Part of
Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning: Pedagogical potential and research agendaEdited by Masatoshi Sato and Susan Ballinger
[Language Learning & Language Teaching 45] 2016
► pp. 33–61
Edited by Masatoshi Sato and Susan Ballinger
[Language Learning & Language Teaching 45] 2016
► pp. 33–61
1. Peer interaction and learning
A focus on the silent learner
This chapter investigated whether all learners benefitted from the lexical language-related episodes (LREs) produced in small group interaction, even when acting as silent observers of their peers’ collaborative work. Using a pretest-posttest design, evidence was obtained confirming that silent learners did benefit from LREs. In fact, they were almost as likely to gain new knowledge as those learners who triggered the episodes. These findings indicate that silent learners were as actively engaged with the vocabulary being discussed in the LREs as their speaking peers. Other factors, such as the length of the episode and the amount of negotiation and repetition, seemed to have a stronger influence on learning than the actual opportunities to speak. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
References (48)
Alegría de la Colina, A., & García Mayo, M.P. (2007). Attention to form across collaborative tasks by low proficiency learners in an EFL setting. In M.P. Garca Mayo (Ed.), Investigating tasks in formal language learning (pp. 91–116). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Allwright, R. (1980). Turns, topics and tasks: Patterns of participation in language teaching and learning. In D. Larsen-Freeman (Ed.), Discourse analysis in second language research (pp. 165–187). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Antón, M., & DiCamilla, F. (1998). Socio-cognitive functions of L1 collaborative interaction in the L2 classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 54, 314–342. 
Choi, H., & Iwashita, N. (2016). Interactional behaviours of low-proficiency learners in small group work. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 113–134). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Donato, R. (1994). Collective scaffolding in second language learning. In J.P. Lantolf, & G. Appel (Eds.), Vygotskian approaches to second language research (pp. 33–56). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Ellis, R., Tanaka, Y., & Yamazaki, A. (1994). Classroom interaction, comprehension, and L2 vocabulary acquisition. Language Learning, 44, 449–491.
Fernández Dobao, A. (2012). Collaborative writing tasks in the L2 classroom: Comparing group, pair, and individual work. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21, 40–58.
. (2014a). Attention to form in collaborative writing tasks: Comparing pair and small group interaction. Canadian Modern Language Review, 14, 158–187.
. (2014b). Vocabulary learning in collaborative tasks: A comparison of pair and small group work. Language Teaching Research.
Fernández Dobao, A., & Blum, A. (2013). Collaborative writing in pairs and small groups: Learners’ attitudes and perceptions. System, 41, 365–378.
Foster, P., & Ohta, A. (2005). Negotiation for meaning and peer assistance in second language classrooms. Applied Linguistics, 26, 402–430.
García Mayo, M.P. (2002). The effectiveness of two form-focused tasks in advanced EFL pedagogy. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12, 156–175.
Guerrero, M.C.M. de (2005). Inner speech - L2: Thinking words in a second language. New York, NY: Springer.
Kim, Y. (2008). The contribution of collaborative and individual tasks to the acquisition of L2 vocabulary. The Modern Language Journal, 92, 114–130.
Kim, Y., & McDonough, K. (2008). The effect of interlocutor proficiency on the collaborative dialogue between Korean as a second language learners. Language Teaching Research, 12, 211–234.
Lapkin, S., Swain, M., & Smith, M. (2002). Reformulation and the learning of French pronominal verbs in a Canadian French immersion context. The Modern Language Journal, 86, 485–507.
Lasito, & Storch, N. (2013). Comparing pair and small group interactions on oral tasks. RELC Journal, 44, 361–375.
Leeser, M.J. (2004). Learner proficiency and focus on form during collaborative dialogue. Language Teaching Research, 8, 55–81.
Ohta, A.S. (2000). Rethinking interaction in SLA: Developmentally appropriate assistance in the zone of proximal development and the acquisition of L2 grammar. In J.P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 51–78). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
. (2001). Second language acquisition processes in the classroom: Learning Japanese. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Philp, J., & Iwashita, N. (2013). Talking, tuning in and noticing: Exploring the benefits of output in task-based peer interaction. Language Awareness, 22, 353–370.
