Publication
Exploring interaction patterns and negotiation for meaning in student-centered oral tasks among young learners
| Summary: | The present study focuses on exploring interaction patterns and negotiation for meaning in student-centered oral tasks among young learners, aiming to explore how the different interaction patterns can influence the use of negotiation for meaning strategies thus impacting the learning process within the EFL classroom context. This action research project was conducted with a 4th grade class of 12 students in a primary school in the suburbs of Lisbon. Students participated in oral tasks designed to promote communication in pairs, including information gap activities, role-plays, and guessing games. These tasks provided opportunities to practice pre-learned vocabulary and sentence structures while negotiating for meaning with their peers. The study aimed to identify how different interaction patterns such as collaborative, expert/novice, dominant/dominant, and dominant/passive influenced the frequency of negotiation for meaning strategies, such as clarification requests, comprehension checks, and confirmation checks. Nine audio recordings of student interactions were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively to collect data. Additionally, an observation grid documented non-verbal cues to provide a more detailed understanding of the interactions. The findings suggest that collaborative dyads showed high levels of negotiation for meaning, with both partners actively participating. Expert/novice pairs also negotiated frequently, though the expert learner led the interaction. In contrast, dominant/dominant dyads were more competitive, with more interruptions, whilst dominant/passive pairs engaged in minimal negotiation, as the passive learner contributed little. |
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| Main Authors: | Lopes, Mara Maia Prates |
| Subject: | Interaction patterns negociação de significado Oral interaction Trabalho a pares Student-centered Padrões de interação Negotiation for meaning Foco no aluno Pair work Interação oral Relatório de estágio |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | master thesis |
| Access type: | open access |
| Associated institution: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Language: | English |
| Origin: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Summary: | The present study focuses on exploring interaction patterns and negotiation for meaning in student-centered oral tasks among young learners, aiming to explore how the different interaction patterns can influence the use of negotiation for meaning strategies thus impacting the learning process within the EFL classroom context. This action research project was conducted with a 4th grade class of 12 students in a primary school in the suburbs of Lisbon. Students participated in oral tasks designed to promote communication in pairs, including information gap activities, role-plays, and guessing games. These tasks provided opportunities to practice pre-learned vocabulary and sentence structures while negotiating for meaning with their peers. The study aimed to identify how different interaction patterns such as collaborative, expert/novice, dominant/dominant, and dominant/passive influenced the frequency of negotiation for meaning strategies, such as clarification requests, comprehension checks, and confirmation checks. Nine audio recordings of student interactions were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively to collect data. Additionally, an observation grid documented non-verbal cues to provide a more detailed understanding of the interactions. The findings suggest that collaborative dyads showed high levels of negotiation for meaning, with both partners actively participating. Expert/novice pairs also negotiated frequently, though the expert learner led the interaction. In contrast, dominant/dominant dyads were more competitive, with more interruptions, whilst dominant/passive pairs engaged in minimal negotiation, as the passive learner contributed little. |
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