Occurrence Of Language-related Episodes Research Articles

A study of language-related episodes in online English-medium instruction classes in high schools in South Korea

In both face-to-face and online settings, attention to language during interpersonal interaction is essential for students’ academic English development in English-medium instruction (EMI) classes. This article reports on a study of attention to language spontaneously arising in two different online EMI classes (world history and mathematics) in high schools in Korea. The frequency and nature of language-related episodes (LREs), any instances where teachers and students talk about the language they use, identified in the transcripts of class recording and synchronous text-based chat were analysed. Transcribed interview recordings were also analysed to explore the challenges for the EMI teachers in dealing with language issues during their online classes. Findings indicated the frequent occurrence of LREs during interpersonal interaction in both online classes. The majority of the LREs were initiated by the teachers, and students, too, initiated some LREs. Different patterns were found in the interactional type and linguistic categories of LREs between the different disciplines. Synchronous text-based chat appeared to facilitate students to proactively initiate LREs, mainly to attend to vocabulary and grammar. Findings also revealed that both EMI teachers had more challenges helping students with language in the online context than in the F2F context.

Comparing students’ responses to synchronous written corrective feedback during individual and collaborative writing tasks

The present study examined students’ attention to linguistic forms during writing tasks and compared individual and collaborative writing conditions. Furthermore, the ways students in both conditions process indirect synchronous written corrective feedback (SWCF) and the ways they respond to it (i.e., uptake) were investigated. The target linguistic forms were Korean honorifics, which are closely related to Korean culture, honoring the elderly by using a different set of linguistic features. Twenty-nine learners of Korean were divided into two groups: collaborative and individual writing groups. The collaborative group completed e-mail writing tasks in pairs, whereas students in the individual group carried out the same tasks alone. During the tasks, indirect SWCF was provided on the target pragmatic features (i.e., honorifics). Think-aloud protocols and pair talk were audio-recorded. Students’ attention to linguistic forms was operationalized as the occurrence of language-related episodes (LREs), and their processing of SWCF was determined using feedback-related episodes (FREs). Uptake was identified based on students’ final writing output. The findings suggest that the collaborative group resolved linguistic errors more accurately than the individual group. In terms of the linguistic target features and uptake of SWCF, both groups demonstrated similar patterns, suggesting mediating effects of SWCF on students’ task performance.

Incidental attention to academic language during content teaching in two EMI classes in South Korean high schools

EMI (English-medium instruction) is increasingly prevalent and is an important site in which students are introduced to academic English. Research into classroom interaction in EMI in schools has been limited. Recent research into classroom interaction in EMI in higher education (Basturkmen & Shackleford, 2015;McLaughlin & Parkinson, 2018) has drawn on the construct of language-related episodes (LREs) to investigate incidental instances during classroom interaction which is primarily focused on disciplinary content when attention shifts temporarily from content to language. The present article reports a study of LREs in two distinctive EMI, high school settings in South Korea. Analysis of recorded classes indicated that the occurrence of LREs was similar across both settings. LREs occurred frequently, focused mainly on disciplinary uses of vocabulary and were mainly teacher-initiated. Furthermore, the vast majority of the teacher-initiated episodes appeared to arise pre-emptively and not in response to errors, a finding that suggests the disciplinary teachers were proactive in shifting attention to language. Evolving content-driven discussion appeared to prompt the teachers to highlight the disciplinary register, and thus served as an impromptu, transitory means by which the teachers highlighted academic language use in their content teaching.

Effect of proficiency on Vietnamese EFL learners’ engagement in peer interaction

To expand previous interaction research that investigated only the impact of proficiency on occurrence of language related episodes or pair dynamics, this study explored the effect of proficiency on a range of cognitive, social and emotional features of interaction through the lens of engagement. Fifteen core EFL learners interacted with peers of higher and lower proficiency to complete picture sequencing tasks. The core learners’ degree of engagement when interacting with the lower and the higher proficiency partners was compared. Results revealed that the core learners showed greater cognitive and social engagement and reported higher emotional engagement when interacting with higher proficiency partners. The results are discussed in terms of the role of proficiency pairing in fostering learner engagement in interaction.

The effects of manipulating task complexity on the occurrence of language-related episodes during learner-learner interaction

The present study explored the effects of task complexity on the occurrence of language-related episodes during learner-learner interaction of 40 EFL students. Task complexity was manipulated using two factors: (1) reasoning demands; and (2) number of elements. Participants performed four tasks of two types (picture narration and picture difference). The study bore mixed results; while in some versions of the tasks, complexity and the occurrence of LREs positively correlated, this pattern did not hold true for all the tasks and proficiency levels. Moreover, the observed increase was mostly in the number of lexical LREs than that of grammatical ones.

The effects of task complexity on learner–learner interaction

Over the past few decades, due to the increasing use of interactional tasks in second language (L2) classrooms, researchers have become interested in examining the factors affecting the learners’ interactional processes as well as L2 learning. For instance, the Cognition Hypothesis states that requiring L2 learners to engage in complex tasks facilitates L2 learning by promoting interaction, focus on form, and attention to more complex linguistic structures [Robinson, P., 2001a. Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: exploring interactions in a componential framework. Applied Linguistics 22, 27–57; Robinson, P., 2001b. Task complexity, cognitive resources and syllabus design: a triadic framework for examining task influences on SLA. In: Robinson, P. (Ed.), Cognition and Second Language Instruction. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 287–318; Robinson, P., 2005. Cognitive complexity and task sequencing: Studies in a componential framework for second language task design. IRAL 43, 1–32]. The purpose of the current study was to identify the impact of task complexity on the occurrence of language-related episodes (LREs) during task-based interaction in two task types (i.e., picture narration and picture difference tasks). Thirty-four ESL students with two different proficiency levels carried out four tasks which differed in terms of task complexity and task type. Their interaction was transcribed and analyzed in terms of the occurrence and resolution of LREs. The results indicated that the effects of task complexity on the occurrence of learning opportunities differed depending on task types and learner proficiency. The findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical implications for Robinson’s Cognition Hypothesis and pedagogical implications for task-based interaction in L2 classrooms.