Engagement Strategies in Online Academic Lectures: A Corpus Analysis of YouTube Lectures by Indian and Pakistani ESL Teachers

Abstract

The study investigated the use of engagement markers by Indian and Pakistani lecturers on YouTube to simulate interactivity. The study aimed to identify the types of linguistic engagement markers most frequently used by Indian and Pakistani ESL teachers in YouTube academic lectures and to compare the patterns of engagement marker usage between Indian and Pakistani ESL teachers, along with the examination of the functions of engagement markers in initiating, maintaining, and reinforcing learner engagement within lecture discourse. Moreover, the study was based on a mixed-method corpus approach using Sinclair’s corpus linguistics theory and Hyland’s interactional metadiscourse marker as the theoretical foundation of the study. Corpora of 30,000 words each (Indian and Pakistani lectures) were collected for analysis by using AntConc. The findings of the study revealed the distinct ways of using engagement markers by Indian and Pakistani lecturers, as the focus of one was on interaction and the other was on understanding. The study concluded that engagement was a complex construct that could be influenced by various factors. The study provided a more particular and situation-specific perspective on digital pedagogy.