EFL/ESL Learners’ Language Related Episodes (LREs) during Performing Collaborative Writing Tasks

Abstract

Abstract-This paper examined how the homogeneous dyads--two EFL (i.e. Iranian) dyads and two ES L (i.e., Malaysian) dyads--consciously reflected on their language in the course of performing collaborative writing tasks. To this end, the dyads were asked to do fifteen writing tasks collaboratively. The pair talk was audiorecorded and transcribed for each dyad. It was revealed that EFL/ES L dyads had different orientations towards metatalk; EFL dyads tended to focus considerably more on meta-linguistic features of language than ES L dyads. The findings are discussed with a reference to the different status of the English language in the two contexts of Iran and Malaysia (i.e., EFL vs. ES L) as well as the effect of previous educational experiences of the learners. The findings of the study could be of pedagogical help and significance to educationists and practitioners.

Examining Language Related Episodes (LREs) of Arabic as a Second Language (ASL) Learners During Collaborative Writing Activities

“…The findings indicate that learners in the experimental groups paid more attention to language than those in the control groups. The results support earlier remark by Amirkhiz et al (2013) that EFL dyads tended to focus more on the language aspects than ESL dyads. A possible explanation of the differences is that the students not only may have limited understanding and knowledge of the linguistic features, but also had different language learning experiences.…”

The Collaborative Discussion Model: Developing Writing Skills through Prewriting Discussion

“…That means that while discussing the task, learners produce meaningful and comprehensible output in terms of the language. The concept of languaging is usually implemented into practice through language-related episodes (LREs), defined as segments of collaborative dialogue where the students reflect on what language forms to use (lexical choices, grammatical constructions, and mechanics) or correct themselves and others while performing the task (Swain & Lapkin, 1998, 2001Yazdi Amirkhiz et al, 2013). It has been concluded that the participants' higher proficiency levels result in a greater number of LREs produced in the course of collaboration (Williams, 2001(Williams, , 2008.…”

“…In content-focused collaborations, for example, language forms necessary for the language acquisition can be undervalued and overlooked while learners should be encouraged to reflect on their language usage, such as lexical choice, grammar, mechanics, etc. (Swain, 2010;Swain & Lapkin, 2001;Yazdi Amirkhiz et al, 2013). Therefore, this limitation necessitates designing and arranging collaborative classroom activities that could lead to L2 learners producing high-quality writing output.…”

The Effect of Using Metatalk Activity on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners' Knowledge of Tense

“…Analyzing the collaborative negotiations of eight learners from four proficiency levels (beginning, intermediate, high-intermediate and advanced) indicated that the learners tended to discuss lexical items more often that grammatical items, and the overall rate of occurrence of LREs increased as the proficiency of the participants increased. The study also found that learners from higher proficiency levels may be more likely to have more metatalk and to reach more correct resolutions to their linguistic problems during collaborative engagements compared to their less proficient counterparts (as cited in Amirkhiz et al, 2013). Storch (2008) in a classroom-based study examined the metatalk of learners working in pairs on a text reconstruction task.…”