Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 165

2nd International Conference of Communication Science Research (ICCSR 2018)

The Role of Communication Strategies in the

Classroom Communication

Yuni Asih Trihastuti Zamzani

Applied Linguistic Study Department Indonesian Language Education Study Program
Yogyakarta State University Yogyakarta State University
Yogyakarta, Indonesia Yogyakarta, Indonesia
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—Communication happened in every time, a purpose like other communication, in classroom people
situation, and places including school. School is a place where gather for learning, here teacher trying to make a good
student built their connectivity and interaction with another personal relationship between teacher and student, the teacher
student and also teachers. During teaching and learning process, has to establish a rapport with the class, with its individuals,
knowledge is transferred from teacher to students. Good and individual students from different sorts of relationships
communication is needed to make sure that everything running
well. This article examines the role of communication strategies
with the group and with the teacher.
in classroom communication based on the theoretical The importance of communication in the classroom also
background that has been declared by researchers. The method stated by Barker [2] he argues that classroom communication
of this research is qualitative descriptive with literature review is one of the most important communication forms occurring
design, the writer use the design to get reliable information about in society, through oral interaction in the classroom, students
communication strategies. Classroom communication aims to and teacher could develop their personality, intellectual and
share information and to create the same point of view among the sociality.
teacher and students. The effective classroom communication will
bring successful teaching and learning process. However, to II. COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
achieve that, both teacher and students may have some
difficulties. There are some types of Communication strategies
that may be used by teacher and students. Most of the use of The study of communication strategy (CS) was conducted
communication strategies could be a problem solver such as by some researchers emerging some definition of CS. Starting
approximation, literal translation, and code-switching which with Tarone in 1979 which defining communication strategy
belong to Compensatory Strategy that could be used for as one of the strategies in language use, She stated that
clarifying meaning. In the other side, Communication Strategies communication strategy is a mutual attempt use by two
could be another problem made by communicators, for instance, interlocutors to agree on a meaning in a situation where
the use of topic avoidance and message abandonment may come requisite meaning structures do not seem to be shared
to mind a miss-conception in teaching and learning process. In
(meaning structures include both linguistic and sociolinguistic
what way the role of communication strategies in the classroom
will be enlightened more in the article. features) [3]. In Tarone’s taxonomy, CS is classified into three
major categories namely: paraphrase, borrowing, and
Keywords—communication strategies; classroom avoidance, besides that Tarone, also completing the categories
communication by adding appeal for assistance and mime. Meanwhile, Faerch
and Kasper [4] defining CS from a psycholinguistic
I. INTRODUCTION perspective as a strategy related to individual language users’
experience of communicative problems and the solutions
During teaching and learning process, communication whether that is cooperative or non-cooperative. They also
happens to transfer the knowledge between teacher and classified CS into three categories they are the formal
students. The communication process in the classroom also reduction, functional reduction, and achievement strategies or
known as a classroom communication is a way to create an called as compensatory strategies. Each type has detailed
effective teaching and learning process. Classroom information as follows:
Communication happens for a reason. It happens in the class
between teacher and student, teacher and a group of students,
and of course student to student.
The interaction that occurs in the classroom give an impact
for teaching and learning process, it can be a medium to
improving students communication skill, or that may be used
for the teacher to make a good atmosphere in the class. Fojkar
[1] explain that communication in classroom situation also has

Copyright © 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

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 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 165

TABLE I. COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES DEFINED BY [4]

