael H. Bond. 1991. Cultural roots of economic performance: A research note. Strategic Management Journal 12. 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250120912.Search in Google Scholar

Fuoli, Matteo & Carita Paradis. 2014. A model of trust-repair discourse. Journal of Pragmatics(74). 52–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.09.001.Search in Google Scholar

Fuoli, Matteo & Christopher Hart. 2018. Trust-building strategies in corporate discourse: An experimental study. Discourse & Society 29(5). 514–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926518770264.Search in Google Scholar

Garfinkel, Harold. 1963. A conception of, and experiments with, ‘trust’ as a condition of –stable concerted actions. In O. J. Harvey (ed.), Motivation and social interaction: Cognitive approaches, 187–238. New York: Ronald Press.Search in Google Scholar

Goatly, Andrew. 1995. Directness, indirectness and deference in the language of classroom management: Advice for teacher trainees. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 33(3). 267.Search in Google Scholar

Goddard, Roger D. & Yvonne L. Goddard. 2001. A multilevel analysis of the relationship between teacher and collective efficacy in urban schools. Teaching and Teacher Education 17(7). 807–818. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0742-051x(01)00032-4.Search in Google Scholar

Govier, Trudy. 1997. Social trust and human communities. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.10.1515/9780773566828Search in Google Scholar

Gray, John & Tom Morton. 2018. Social interaction and English language teacher identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Grice, Paul. 1975. Logic and conversation. In Peter Cole & Jerry L. Morgan (eds.), Speech acts, 41–58. New York: Academic Press.10.1163/9789004368811_003Search in Google Scholar

Halliday, Michael. 1994. An introduction to functional grammar. London: Edward Arnold.Search in Google Scholar

Haugh, Michael. 2010. Jocular mockery, (dis)affiliation, and face. Journal of Pragmatics 42(8). 2106–2119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2009.12.018.Search in Google Scholar

Hofstede, Geert, Gert Jan Hofstede & Michael Minkove. 2010. Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.Search in Google Scholar

King, Peter C. & Zhang Wei. 2018. The role of face in a Chinese context of trust and trust building. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management 18(2). 149–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595818767207.Search in Google Scholar

Krashen, Stephen. 1982. Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon Press.Search in Google Scholar

Kruglanski, Arie W. 1989. Lay epistemics and human knowledge: Cognitive and motivational bases. New York: Springer-Verlag Inc.10.1007/978-1-4899-0924-4Search in Google Scholar

Lee, Joseph & Nicholas Subtirelu. 2015. Metadiscourse in the classroom: A comparative analysis of EAP lessons and university lectures. English for Specific Purposes 37(1). 52–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2014.06.005.Search in Google Scholar

Li, Rong & Qiang Yang. 2011. On communication skills between college counselors and students. Journal of Huainan Vocational & Technical College 5(11). 46–48.Search in Google Scholar

Ma, Li Hong, Xiao Feng Du, Kit-Tai Hau & Jian Liu. 2018. The association between teacher student relationship and academic achievement in Chinese EFL context: A serial multiple mediation model. Educational Psychology 38(5). 687–707. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2017.1412400.Search in Google Scholar

Martin, James R. & Peter White. 2005. The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. London: Palgrave Macmillan.Search in Google Scholar

Mayer, Roger C., James H. Davies & F. David Schoorman. 1995. An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review 20(3). 709–734. https://doi.org/10.2307/258792.Search in Google Scholar

Mortimer, Eduardo Fleury & Andréa Machado. 2000. Anomalies and conflicts in classroom discourse. Science Education 84(4). 429–444. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-237x(200007)84:4<429::aid-sce1>3.3.co;2-r.10.1002/1098-237X(200007)84:4<429::AID-SCE1>3.3.CO;2-RSearch in Google Scholar

Nassaji, Hossein & Gordon Wells. 2000. What’s the use of ‘triadic dialogue’? An investigation of teacher–student interaction. Applied Linguistics 21(3). 376–406. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/21.3.376.Search in Google Scholar

