The present study analyzed the effects of completing a dictogloss task on the development of English grammar (3rd person singular -s and articles) in a foreign language primary school context. Fifty 11–12 year-old elementary EFL Spanish learners worked on a dictogloss task individually, and in teacher-assigned dyads and small groups. Their grammar gains were measured by means of a pre- and post-dictogloss grammaticality judgment test. The analysis of the children’s languaging showed that the task encouraged learners in pairs and groups to equally focus on form, although not only on the target features, which did not improve. There was, however, a slight advantage of pairs over small groups and individuals. A number of research implications, drawn from these results, are discussed.
This study investigated second language (L2) learners’ use of first language (L1) as a means to resolve lexical issues during collaborative writing tasks (i.e., L1 languaging). Participants were 34 8th grade high-proficiency English learners in Chile who shared their L1 (Spanish). Their vocabulary development was tested via the vocabulary knowledge scale (VKS). Their interactions during the collaborative writing tasks were audio-recorded. The transcripts were first analysed in light of L1 focus such as content, language, and task management. Then, lexical language-related episodes (LREs) involving L1 were examined. The regression models of the VKS and LRE scores showed that L1 languaging was associated with higher gains in vocabulary knowledge.
This paper documents how U.S. high school learners in a third-year L2 Spanish class (N = 17) formulated explicit understandings of the pronoun se through languaging over 3 lessons. Following Adair-Hauck & Donato (2016), each lesson engaged learners in a guided inductive analysis by first presenting se within a narrative text, and then having them “co-construct” rules in groups of 2–3 from the patterns they found. A teacher-led, whole-class follow-up brought the class to a consensus before they engaged in subsequent L2 communication tasks. Based on recordings of 4 small-group interactions and the whole-class discussion, descriptive statistics and qualitative excerpts document how learners stretched familiar linguistic concepts and informal language to accommodate the unfamiliar features of the target structure.
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.
Two commonly used activities in second language (L2) writing classes are collaborative writing and peer response. Our study compared the quantity and quality of languaging generated by these two activities. In this study, conducted in Saudi Arabia, 34 college English language learners worked in the same self-selected small groups (predominantly pairs) on three successive activities. They completed a collaborative writing task, provided written feedback on a text written by another group, and revised their text in response to the peer feedback received. Analysis of recorded talk during these three activities found that the collaborative writing activity generated more languaging episodes than the other activities. We discuss the implications of these findings for L2 writing pedagogy and propose research directions.
Taking a perspective from sociocultural theory, this study examined the effects of languaging on Chinese university EFL students’ rewriting a story. Multiple sources of data were collected including discussions, co-constructed writings, individual revisions, and interviews. Data analysis found that languaging helped the participants co-construct meaning and solve comprehending and language problems in the process of writing. Languaging was also observed to have immediate, delayed, and ongoing effects on joint writing and individual revision. This study suggests that an opportunity to engage in languaging with the support of source readings and models can facilitate the generation of students’ ideas and expressions necessary for writing and allow them to reflect on their language knowledge in the process of writing and revising.
Despite the acknowledgement of the role of languaging in collaborative writing, little research has examined how L2 students use language to mediate the process of jointly composing a text during asynchronous computer-mediated collaborative writing. This chapter reports on a study that investigated the languaging of three small groups of EFL students and the factors mediating languaging when completing a collaborative wiki writing task. The results revealed that languaging served multiple functions: resolving various language problems, negotiating and deciding about content and text organization, as well as mediating social relationships. Learners’ perception of task goals, language proficiency grouping, and patterns of interaction explained the ways in which the three groups engaged in languaging.
This qualitatively oriented study investigated the role of second language (L2) metalinguistic knowledge in languaging during performance on two pedagogic tasks – a gap-fill and a dictogloss. It involved 14 L1 English university-level learners of L2 Spanish (N = 8) and L2 German (N = 6). Drawing on individual think-aloud protocols and learners’ pair-work interactions, we investigated the extent to which metalinguistic knowledge was used during task completion, its purposes, and whether it was associated with successful task performance. Although considerable inter-learner variation was in evidence, we identified a relationship not only between the use of metalinguistic knowledge and successful task completion but also between the purpose for which metalinguistic knowledge was employed during languaging and the balance of expertise between partners.
