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Collaborative scaffolding in online task-based voice interactions between advanced learners

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2010

Marie-Madeleine Kenning
Marie-Madeleine Kenning*
Affiliation:
School of Language and Communication Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ (email: [email protected])
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Abstract

This paper reports some of the findings of a distinctive innovative use of audio-conferencing involving a population (campus-based advanced learners) and a type of application (task-based language learning) that have received little attention to date: the use of Wimba Voice Tools to provide additional opportunities for spoken interactions between advanced learners of French. The experiment had a dual aim: (a) to examine the suitability of Wimba Voice Tools as an environment for sustained interactive talk, and (b) to study the nature of interactions between advanced learners, with particular reference to the processes supporting collaborative activity.

After a brief summary of the rationale and main characteristics of the experiment, the paper focuses on the strategies used by three non-native speaker (NNS) dyads to resolve language problems as they worked on a set of four tasks. Extending the classical model of negotiation for meaning to cover other instances of language-related episodes identified through discourse analysis of the empirical data, the study offers a detailed account of the incidence and nature of negotiated interaction and collaboration between partners. This leads to a discussion covering the impact of functionalities, scaffolding and task effects. The paper ends with some suggestions for future research.

Keywords

Voice chatnegotiation for meaninglearner collaborationscaffoldingtask effectsadvanced learners
Type
Research Article
Information
ReCALL , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , May 2010 , pp. 135 - 151
Copyright
Copyright © European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning 2010

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