O’Keeffe, Anne. 2011. Introducing pragmatics in use. London: Routledge.10.4324/9780203830949Search in Google Scholar

Parson, Talcott. 1968. On the concept of value-commitments. Sociological Inquiry 38(2). 135–160. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-682x.1968.tb00679.x.Search in Google Scholar

Pavlidou, Theodossia-Soula. 2014. Constructing collectivity: “We” across languages and contexts. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.10.1075/pbns.239Search in Google Scholar

Pelsmaekers, Katja, Geert Jacobs & Rollo Craig. 2014. Trust and discourse: Organizational perspective. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.10.1075/dapsac.56Search in Google Scholar

Pomerantz, Anita M. 1984. Giving a source or basis: The practice in conversation of telling ‘how I know. Journal of Pragmatics 8(5–6). 607–625. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-2166(84)90002-x.Search in Google Scholar

Pratt, Daniel D. 1992. Conceptions of teaching. Adult Education Quarterly 42(4). 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171369204200401.Search in Google Scholar

Rounds, Patricia L. 1987. Multifunctional personal pronoun use in an educational setting. English for Specific Purposes 6(1). 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(87)90072-x.Search in Google Scholar

Sinclair, John McHardy & Coulthard Malcom. 1975. Towards an analysis of discourse: The English used by teachers and pupils. London: Oxford University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Stevanovic, Melisa & Anssi Peräkylä. 2012. Deontic authority in interaction: The right to announce, propose, and decide. Research on Language and Social Interaction 45(3). 297–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/08351813.2012.699260.Search in Google Scholar

Tarter, John & Wayne K. Hoy. 1988. The context of trust: Teachers and the principal. High School Journal 72(1). 17–24.Search in Google Scholar

Tracy, Karen & Jessica S. Robles. 2013. Everyday talk: Building and reflecting identities. New York, London: Guilford Press.Search in Google Scholar

Wang, Xueyu. 2016. A struggle for trustworthiness: Local officials’ discursive behaviour in press conferences handling Tianjin blasts in China. Discourse & Communication 10(4). 412–426. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481316638150.Search in Google Scholar

Wang, Xueyu & Daoying Liu. 2019. Discursive behaviors for trust-repair in crisis: A text analysis of BP’s letters to shareholders after oil spill crisis. Foreign Language Research(5). 43–48.Search in Google Scholar

Wang, Xueyu & Haiyan Yao. 2022. In government microblogs we trust: Doing trust work in Chinese government microblogs during COVID-19. Discourse & Communication 16(6). 717–734. https://doi.org/10.1177/17504813221109090.Search in Google Scholar

Walsh, Steve. 2002. Construction or obstruction: Teacher talk and learner involvement in the EFL classroom. Language Teaching Research 6(1). 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1191/1362168802lr095oa.Search in Google Scholar

Waring, Zhang H. 2007. Complex advice acceptance as a resource for managing asymmetries. Text & Talk 27(1). 107–137. https://doi.org/10.1515/text.2007.005.Search in Google Scholar

Weick, Karl. 1995. What theory is not, theorizing is. Administrative Science Quarterly 40. 385–390. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393789.Search in Google Scholar

Xu, Min & Xinren Chen. 2015. Identity construction of college English teachers in classroom settings. Foreign Language Education 36(3). 50–54.Search in Google Scholar

Yang, Mayfair. 1994. Gifts, favors, and banquets: The art of social relationships in China. New York: Cornell University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Zhao, Xin & Yansheng Mao. 2021. Trust me, I am a doctor: Discourse of trustworthiness by Chinese doctors in online medical consultation. Health Communication 36(3). 372–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1692491.Search in Google Scholar

Zhu, Chang, Martin Valcke & Tammy Schellens. 2010. A cross-cultural study of teacher perspectives on teacher roles and adoption of online collaborative learning in higher education. European Journal of Teacher Education 33(2). 147–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619761003631849.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2023-05-23
Accepted: 2024-09-04
Published Online: 2024-09-19
Published in Print: 2025-05-26

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Downloaded on 24.1.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/text-2023-0111/html
Scroll to top button