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Article published In:
Gesture
Vol. 16:1 (2017) ► pp.127–151

Learning in-progress

On the role of gesture in microgenetic development of L2 grammar

| Pennsylvania State University
| University of Warsaw

Though gesture is a growing area in second language research, its role in the teaching and learning of grammar remains on the margins. Drawing from Sociocultural Theory, the present case study addresses this gap by offering a microgenetic analysis of an ESL learner’s developing understanding of the progressive aspect. Our analysis is threefold. First, we observe how the learner’s gesture reveals her initial understanding of the progressive aspect. This is followed by study of the learner’s appropriation of the teacher’s gesture for the progressive aspect. Finally, we examine the crucial ways in which the learner’s gesture differs from the teacher’s, arguing that the learner merged her initial understanding and the teacher’s gesture, instead of merely copying the teacher. We contend that gesture should not be regarded as supplementary to speech but as an indispensable window into the learning process that may not be accessible through the verbal channel alone.

Keywords: Second Language Acquisition (SLA), gesture, classroom, grammar instruction, Sociocultural Theory (SCT)
Article outline
  • Introduction
    • Key concepts in gesture research
    • Gesture in teaching and learning
    • Relevance of sociocultural theory to L2 gesture research
  • Data and method
  • Analysis
    • Students’ initial understanding of the progressive aspect
    • Introduction of a dialogic catchment – “in-progress” gesture
    • Evidence of development over time
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References


This article is currently available as a sample article.

Published online: 29 June 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/gest.16.1.05kim
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