Multiple Perspectives On Learner Interaction

In the field of Second Language Studies, shared datasets provide a valuable contribution to second language research as many variables are held constant (e.g., participants, tasks, research context) thus allowing for an evaluation of theoretical and/or methodological perspectives that may not otherwise be comparable. This edited volume includes a wide range of studies using a common dataset (the Corpus of Collaborative Oral Tasks). The corpus includes 820 spoken tasks (268,927 words) carried out by dyads of L2 English speakers (primarily Chinese and Arabic learners). Studies included in the book are categorized into three main traditions: learner corpus research, Task-Based Language Teaching, and assessment. Because the corpus contains text and sound files, both lexico-grammatical and phonological analyses are included. Intended for researchers in the field of Second Language Studies with an interest in oral interaction research, this book provides a collection of methodological, pedagogical, and assessment studies using a common dataset.

"This collection in honor of Susan M. Gass focuses on interaction in second language acquisition from multiple perspectives. It includes contributions from many international experts in the field of SLA, providing new insights, explanations, discussion, and suggestions for further research. The goal of this collection is to provide an enriching discussion of how the interaction research tradition is viewed in a range of different approaches to learning and teaching second languages."--BOOK JACKET.

This collection of papers brings together a diverse range of conceptualisations of the self in the domain of second language acquisition and foreign language learning. The volume attempts to unite a fragmented field and provides a thorough overview of the ways in which the self can be conceptualised in SLA contexts.

This edited volume with selected expanded papers from CELDA (Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age) 2009 (http://www.celda-conf.org/) addresses the main issues concerned with problem solving, evolving learning processes, innovative pedagogies, and technology-based educational applications in the digital age. There have been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a fast pace and affecting academia and professional practice in many ways. Paradigms such as just-in-time learning, constructivism, student-centered learning and collaborative approaches have emerged and are being supported by technological advancements such as simulations, virtual reality and multi-agents systems. These developments have created both opportunities and areas of serious concerns. This volume aims to cover both technological as well as pedagogical issues related to these developments.

This volume brings together empirical research that explores interaction in a wide range of educational settings. It includes work that takes a cognitive, brain-based approach to studying interaction, as well as studies that take a social, contextual perspective. Interaction is defined quite broadly, with many chapters focusing on oral interaction as is typical in the field, while other chapters report work that involves interaction between learners and technology. Several studies describe the linguistic and discourse features of interaction between learners and their interlocutors, but others demonstrate how interaction can serve other purposes, such as to inform placement decisions. The chapters in the book collectively illustrate the diversity of contemporary approaches to interaction research, investigating interactions with different interlocutors ( learner-learner, learner-teacher), in a variety of environments (classrooms, interactive testing environments, conversation groups) and through different modalities (oral and written, face-to-face and technology-mediated).

This edited volume brings together both established and emerging researcher voices from around the world to illustrate how complexity perspectives might contribute to new ways of researching and understanding the psychology of language learners and teachers in situated educational contexts. Chapter authors discuss their own perspectives on researching within a complexity paradigm, exemplified by concrete and original examples from their research histories. Moreover, chapters explore research approaches to a variety of learner and teacher psychological foci of interest in SLA. Examples include: anxiety, classroom group dynamics and group-level motivation, cognition and metacognition, emotions and emotion regulation strategies, learner reticence and silence, motivation, self-concept and willingness to communicate.

Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning synthesizes the existing body of research on the role of peer interaction in second language learning in one comprehensive volume. In spite of the many hours that language learners spend interacting with peers in the classroom, there is a tendency to evaluate the usefulness of this time by comparison to whole class interaction with the teacher. Yet teachers are teachers and peers are peers – as partners in interaction, they are likely to offer very different kinds of learning opportunities. This book encourages researchers and instructors alike to take a new look at the potential of peer interaction to foster second language development. Acknowledging the context of peer interaction as highly dynamic and complex, the book considers the strengths and limitations of peer work from a range of theoretical perspectives. In doing so, Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning clarifies features of effective peer interaction for second language learning across a range of educational contexts, age spans, proficiency levels, and classroom tasks and settings.

The Routledge Handbook of Corpora and English Language Teaching and Learning provides a wide-ranging and authoritative overview of the latest developments and innovations in how corpus approaches, corpus technologies, and corpus data can inform and transform English language teaching and learning. Featuring a broad range of international experts, the Handbook presents state-of-the-art scholarship and inspires new avenues for research focusing on six key areas: English language teaching and learning informed by language corpora; corpora in syllabus and materials design; corpora and English for specific and academic purposes; learner corpora for English language teaching; data-driven learning; and corpora and corpus tools for language teaching. Unique to this pioneering volume, the authors cover key areas at the cross-roads of corpus research and English language teaching by drawing on cutting-edge corpus applications, methods, and pedagogical approaches, hence, bridging the research–practice gap in the field. This Handbook is a collection of novel contributions offering essential reading for those researching and studying English language teaching and learning through the application of corpus approaches.