Despite ample research on the positive effects of languaging with peers, research on languaging with oneself has received limited attention. Drawing on sociocultural theory, I examine how second language (L2) writers language with themselves while composing, and how they perceive the role of languaging in their L2 writing. Twenty university English language learners wrote an essay individually. While writing, they were encouraged to speak aloud to themselves but it was not a requirement. The analyses of languaging, stimulated recall and interview protocols showed that the learners used languaging to facilitate their composing processes using different verbal scaffolds. There were, however, individual differences in the production of languaging and attitudes towards languaging as a self-regulatory tool to mediate L2 writing.
The study investigated the effects of written languaging (WL) on second language (L2) learning and the extent to which the frequency and quality of WL are related to L2 development. It employed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design, with participants assigned to a +WL, −WL and control group. The treatment involved the completion of an individual written dictogloss task, after which the +WL had the opportunity to engage in WL. The −WL only did the task. We found a beneficial impact of WL on L2 development overall, and positive links between L2 learning and the frequency and quality of WL.
In this study we investigated (i) whether levels of depth of processing (DoP) are mediated by writing conditions (individual vs. collaborative writing), and (ii) the relationship between DoP and accuracy measures in the texts produced before and after processing feedback. Participants (118 intermediate EFL learners) were invited to complete a picture-based problem-solving task in either individual or collaborative writing conditions, in both cases with and without the availability of feedback. Findings show that access to feedback (rather than writing conditions) was the key variable that mediated both DoP and improvements in global accuracy. We discuss these findings from various perspectives, including methodological considerations for future languaging research.
This study examined effects of written corrective feedback (WCF) followed by languaging on grammatical accuracy in new writing tasks. Two homogeneous EFL (English as a foreign language) classes were randomly assigned to direct (n = 15) and indirect (n = 15) feedback groups. After receiving feedback, participants languaged about the reasons for the errors in their writing. Their written explanations were coded as written languaging episodes (WLEs). Results revealed that the indirect group generated more unexplained WLEs than the direct group. However, both groups made significant gains in accuracy from the pre-test to the post-test with no significant differences observed between the two groups.
Little is known about the relationship between second language use and written languaging (e.g., Ishikawa & Suzuki, 2016; Suzuki, 2012). The few studies that have investigated the question highlight difficulties in understanding how to correct errors following written corrective feedback (e.g., Simard, Guénette, & Bergeron, 2015; Suzuki, 2012). Following the broaden-and-build theory, (Fredrickson, 2001), we hypothesized that emotions expressed in the written languaging of high school ESL learners (n = 42) produced immediately after receiving their corrected text would be related to text revision successfulness (i.e., correct revision of an incorrect form). Our results show that emotions expressed in the written languaging are not only associated with error rates but also positive emotions predict higher rates of successful revision.
The present study analyzed the effects of completing a dictogloss task on the development of English grammar (3rd person singular -s and articles) in a foreign language primary school context. Fifty 11–12 year-old elementary EFL Spanish learners worked on a dictogloss task individually, and in teacher-assigned dyads and small groups. Their grammar gains were measured by means of a pre- and post-dictogloss grammaticality judgment test. The analysis of the children’s languaging showed that the task encouraged learners in pairs and groups to equally focus on form, although not only on the target features, which did not improve. There was, however, a slight advantage of pairs over small groups and individuals. A number of research implications, drawn from these results, are discussed.
This study investigated second language (L2) learners’ use of first language (L1) as a means to resolve lexical issues during collaborative writing tasks (i.e., L1 languaging). Participants were 34 8th grade high-proficiency English learners in Chile who shared their L1 (Spanish). Their vocabulary development was tested via the vocabulary knowledge scale (VKS). Their interactions during the collaborative writing tasks were audio-recorded. The transcripts were first analysed in light of L1 focus such as content, language, and task management. Then, lexical language-related episodes (LREs) involving L1 were examined. The regression models of the VKS and LRE scores showed that L1 languaging was associated with higher gains in vocabulary knowledge.
