EXPLORING FEEDBACK STRATEGIES IN THE TEACHERS TALK: A GENDER-BASED STUDY

Female and male teachers use different communicative strategies in the classroom. This study is an attempt to explore the differences in feedback strategies used in the discourses of females and males through the IRF framework model of Sinclair and Coulthards. The sample of the study consists of six teachers’ talks; three males and three females. Two lectures of each participant were recorded and transcribed. The analysis of the discourse reveals significant differences in feedback strategies. Female participants have used more praise and explicit acceptance strategies to create a more motivational and encouraging environment, whereas male teachers have used more direct rejection strategies. Further, it has also been observed that other variables like, classroom management, task objectives and teachers’ personality have more impact on teachers' talk than gender differences