Schedule StuTS 68

The Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1996) asserts that communication in the target language is fundamental for language development and second language processes and the findings of numerous research works support these notions. This study investigates the role of interlocutor, either a second language (L2) peer or trained native speaker (NS), on the emergence of language-related episodes (LREs), defined as sites in which language learning is likely to occur given that the learner is pushed to consciously reflect on their language knowledge, and the perceived usefulness of each telecollaborative interaction type for L2 learners. Using a counterbalanced design, 24 L2 learners of Spanish completed two 30-minute conversations, one with an L2 peer on Zoom and the other with a NS on Talk Abroad. In total, thirty-six conversations were transcribed and the LREs were tallied and described in terms of linguistic focus, resolution, and accuracy. Data also comes from the participants’ responses to two post-conversation questionnaires. The findings revealed that although the total number of LREs were similar for both groups, NS-learner dyads resolved significantly more LREs and these resolutions were significantly more target-like than those of the L2-L2 learner dyads. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that the NS-learner interaction was perceived as more useful for language learning as the NS was deemed to be a competent resource from whom they could access new linguistic information whereas the peer was considered to be a helpful conversationalist that could aid the learner in perfecting already known linguistic information.

The Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1996) asserts that communication in the target language is fundamental for language development and second language processes and the findings of numerous research works support these notions. During interaction, learners may modify their output to be better understood and also may inquire about the linguistic forms that they or their interlocutor use. These instances of explicit attention to language are identified as language-related episodes (LREs), first defined by Swain and Lapkin (1998), and are of particular interest as they may be sites in which learning is likely to occur given that the learner is pushed to consciously reflect on their language knowledge (Leeser, 2004). This study investigates the role of interlocutor, either a second language (L2) peer or trained native speaker (NS), on the emergence of LREs and the perceived usefulness of each telecollaborative interaction type for L2 learners.
Using a counterbalanced design, 24 L2 learners of Spanish completed two 30-minute conversations, one with an L2 peer on Zoom and the other with a NS on Talk Abroad. In total, thirty-six conversations were transcribed and the LREs were tallied and described in terms of linguistic focus, resolution, and accuracy. Data also comes from the participants’ responses to two post-conversation questionnaires. The findings revealed no significant differences in total number of LREs produced between each dyad type and no significant differences in number of LREs in each linguistic focus category (lexical, morphosyntactic, or orthographic), suggesting that the interlocutor does not substantially affect the amount of negotiation or the linguistic focus of LREs in each interaction. However, NS-learner dyads resolved significantly more LREs than L2-L2 dyads, who were more likely to leave LREs unresolved. Furthermore, resolutions in the NS-learner dyads were significantly more target-like than those of the L2-L2 learner dyads, indicating that the inclusion of a NS increases the likelihood of accurate outcomes of the negotiation sequences. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that the NS-learner interaction was perceived as more useful for language learning as the NS was deemed to be a competent resource from whom they could access new linguistic information whereas the peer was considered to be a helpful conversationalist that could aid the learner in perfecting already known linguistic information. The implications of the findings are explained in terms of the Interaction Approach and pedagogical recommendations are provided.

Info

Day: 2020-11-21
Start time: 19:45
Duration: 00:30
Room: Ruqaiya Hasan
Track: Applied Linguistics
Language: en

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