Functional Compensatory
No Formal Reduction
Reduction Strategies III. THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
1 phonological topic avoidance code switching
2 morphological message interlingual transfer
abandonment In teaching English as a foreign language the teacher
3 syntactic meaning replacement generalization should be using English for communicating and delivering the
4 lexical paraphrase material. The use of English is an effort that could make
5 word coinage English familiar to students. Indonesian students who speak
6 restructuring
7 cooperative strategies
more than one language sometimes got some problems in
8 Non-linguistic speaking or communicating by using English. To solve the
strategies problem they must look for a way to communicating and to
make the interlocutors understand what they said. The use of
Although both researchers have different perspective in meme, gesture, or sometimes mixing and switching code, are
defining communication strategies there are several some attempts to keep the communication running well. The
similarities on the components of communication strategies use of communication strategy during classroom
between them. Another studies conducted by Dornyei also communication has an important role. Canal and Swain stated
creating similar components of communication strategies. that Oral communication strategies were defined as: 'verbal
According to Dornyei people with lack of vocabularies can and non-verbal communication strategies that may be called
communicate effectively in the target language by using their into action to compensate for breakdowns in communication
hands, imitating the sound or movement of things, mixing due to performance variables or to insufficient competence'.
languages, they create new words, they describe Varadi asserted that CSs were seen as language devices used
circumlocution something they don’t know the word for – in to overcome communication problems related to the
short, they use communication strategies. He compare two interlanguage deficiencies. Bialystok [5] noted that the main
concepts of communication strategies, the first from tradional CS- defining criterion which has been widely employed is
and other from Nijmegan university Group. the problematicity; thus, the widely accepted definition
containing problem - orientedness as “only when a speaker
TABLE II. CSS FOLLOWING TRADITIONAL CONCEPTUALIZATION perceives that there is a problem which may interrupt
communication”.
Avoidence Strategies
1. Message abandonment: Leaving a message unfinished because of
Keeping the communication in the class running smothly
language difficulties. also became a role of CS, as asserted by Dornyei that the use
2. Topic avoidance: Avoiding topic areas or concepts that pose of stalling strategies such as lexicalized pause-filler, and
language difficulties. hesitation gambits, helps spekers gain time to think and keep
Compnsatory Strategies
the communication chanel open.
3. Circumlocution: Describing or exemplifying the target object of
action (e.g. the thing you open wine bottles with for corkscrew). Another study found that communication strategies has
4. Approximation: Using an alternative term which expresses the three features, (1) problematic, it reffers to the fact that
meaning of the target lexical item as closely as possible (e.g. ship learners use CSs as they encounters communication problem.
for sailboat). (2) Conciusnes, it is a potentially concious plan for solving
5. Use of all-purpose words: Extending a general, empty lexical
item to contexts where specific words are lacking (e.g. the communication problem to reach a particular communicative
overuse of thing, stuff, what-do-you call-it, thingy). goal. It also refers either to the students’ awarness that the
6. Word coinage: Creating a nonexistent second language (L2) strategy is being employed for a particular purpose, or the
word based on a supposed rule (e.g. vegetarianist for vegetarian). awerness of how the strategy might achieves it intended effect.
7. Prefabricated patterns: Using memorized stock phrases, usually
for “survival” purposes (e.g. Where is the _____? Or Comment (3) intentionality, refers to the learner’s control over those
allez vous? where the morphological components are not known strategies so that particular ones may be selected from the
to the learner). range of options and deliberately applied to achieve certain
8. Nonlinguistic signals: Mime, gesture, facial expression, or sound effects. [6].
imitation.
9. Literal translation: Literally translating a lexical item, idiom,
compound word, or structure from the native language (L1) to
L2. IV. CONCLUSION
10. Foreignizing: Using an L1 word by adjusting it to the L2
In EFL classroom that use target language student and
phonology (i.e. with an L2 pronunciation) and/or morphology
(e.g. adding an L2 suffix to it). teacher may faced communication problem. Based on the
11. Code-switching: Using an L1 word with L1 pronunciation or an explanaition above it could be stated that communication
L3 word with L3 pronunciation while speaking in L2. strategies (CSs) has an important role in classroom
12. Appealing for help: Asking for aid from the interlocutor either
directly (e.g. What do you call…?) or indirectly (e.g. rising
communication. CS helps students and also teacher in
intonation, pause, eye contact, puzzled expression). communicating, the use of switch code for example could
13. Stalling or time-gaining strategies: Using fillers or hesitation helps students who has lack proficiency to explain what they
devices to fill pauses and to gain time to think (e.g. well, now, mean.
let’s see, uh, as a matter of fact).

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 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 165

ACKNOWLEDGMENT REFERENCES
The writers would like to thank to everyone who support [1] M. D. Fojkar, “Classroom Interaction and Communication Strategies in
and helped in the making of this article. Without them this Learning English as a Foreign Language,” English Lang. and Lit.
article will not complete well. Teach., pp. 127–139, August 2016.
[2] L. L. Barker, Communication in the Classroom. Englewood Cliff:
Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1982.
[3] E. Tarone, “Communication Strategies, Foreigner Talk, and Repair in
Interlanguage Studies,” Lang. Learn., 30, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 417-431,
1980.
[4] C. Faerch and G. Kasper, “Two Ways of Defining Communication:
Claw Fmch University of Copenhagen Gabriele Kasper University of
Aarhus,” Lang. Learn., vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 45–63, 1983.
[5] E. Bialystok, Communication strategies. Oxford: Blackwell. 1990.
[6] M. Sukirlan, Communication Strategies and Their Linguistic Features.
Yogyakarta: Graha Ilmu. 2017.

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