Learner interaction using email: the effects of task modification

Abstract

This paper outlines the findings of a research project studying the effects of task modification on learner interaction when using email. Taking as its starting point interactionalist theories of SLA, it argues that if those interactional features characteristic of negotiation of meaning which have been identified as promoting SLA are to be preserved when tasks are transferred from a face-to-face spoken environment to a computer-mediated written asynchronous environment, then modifications to the tasks need to be made.

Perspectives on Technology in Learning and Teaching Languages

“…Smith (2003), on the other hand, found that decision-making tasks supported online negotiation more than jigsaw tasks. Knight (2005), experimenting with face-to-face versus e-mail performance of a hybrid jigsaw and decision-making task, found that, to preserve interactional benefits, faceto-face tasks have to be modified in CMC contexts (in this case, staggering of information). Smith (2005) studied the relationship between negotiation routine complexity, degree of uptake (i.e., learner responses to corrective feedback), and acquisition of vocabulary in a chat environment.…”

Learners’ email with native speakers beyond the class: a follow-up to a classroom email project

“…In recent years, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has been adopted as one of a number of language teaching tools, with email one of the most commonly used forms. A large body of studies on second language (L2) learning via email has established that email interaction enables learners to enhance their language learning experiences (Aitsiselmi, 1999; Florez-Estrada, 1995; Ioannou-Georgiou, 1999; John & Cash, 1995; Knight, 2005; Rooks, 2008; Stockwell, 2003; Stockwell & Stockwell, 2003; Ushioda, 2000; Woodin, 1997). Email has been found to serve as a means for students to access authentic language and learn about culture (Gray & Stockwell, 1998), and Itakura and Nakajima (2001) state that email removes some of the stress associated with communicating in an L2, and provides a record from which to monitor one's own learning processes.…”