Independent language study compared to communicative pairwork: effects on languaging and learning

Abstract

Adult EFL learners increasingly find themselves working through languagefocused tasks alone, either because they are following a flipped classroom approach where such tasks are assigned for self-study, or because they are physically separated from other learners in socially distanced or online classrooms. Rooted in a Vygotskian (1978, 1987) sociocultural framework, the present classroom study assesses this shift away from communicative collaboration towards individual study by comparing classroom pairwork with individual task completion in terms of a) learners’ languaging, the “process of making meaning and shaping knowledge” (Swain 2006, p. 98) observable in learners’ Language-Related Episodes (LREs), and b) the learning of forms topicalised in LREs, as measured by post-tests.

Findings indicate that while individual LRE numbers did not differ significantly from LREs initiated by each learner in pairs, dyadic learners benefitted from the additive effect of two learners identifying different language issues. LREs resolved correctly and LREs characterised by elaborate engagement (evidencing self-regulation strategies) did not differ significantly between modes. While all learners generally responded to post-test items in agreement with LRE resolutions, dyadic learners attempted fewer items relating to their LREs, suggesting that learners in dyads may not always listen to or learn from each other. Pedagogical recommendations are proposed.