This paper documents how U.S. high school learners in a third-year L2 Spanish class (N = 17) formulated explicit understandings of the pronoun se through languaging over 3 lessons. Following Adair-Hauck & Donato (2016), each lesson engaged learners in a guided inductive analysis by first presenting se within a narrative text, and then having them “co-construct” rules in groups of 2–3 from the patterns they found. A teacher-led, whole-class follow-up brought the class to a consensus before they engaged in subsequent L2 communication tasks. Based on recordings of 4 small-group interactions and the whole-class discussion, descriptive statistics and qualitative excerpts document how learners stretched familiar linguistic concepts and informal language to accommodate the unfamiliar features of the target structure.
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.
Two commonly used activities in second language (L2) writing classes are collaborative writing and peer response. Our study compared the quantity and quality of languaging generated by these two activities. In this study, conducted in Saudi Arabia, 34 college English language learners worked in the same self-selected small groups (predominantly pairs) on three successive activities. They completed a collaborative writing task, provided written feedback on a text written by another group, and revised their text in response to the peer feedback received. Analysis of recorded talk during these three activities found that the collaborative writing activity generated more languaging episodes than the other activities. We discuss the implications of these findings for L2 writing pedagogy and propose research directions.
Taking a perspective from sociocultural theory, this study examined the effects of languaging on Chinese university EFL students’ rewriting a story. Multiple sources of data were collected including discussions, co-constructed writings, individual revisions, and interviews. Data analysis found that languaging helped the participants co-construct meaning and solve comprehending and language problems in the process of writing. Languaging was also observed to have immediate, delayed, and ongoing effects on joint writing and individual revision. This study suggests that an opportunity to engage in languaging with the support of source readings and models can facilitate the generation of students’ ideas and expressions necessary for writing and allow them to reflect on their language knowledge in the process of writing and revising.
Despite the acknowledgement of the role of languaging in collaborative writing, little research has examined how L2 students use language to mediate the process of jointly composing a text during asynchronous computer-mediated collaborative writing. This chapter reports on a study that investigated the languaging of three small groups of EFL students and the factors mediating languaging when completing a collaborative wiki writing task. The results revealed that languaging served multiple functions: resolving various language problems, negotiating and deciding about content and text organization, as well as mediating social relationships. Learners’ perception of task goals, language proficiency grouping, and patterns of interaction explained the ways in which the three groups engaged in languaging.
This qualitatively oriented study investigated the role of second language (L2) metalinguistic knowledge in languaging during performance on two pedagogic tasks – a gap-fill and a dictogloss. It involved 14 L1 English university-level learners of L2 Spanish (N = 8) and L2 German (N = 6). Drawing on individual think-aloud protocols and learners’ pair-work interactions, we investigated the extent to which metalinguistic knowledge was used during task completion, its purposes, and whether it was associated with successful task performance. Although considerable inter-learner variation was in evidence, we identified a relationship not only between the use of metalinguistic knowledge and successful task completion but also between the purpose for which metalinguistic knowledge was employed during languaging and the balance of expertise between partners.
Despite ample research on the positive effects of languaging with peers, research on languaging with oneself has received limited attention. Drawing on sociocultural theory, I examine how second language (L2) writers language with themselves while composing, and how they perceive the role of languaging in their L2 writing. Twenty university English language learners wrote an essay individually. While writing, they were encouraged to speak aloud to themselves but it was not a requirement. The analyses of languaging, stimulated recall and interview protocols showed that the learners used languaging to facilitate their composing processes using different verbal scaffolds. There were, however, individual differences in the production of languaging and attitudes towards languaging as a self-regulatory tool to mediate L2 writing.
The study investigated the effects of written languaging (WL) on second language (L2) learning and the extent to which the frequency and quality of WL are related to L2 development. It employed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design, with participants assigned to a +WL, −WL and control group. The treatment involved the completion of an individual written dictogloss task, after which the +WL had the opportunity to engage in WL. The −WL only did the task. We found a beneficial impact of WL on L2 development overall, and positive links between L2 learning and the frequency and quality of WL.
In this study we investigated (i) whether levels of depth of processing (DoP) are mediated by writing conditions (individual vs. collaborative writing), and (ii) the relationship between DoP and accuracy measures in the texts produced before and after processing feedback. Participants (118 intermediate EFL learners) were invited to complete a picture-based problem-solving task in either individual or collaborative writing conditions, in both cases with and without the availability of feedback. Findings show that access to feedback (rather than writing conditions) was the key variable that mediated both DoP and improvements in global accuracy. We discuss these findings from various perspectives, including methodological considerations for future languaging research.
