Observing the interactive qualities of L2 instructional practices in ESL and FSL classrooms

Abstract

Discourse features that promote the generation of interactionally modified input and output, such as negotiation for meaning, have been shown to significantly enhance second language acquisition. Research has also identified several characteristics of instructional practices that render them more or less propitious to the generation of these discourse features. While various classroom observation studies have successfully measured the communicative orientation of classroom environments, most of the indicators of interactivity analyzed in those studies were obtained through micro-level discourse analyses and not through macro-level analyses of task-related factors shown to directly influence the interactivity of instructional practices. Such a macro-level scale has potential practical implications for teachers and administrators seeking an efficient tool for assessing and improving the interactivity afforded by a given curriculum. The objective of the present study was therefore to develop macro-level scale to determine the extent to which teachers of French and English as a second language use interaction-friendly instructional practices. Using an observation scheme designed to code data on factors shown to influence interactivity, 63 hours of FSL and ESL classes from secondary schools in the Montreal area were observed and analyzed. Results indicate clear differences between the two groups. While both ESL and FSL classes were less teacher-centered than those observed in previous studies, they were still rated as not-very-interactive. Target language differences showed that the FSL Michael Zuniga, Daphnée Simard 136 classes were more teacher-centered and characterized by fewer interactionfriendly tasks and activities than the ESL classes. Task characteristics, reasons for ESL and FSL differences and recommendations for improvement are discussed.

The Development of L2 (Basque) Oracy Skills Through Dialogic Literary Gatherings

“…This has limited students’ development of oral skills by creating a closed discourse where teacher talk predominates (Soto-Hinman, 2011; Walqui, & Van Lier, 2010). Whereas it seems essential to transforms classrooms into dialogic spaces for students to develop oral skills as essential for their education, research has revealed that English as Second Language and Foreign Second Language classrooms are not very interactive, since 70% of their practices are teacher-centered or devoted to individual students (Zuniga & Simard, 2016). So that, dialogic contexts are more necessary than ever to change this unidirectional pattern by transforming monologic classrooms to foster students’ participation in the creation of their own knowledge (García-Carrión et al, 2020).…”

Developing oral interaction skills with a digital information gap activity game

“…However, oral interaction frequently goes underdeveloped in language classrooms. A recent study by Zuniga and Simard (2016), for example, reported that out of 64 hours of classroom observation, Quebec high school language teachers spent 8% of the time developing these interactive skills.…”