Peer interaction in the foreign language classroom: what factors foster a focus on form?

Abstract

Peer interaction may facilitate acquisition through fostering learner production, feedback, and noticing of form. This study examined learners’ awareness of form during peer interaction in role-play and discussion tasks over a three-week period of a tertiary intermediate-level French class. The data for the study comprised transcribed recordings of pair and group work interaction in class and subsequent primed interviews with seven students. The study investigated the incidence, focus, and source of language-related episodes arising during the tasks and explored environmental and social considerations impacting on the students’ participation in the episodes. The results suggest that the students’ willingness to attend to difficulties with language form during peer task-based interaction is affected both by the task and by social considerations.

Keywords:

• corrective feedback
• interaction
• focus on form
• foreign language pedagogy
• second language learning
• output