This study examined effects of written corrective feedback (WCF) followed by languaging on grammatical accuracy in new writing tasks. Two homogeneous EFL (English as a foreign language) classes were randomly assigned to direct (n = 15) and indirect (n = 15) feedback groups. After receiving feedback, participants languaged about the reasons for the errors in their writing. Their written explanations were coded as written languaging episodes (WLEs). Results revealed that the indirect group generated more unexplained WLEs than the direct group. However, both groups made significant gains in accuracy from the pre-test to the post-test with no significant differences observed between the two groups.
Little is known about the relationship between second language use and written languaging (e.g., Ishikawa & Suzuki, 2016; Suzuki, 2012). The few studies that have investigated the question highlight difficulties in understanding how to correct errors following written corrective feedback (e.g., Simard, Guénette, & Bergeron, 2015; Suzuki, 2012). Following the broaden-and-build theory, (Fredrickson, 2001), we hypothesized that emotions expressed in the written languaging of high school ESL learners (n = 42) produced immediately after receiving their corrected text would be related to text revision successfulness (i.e., correct revision of an incorrect form). Our results show that emotions expressed in the written languaging are not only associated with error rates but also positive emotions predict higher rates of successful revision.
The present study analyzed the effects of completing a dictogloss task on the development of English grammar (3rd person singular -s and articles) in a foreign language primary school context. Fifty 11–12 year-old elementary EFL Spanish learners worked on a dictogloss task individually, and in teacher-assigned dyads and small groups. Their grammar gains were measured by means of a pre- and post-dictogloss grammaticality judgment test. The analysis of the children’s languaging showed that the task encouraged learners in pairs and groups to equally focus on form, although not only on the target features, which did not improve. There was, however, a slight advantage of pairs over small groups and individuals. A number of research implications, drawn from these results, are discussed.
This study investigated second language (L2) learners’ use of first language (L1) as a means to resolve lexical issues during collaborative writing tasks (i.e., L1 languaging). Participants were 34 8th grade high-proficiency English learners in Chile who shared their L1 (Spanish). Their vocabulary development was tested via the vocabulary knowledge scale (VKS). Their interactions during the collaborative writing tasks were audio-recorded. The transcripts were first analysed in light of L1 focus such as content, language, and task management. Then, lexical language-related episodes (LREs) involving L1 were examined. The regression models of the VKS and LRE scores showed that L1 languaging was associated with higher gains in vocabulary knowledge.
This paper documents how U.S. high school learners in a third-year L2 Spanish class (N = 17) formulated explicit understandings of the pronoun se through languaging over 3 lessons. Following Adair-Hauck & Donato (2016), each lesson engaged learners in a guided inductive analysis by first presenting se within a narrative text, and then having them “co-construct” rules in groups of 2–3 from the patterns they found. A teacher-led, whole-class follow-up brought the class to a consensus before they engaged in subsequent L2 communication tasks. Based on recordings of 4 small-group interactions and the whole-class discussion, descriptive statistics and qualitative excerpts document how learners stretched familiar linguistic concepts and informal language to accommodate the unfamiliar features of the target structure.
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.
Two commonly used activities in second language (L2) writing classes are collaborative writing and peer response. Our study compared the quantity and quality of languaging generated by these two activities. In this study, conducted in Saudi Arabia, 34 college English language learners worked in the same self-selected small groups (predominantly pairs) on three successive activities. They completed a collaborative writing task, provided written feedback on a text written by another group, and revised their text in response to the peer feedback received. Analysis of recorded talk during these three activities found that the collaborative writing activity generated more languaging episodes than the other activities. We discuss the implications of these findings for L2 writing pedagogy and propose research directions.
Taking a perspective from sociocultural theory, this study examined the effects of languaging on Chinese university EFL students’ rewriting a story. Multiple sources of data were collected including discussions, co-constructed writings, individual revisions, and interviews. Data analysis found that languaging helped the participants co-construct meaning and solve comprehending and language problems in the process of writing. Languaging was also observed to have immediate, delayed, and ongoing effects on joint writing and individual revision. This study suggests that an opportunity to engage in languaging with the support of source readings and models can facilitate the generation of students’ ideas and expressions necessary for writing and allow them to reflect on their language knowledge in the process of writing and revising.
