It’s Not Only What You Say, But How You Say It: Investigating the Potential of Prosodic Analysis as a Method to Study Teacher’s Talk

Main Article Content

Raija Hämäläinen
Bram De Wever
Teija Waaramaa
Anne-Maria Laukkanen
Joni Lämsä

Abstract

In this study, we introduce new insights into prosodic analyses as an emerging method to study teacher talk. We claim that the prosodic aspects (features of speech such as intonation, volume, and pace) of talk are important, but under-represented in the learning sciences. These prosodic aspects may be used to complement, intensify or even reverse the linguistic content of speech. Thus far, most research on classrooms has focused on the content (what is said) rather than on understanding the meaning of the prosodic features (how it is said) of talk. In this study, we introduce prosodic analyses as a method to study classroom discussions. Our exploratory experiment focuses on the prosodic perspective of teacher’s talk to shed light on the features of classroom talk. We present a case in which we align prosodic features with the content of teacher's talk during a nine-week physics course. This article shows that prosodic analyses may have added value for research on learning and professional development. Namely, we illustrate that acting in an authentic classroom setting might trigger specific prosodic aspects in teacher's talk. We further found indications that the teacher applied different voice prosody regarding certain patterns of classroom talk. For the future, we suggest that a combination of content and prosodic analysis is a promising tool for gaining new insights into classroom talk.

Article Details

How to Cite
Hämäläinen, R., De Wever, B., Waaramaa, T., Laukkanen, A.-M., & Lämsä, J. (2018). It’s Not Only What You Say, But How You Say It: Investigating the Potential of Prosodic Analysis as a Method to Study Teacher’s Talk. Frontline Learning Research, 6(3), 204–227. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v6i3.371
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Articles
Author Biographies

Raija Hämäläinen, University of Jyvaskyla

A Full Professor Raija Hämäläinen works in the field of technology-enhanced learning at the Center for Research for Learning and Teaching at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Belonging to the elite or the top 5% in the world, JYU research center is among the leading European research groups in learning and teaching. Hämäläinen's research interests include collaboration and creativity at the technology-enhanced learning settings, workplace-learning, and teacher-student interaction. She has participated in one publication that has defined the research area of collaboration scripts, and it has become one of the standard references in such an area. Hämäläinen has been the principal investigator / leader of several research projects related to technology-enhanced learning. She has designed a long-term research line that focuses on designing and investigating new learning environments for future educational efforts. Hämäläinen's work has been based on active international collaboration. In practice, her international collaboration efforts include, for example, visits to international research groups and joint high-level publishing Hämäläinen's recent publications include articles, for example, in Computers & Education, British Journal of Educational Technology, The Internet and Higher Education, International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning and Educational Research Review. She is an associate editor of Educational Research Review (5-Year Impact Factor: 5.655). 

Bram De Wever, Department of Educational Studies at Ghent University

Dr. Bram De Wever is associate professor at the Department of Educational Studies at Ghent University, Belgium and head of the research group TECOLAB (http://www.tecolab.ugent.be/). His research is focusing on technology-enhanced learning and instruction, peer assessment and feedback, computer-supported collaborative learning activities, professional development, inquiry learning in higher and adult education settings, and learning design for hands-on adult learners. He is also teaching courses on adult education, higher education, and powerful learning environments.

Teija Waaramaa, University of Tampere, Faculty of Communication Sciences

Ph.D., Senior Researcher

Anne-Maria Laukkanen, University of Tampere, Faculty of Communication Sciences

Ph.D., Logonom, Professor of Speech Technique and Vocology, University of Tampere

Joni Lämsä, University of Jyväskylä

Mr Joni Lämsä is a Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. His research interests include collaborative learning in technology-enhanced settings in various contexts.