Chapter published in:
Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching: A collection of empirical studies
Edited by Wataru Suzuki and Neomy Storch
[Language Learning & Language Teaching 55] 2020
► pp. 92–110

Exploring interaction between heritage and second language learners in the Spanish language classroom

Opportunities for collaborative dialogue and learning

| University of Washington
This study analyzes collaborative writing activities completed by heritage language (HL) and second language (L2) learners’ dyads with a focus on collaborative dialogue and learning. Eight HL and ten L2 learners participated in the study, completing a total of 26 collaborative writing activities followed by tailor-made posttests. The interactions between the mixed dyads were analyzed for language-related episodes, classified according to focus, outcome, and trigger. The results of these analyses and those of the posttests confirmed that both HL and L2 learners benefited from working together, but in different ways and to a different extent. Learners’ perceptions of their collaboration and the pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
Keywords: collaborative dialogue, collaborative writing, heritage language learners, language-related episodes, mixed classes
Published online: 14 August 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.55.04fer
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Zhang, Meixiu & Luke Plonsky
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