Rouhshad, A., & Storch, N. (2016). A focus on mode: Patterns of interaction in face-to-face and computer-mediated contexts. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 267–289). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Sato, M., & Ballinger, S. (2012). Raising language awareness in peer interaction: A cross-context, cross-methodology examination. Language Awareness, 21, 157–179.
. (2016). Understanding peer interaction: Research synthesis and directions. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 1–30). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Saville-Troike, M. (1988). Private speech: Evidence for second language learning strategies during the ‘silent’ period. Child Language, 15, 567–590.
Shekary, M., & Tahririan, M. (2006). Negotiation of meaning and noticing in text-based online chat. The Modern Language Journal, 90, 557–573.
Slimani, A. (1989). The role of topicalisation in classroom language learning. System, 17, 223–234.
Storch, N. (2001a). Comparing ESL learners’ attention to grammar on three different classroom tasks. RELC Journal, 32, 104–124.
. (2001b). How collaborative is pair work? ESL tertiary students composing in pairs. Language Teaching Research, 5, 29–53.
. (2002). Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work. Language Learning, 52, 119–158.
. (2004). Using activity theory to explain differences in patterns of dyadic interactions in an ESL class. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 60, 457–480.
. (2008). Metatalk in a pair work activity: Level of engagement and implications for language development. Language Awareness, 17, 95–114.
. (2013). Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Storch, N., & Aldosari, A. (2013). Pairing learners in pair work activity. Language Teaching Research, 17, 31–48.
Storch, N., & Wigglesworth, G. (2010). Learners’ processing, uptake, and retention of corrective feedback on writing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32, 303–334.
Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond. In J.P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
. (2006). Languaging, agency and collaboration in advanced language proficiency. In H. Byrnes (Ed.), Advanced language learning: The contribution of Halliday and Vygotsky (pp. 95–108). New York, NY: Continuum.
Swain, M., Kinnear, P., & Steinman, L. (2011). Sociocultural theory in second language education: An introduction through narratives. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (1998). Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French immersion students working together. The Modern Language Journal, 82, 320–337.
. (2001). Focus on form through collaborative dialogue: Exploring task effects. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks: Second language learning, teaching and testing (pp. 99–118). London: Longman.
. (2002). Talking it through: Two French immersion learners’ response to reformulation. International Journal of Educational Research, 37, 285–304.
Watanabe, Y., & Swain, M. (2007). Effects of proficiency differences and patterns of pair interaction on second language learning: Collaborative dialogue between adult ESL learners. Language Teaching Research, 11, 121–142.
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2012). Feedback and writing development through collaboration: A socio-cultural approach. In R. Manchón (Ed.), L2 writing development: Multiple perspectives (pp. 69–100). Boston, MA: de Gruyter Mouton.
Williams, J. (1999). Learner-generated attention to form. Language Learning, 49, 583–625.
. (2001). The effectiveness of spontaneous attention to form. System, 29, 325–340.
Yilmaz, Y. (2011). Task effects on focus on form in synchronous computer-mediated communication. The Modern Language Journal, 95, 115–132.
Young, A., & Tedick, D.J. (2016). Collaborative dialogue in a two-way Spanish/English immersion classroom: Does heterogeneous grouping promote peer linguistic scaffolding? In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 135–160). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Zeng, G., & Takatsuka, S. (2009). Text-based peer-peer collaborative dialogue in a computer-mediated learning environment in the EFL context. System, 37, 434–446.
Cited by (28)
Cited by 28 other publications
Aksoy-Pekacar, Kadriye
2024. Task-related collaborative behaviours in task-based oral peer interactions. The Language Learning Journal 52:4 ► pp. 397 ff. 
Pais Marden, Mariolina & Jan Herrington
2024. The scaffolding role of native speaker mentors in an online community of foreign language learners. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning 32:4 ► pp. 419 ff.
Almalki, Hanan & Neomy Storch
2023. Chapter 6. Online collaborative L2 writing. In L2 Collaborative Writing in Diverse Learning Contexts [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 59], ► pp. 130 ff.
Pleines, Christine & Qian Kan
2023. Exploring the use of tutorial recordings for beginner distance learners of Chinese. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning 3:1 ► pp. 70 ff.
