Drawing from a sociocultural framework, this paper reports a study which investigated peer assistance among 10 mixed-age pairs (n=20) in mixed-age English as a foreign language (EFL) secondary school classrooms in Germany which are simultaneously mixed-ability classrooms. Mixed-age is increasingly used (Kallery and Loupidou 2016; Kuhl et al. 2013; Thurn 2011), but is under-researched in language classrooms. Although some research has been conducted in L2 mixed-proficiency settings, there has been no study conducted on peer-interactions within mixed-age groups/pairs in L2 contexts. This study aims to lay the foundations for future research of peer interactions among M-A second language learners. Results show that mixed-age pairs assisted one another in ways similar to those found in teacher-learner interactions, while some in ways which resemble to what Donato (1988, 1994) called collective scaffolding. However, the extent that this assistance benefited learning varied across learners. The findings also suggest that rather than age, the relationship between learners seems to be one of the major factors mediating the extent and quality of assistance.
This study explored peer support among grade 5 learners of English as a foreign language (N = 24) interacting during regular lessons. Grounded in sociocultural theory and applying mixed‐method research methodology, this study explored to what extent and how young learners support one another during classroom tasks targeting lexical phrases. Moreover, it investigated to what extent such support accounts for learning opportunities. Students relied mainly on linguistic support through suggesting or using resources while social–emotional support such as offering support, giving positive feedback, or inviting partners’ participation was limited. The analysis also revealed instances of lack of support in the form of reprimanding, impatience, expressing a lack of awareness of the partner's contribution, or disrespecting peer's linguistic resources which, however, differed widely across pairs.
Although foreign language instruction in mixed-age (M-A) is gaining popularity (Heizmann and Ries and Wicki 2015; Lau and Juby-Smith and Desbiens, 2017; Shahid Kazi and Moghal and Aziz 2018; Thurn 2011), the research is scarce. Drawing from multiple data sources, this study investigated to what extent do peer interactions among M-A and same-age (S-A) pairs aid L2 development and how students perceive their interactions. In this study, the same learners (N=24) aged between 10 and 12 interacted with the same and different age partners during common classroom lessons in two EFL classrooms. The results suggest that both S-A and M-A peer interactions aided L2 development. Although S-A pairs outperformed M-A pairs on the post-test, the results are not statistically significant. The analysis of students’ perceptions revealed that the majority of students prefer working in S-A to M-A pairs. In addition to age/proficiency differences, factors such as students’ relationships and perceptions of one’s own and partner’s proficiency greatly impact how they interact with one another.
Este estudio investigó la naturaleza y el alcance del apoyo proporcionado por seis estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL) de primaria (de 10 a 12 años) durante interacciones entre pares de edades mixtas en tareas comunes de clase dirigidas a trozos léxicos. Basado en la teoría sociocultural y a partir de grabaciones de audio del trabajo en parejas, de grabaciones de vídeo de toda la clase, de pruebas previas y posteriores, y del análisis del trabajo escrito de los estudiantes, el objetivo principal de este estudio era examinar la interacción momento a momento e identificar los tipos de apoyo que los compañeros se prestan mutuamente en las interacciones entre compañeros de pares de edades mixtas. El objetivo secundario era establecer vínculos entre el apoyo de los compañeros y los resultados del aprendizaje. Los resultados revelan que los compañeros se proporcionaban apoyo cognitivo, lingüístico y socioemocional. Sin embargo, la naturaleza y el alcance de este apoyo diferían ampliamente entre las parejas y parecían ser un factor importante en la mediación de los resultados del aprendizaje. Se discuten las implicaciones para la investigación y la pedagogía. Este estudio contribuye a la investigación interaccional de la adquisición de segundas lenguas con instrucción, mostrando cómo los jóvenes estudiantes en las aulas de EFL se apoyan mutuamente durante sus interacciones, y cómo su apoyo promueve el aprendizaje de idiomas.
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