Presents a study of four learners of French as a foreign language at the Open University (United Kingdom) interacting within three task frameworks. Defines a pedagogy prioritizing reflective interaction; investigates whether reflective interaction is more likely to arise from some task types than others; and relates a content analysis of learner…

Synthesizing theoretical and empirical insights from second-language acquisition, cognitive psychology, information processing, schema theory, and parallel distributed processing, this paper proposes an interactive framework of intake processes. It identifies intake factors and intake processes and argues that these factors and processes…

Investigates the study abroad experience of two students in a summer program in France to see what kind of interactions influenced their learning. Results show that while homestays played a clear role in learning, other factors such as the nature of the pre-departure preparation meetings, absence of an on-site director, and prior cross-cultural…

Discusses the need for clear pedagogical objectives in the use of technological resources for second language teaching. Examines the resources and constraints of computer-mediated communication vis-a-vis specific pedagogical tasks. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the use of interactive technologies in primary language programs in Tasmanian schools in Australia. The benefits of a computer-based technology package for learning, curriculum connections, the impact of the technology package for teacher networking, and the impact of the technology package on teaching and learning are highlighted…

Examines conversational interactions between children aged 8-13 years. Participants were paired to form 96 age-and gender-matched dyads of native speakers and nonnative speakers. Results suggest that in child-child interactions the nativeness and proficiency of pairings influence the amount of negotiation for meaning that occurs. (Author/VWL)

For some time now second language acquisition (SLA) research has been hampered by unhelpful debates between the cognitivist and sociocultural camps that have generated more acrimony than useful theory. Recent developments in second generation cognitive science, first language acquisition studies, cognitive anthropology, and human development…

When the seminal article on the organization of turn-taking by Sacks, Schegloff, and Jefferson (1974) was published 30 years ago, I started learning English as a foreign language. In addition to being a learner of the English language for many years, I was also trained in the traditions of Conversation Analysis (CA) and linguistic anthropology…

This paper investigates the value of language classroom negotiation of meaning from both cognitive and sociocultural perspectives. According to Long (1985, 1996) comprehensible input gained through interactional adjustments such as negotiating meaning and modifying output is central to second language acquisition, and much research has been…

In dual language programs, children who speak a majority language are grouped with children who speak a minority language, and instruction is delivered in both languages. This focus on structural rather than instructional design can lead to a recipe approach to design: add the ingredients (native-speaking children, content language instruction) in…

This paper explores the role of negotiation in teacher-student interaction and argues that the negotiation of meaning, defined as a set of conversational moves which work toward mutual comprehension, is too narrow a construct to fulfil its pedagogical potential in teacher-student interaction in communicative and content-based second language (L2)…

The interaction hypothesis of second language acquisition and associated work by Gass (Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Mahwah, NJ, 1997), Long (The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition, in: W.C. Ritchie, T.K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of Language Acquisition,…

The present article reports on a study investigating the interaction of a reading comprehension test with gender in a formal testing context and the performance of males and females on reading test items with regard to demands on strategy use. Participants were 187 (59 = female and 128 = male) international students ranging from 17 to 20 years of…

This study compares pauses, repetitions and recasts in matched task interactions under face-to-face and computer-mediated conditions. Six first-year English undergraduates at a Turkish University took part in Skype-based voice chat with a native speaker and face-to-face with their instructor. Preliminary quantitative analysis of transcripts showed…

This article discusses the nature and problems of group interaction among American students participating in overseas study programs, with specific reference to a Junior Year program offered by the University of Connecticut in Rouen, France. (CLK)