Storch, Neomy
2023. Collaborative Writing as a Pedagogical Technique. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 1 ff.
Tajabadi, Azar, Moussa Ahmadian, Hamidreza Dowlatabadi & Hooshang Yazdani
2023. EFL learners’ peer negotiated feedback, revision outcomes, and short-term writing development: The effect of patterns of interaction. Language Teaching Research 27:3 ► pp. 689 ff.
TOSUN, Sibel & Nuray ALAGÖZLÜ
2023. THE EFFECT OF INTERACTIONAL STRATEGY TRAINING ON PEER COLLABORATION AND INTERACTION PATTERNS. Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 33:2 ► pp. 701 ff.
Tavakol, Mahbube, Mansoor Tavakoli & Saeed Ketabi
2022. The impact of linguistic background on the nature of classroom dyadic interactions: evidence from L2 and L3 learners of English as a foreign language. International Multilingual Research Journal 16:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Castañeda, Daniel A.
2021. Improving conversational interactions with task-based activities in a Spanish as a second language class. Computer Assisted Language Learning 34:8 ► pp. 1154 ff.
Feng, Ruiling, Kyunghee Pyun, Wenzhong Zhang & Rafael Márquez Flores
2021. When Different Language Groups Meet Online: Covert and Overt Focus on Form in Text-Based Chats. Frontiers in Psychology 12
Peace, Meghann M.
2021. Noticing without negotiation?: What L2 Spanish learners report hearing in peer-produced language
. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 59:4 ► pp. 491 ff.
Sato, Masatoshi & Claudia Dussuel Lam
2021. Metacognitive instruction with young learners: A case of willingness to communicate, L2 use, and metacognition of oral communication. Language Teaching Research 25:6 ► pp. 899 ff.
Calzada, Asier & María del Pilar García Mayo
2020. Chapter 1. Child EFL grammar learning through a collaborative writing task. In Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 55], ► pp. 20 ff.
Calzada, Asier & María del Pilar García Mayo
2021. Effects of proficiency and collaborative work on child EFL individual dictogloss writing. Language Teaching for Young Learners 3:2 ► pp. 246 ff.
Fernández-Dobao, Ana
2020. Chapter 4. Exploring interaction between heritage and second language learners in the Spanish language classroom. In Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 55], ► pp. 92 ff.
Kim, Youn-hee
2020. Willingness to engage: the importance of what learners bring to pair work. Language Awareness 29:2 ► pp. 134 ff.
Storch, Neomy & Ali Alshuraidah
2020. Chapter 5. Languaging when providing and processing peer feedback. In Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 55], ► pp. 112 ff.
Swain, Merrill & Yuko Watanabe
2019. Languaging: Collaborative Dialogue as a Source of Second Language Learning. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 1 ff.
Sydorenko, Tetyana, John Hellermann, Steven L. Thorne & Vanessa Howe
2019. Mobile Augmented Reality and Language‐Related Episodes. TESOL Quarterly 53:3 ► pp. 712 ff.
Bernstein, Katie A.
2018. The Perks of Being Peripheral: English Learning and Participation in a Preschool Classroom Network of Practice. TESOL Quarterly 52:4 ► pp. 798 ff.
Loewen, Shawn & Masatoshi Sato
2018. Interaction and instructed second language acquisition. Language Teaching 51:3 ► pp. 285 ff.
Peeters, Ward
2018. Applying the networking power of Web 2.0 to the foreign language classroom: a taxonomy of the online peer interaction process. Computer Assisted Language Learning 31:8 ► pp. 905 ff.
Peeters, Ward
2019. The peer interaction process on Facebook: a social network analysis of learners’ online conversations. Education and Information Technologies 24:5 ► pp. 3177 ff.
Sato, Masatoshi
2017. Interaction Mindsets, Interactional Behaviors, and L2 Development: An Affective‐Social‐Cognitive Model. Language Learning 67:2 ► pp. 249 ff.
Chen, Wenxue
2016. The effect of conversation engagement on L2 learning opportunities. ELT Journal ► pp. ccw075 ff.
Philp, Jenefer
2016. New pathways in researching interaction. In Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 45], ► pp. 377 ff.
Philp, Jenefer & Susan Duchesne
2016. Exploring Engagement in Tasks in the Language Classroom. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 36 ► pp. 50 ff.
Young, Amy I. & Diane J. Tedick
2016. 5. Collaborative dialogue in a two-way Spanish/English immersion classroom. In Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 45], ► pp. 135 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 27 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.