One of the advantages of having students work in pairs on language-related tasks is that teachers and researchers can listen to what the students say as they carry out their assigned tasks. What they say offers insights into the students' beliefs about the target language they are learning and using, and reflects the cognitive processes they use…

The results of a study involving 18 students from a grade 8 early French immersion class support the argument that in producing a second language, learners will on occasion become aware of a linguistic problem and modify their output. (41 references) (MDM)

Provides support for a theoretical orientation toward viewing dialog as both a means of communication and a cognitive tool. Data to support this position come from an analysis of language-related episodes isolated in the dialog of two grade 8 French immersion students as they carry out a jigsaw task. (Author/VWL)