Despite the acknowledgement of the role of languaging in collaborative writing, little research has examined how L2 students use language to mediate the process of jointly composing a text during asynchronous computer-mediated collaborative writing. This chapter reports on a study that investigated the languaging of three small groups of EFL students and the factors mediating languaging when completing a collaborative wiki writing task. The results revealed that languaging served multiple functions: resolving various language problems, negotiating and deciding about content and text organization, as well as mediating social relationships. Learners’ perception of task goals, language proficiency grouping, and patterns of interaction explained the ways in which the three groups engaged in languaging.
This qualitatively oriented study investigated the role of second language (L2) metalinguistic knowledge in languaging during performance on two pedagogic tasks – a gap-fill and a dictogloss. It involved 14 L1 English university-level learners of L2 Spanish (N = 8) and L2 German (N = 6). Drawing on individual think-aloud protocols and learners’ pair-work interactions, we investigated the extent to which metalinguistic knowledge was used during task completion, its purposes, and whether it was associated with successful task performance. Although considerable inter-learner variation was in evidence, we identified a relationship not only between the use of metalinguistic knowledge and successful task completion but also between the purpose for which metalinguistic knowledge was employed during languaging and the balance of expertise between partners.
Despite ample research on the positive effects of languaging with peers, research on languaging with oneself has received limited attention. Drawing on sociocultural theory, I examine how second language (L2) writers language with themselves while composing, and how they perceive the role of languaging in their L2 writing. Twenty university English language learners wrote an essay individually. While writing, they were encouraged to speak aloud to themselves but it was not a requirement. The analyses of languaging, stimulated recall and interview protocols showed that the learners used languaging to facilitate their composing processes using different verbal scaffolds. There were, however, individual differences in the production of languaging and attitudes towards languaging as a self-regulatory tool to mediate L2 writing.
The study investigated the effects of written languaging (WL) on second language (L2) learning and the extent to which the frequency and quality of WL are related to L2 development. It employed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design, with participants assigned to a +WL, −WL and control group. The treatment involved the completion of an individual written dictogloss task, after which the +WL had the opportunity to engage in WL. The −WL only did the task. We found a beneficial impact of WL on L2 development overall, and positive links between L2 learning and the frequency and quality of WL.
In this study we investigated (i) whether levels of depth of processing (DoP) are mediated by writing conditions (individual vs. collaborative writing), and (ii) the relationship between DoP and accuracy measures in the texts produced before and after processing feedback. Participants (118 intermediate EFL learners) were invited to complete a picture-based problem-solving task in either individual or collaborative writing conditions, in both cases with and without the availability of feedback. Findings show that access to feedback (rather than writing conditions) was the key variable that mediated both DoP and improvements in global accuracy. We discuss these findings from various perspectives, including methodological considerations for future languaging research.
This study examined effects of written corrective feedback (WCF) followed by languaging on grammatical accuracy in new writing tasks. Two homogeneous EFL (English as a foreign language) classes were randomly assigned to direct (n = 15) and indirect (n = 15) feedback groups. After receiving feedback, participants languaged about the reasons for the errors in their writing. Their written explanations were coded as written languaging episodes (WLEs). Results revealed that the indirect group generated more unexplained WLEs than the direct group. However, both groups made significant gains in accuracy from the pre-test to the post-test with no significant differences observed between the two groups.
Little is known about the relationship between second language use and written languaging (e.g., Ishikawa & Suzuki, 2016; Suzuki, 2012). The few studies that have investigated the question highlight difficulties in understanding how to correct errors following written corrective feedback (e.g., Simard, Guénette, & Bergeron, 2015; Suzuki, 2012). Following the broaden-and-build theory, (Fredrickson, 2001), we hypothesized that emotions expressed in the written languaging of high school ESL learners (n = 42) produced immediately after receiving their corrected text would be related to text revision successfulness (i.e., correct revision of an incorrect form). Our results show that emotions expressed in the written languaging are not only associated with error rates but also positive emotions predict higher rates of successful revision.