Levels of Engagement in Task-based Synchronous Computer Mediated Interaction

Abstract

Investigating task-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) interaction has increasingly received scholarly attention. However, studies have focused on negotiation of meaning and the quantity, focus and resolution of language related episodes (LREs). This study aims to broaden our understanding of the role of audio, video, and text SCMC conditions by additionally examining second language (L2) learners’ levels of engagement during the production of LREs as a result of interactive real-world tasks. We tested 52 dyads of L2 Spanish intermediate learners who completed a decision- making/writing task. Our main analysis revealed that dyads in the audio SCMC condition engaged in more limited LREs vis-à-vis the text SCMC group, and audio SCMC dyads also showed a trend of engaging more in elaborate LREs. The findings imply that interactive SCMC conditions can place differential demands on L2 learners, which has an effect on the ways in which L2 learners address LREs during task-based interaction.

Modified output and metalanguage during conversational interaction: A qualitative look at interactional feedback

“…More recently, other studies researching interactions and LREs have incorporated audio (Bueno-Alastuey, 2011, 2013Yanguas, 2012), and only very recently, a few of them have also included video interactions (Akiyama, 2014;Akiyama & Saito, 2016;Monteiro, 2014;Saito & Akiyama, 2017;Strawbridge, 2021;Van der Zwaard & Bannink, 2014Yanguas & Bergin, 2018). Several of these studies are still aimed at comparing the specificities of these settings for the affordances they bring to focus on form in otherwise meaning-related tasks or interactions, either between FTF and audio-and video-based SCMC (Bueno-Alastuey, 2011;Loewen & Isbell, 2017;Yanguas, 2010), or between text-based and audio-based SCMC ( Van der Zwaard & Bannink, 2014;Torres & Yanguas, 2021;Yanguas, 2010Yanguas, , 2012. Yanguas (2010 and2012) made a three-way comparison between FTF, video-and audio-SCMC task-based interactions and found that turn-taking in FTF and video-based SCMC were very similar and both differed from the interactional patterns found in audio-based SCMC.…”

“…Yanguas (2010 and2012) made a three-way comparison between FTF, video-and audio-SCMC task-based interactions and found that turn-taking in FTF and video-based SCMC were very similar and both differed from the interactional patterns found in audio-based SCMC. Audio-based interactions lacked visual cues which translated into a higher number of negotiation turns and longer-term comprehension gains regarding vocabulary acquisition (Yanguas, 2012) and increased learner engagement (Torres & Yanguas, 2021). Bueno-Alastuey (2011) found that the audio-SCMC group outperformed the FTF one in post-test scores and task achievement.…”