Local Contingencies in L2 Tasks: A Comparison of Context-Sensitive Interactional Achievements across Two Different Task Types

Abstract

Recent research on L2 interaction and interactional competencies shows that L2 learners deploy a great diversity of interactional resources and adapt their talk to context-sensitive differences in various institutional settings. Although there is a growing interest in how these resources vary in different settings, comparative investigations into the interactional mechanisms in different contexts is scarce. With this mind, using Conversation Analysis, this study sets out to provide a snapshot of how a focal L2 learner manifests an observable diversity in task openings of a face-to-face discussion task and an online emergent information gap task. We focus on the first encounters with these two task types and settings and describe participant orientations to context-sensitive conduct on a turn-by-turn basis. The findings demonstrate differences in turn taking, allocation and design as well as in action formation, thus contributing to L2 interactional competence research based on comparative analyses of two single cases.Keywords: Conversation analysis; task-oriented interaction, L2 interactional competence, context sensitivity, task types Resumen Investigaciones recientes sobre la interacción en la L2 y las competencias interacciónales muestran que los alumnos de L2 despliegan una gran diversidad de recursos interacciónales y adaptan su conversación a diversos contextos institucionales. Aunque existe un interés creciente en cómo estos recursos varían en diferentes contextos, es escasa la investigación comparativa de los mecanismos de interacción en diferentes contextos. Es sobre estas líneas que este estudio, usando el Análisis de Conversación, se propone proporcionar una mirada de cómo un alumno de L2 manifiesta una diversidad observable en su aproximación a una tarea de discusión cara a cara y una tarea en línea. Nos enfocamos, turno por turno, en el primero encuentro del alumno con estos dos tipos de tareas y describimos las orientaciones del participante hacia una interacción sensible al contexto. Los hallazgos demuestran diferencias en la toma de turnos, la asignación, el diseño, y la implementación de sus acciones, contribuyendo así a la investigación de la competencia interaccional en la L2, basada en análisis comparativos de dos casos individuales.Palabras clave: Análisis de la conversación; interacción orientada a tareas, competencia interaccional en la L2, sensibilidad al contexto, tipología de tareas Balaman & SertBellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature. 10.3 (Aug-Sept 2017) ISSN 10 Resum Investigacions recents sobre la interacció en la L2 i les competències interaccionals mostren que els alumnes de L2 despleguen una gran diversitat de recursos interaccionals i adapten la seva conversa a diversos contextos institucionals. Encara que hi ha un interès creixent en com aquests recursos varien en diferents contextos, és escassa la investigació comparativa dels mecanismes d'interacció en diferents contextos. És sobre aquestes línies que aquest estudi, usant l'Anàlisi de Conve...

Plurilingual Classroom Practices and Participation

“…Our approach to data stems from an ethnographic and emic perspective and is based on the theoretical and methodological premises of Conversation Analysis (CA) to describe the numerous resources comprising L2 users' IC. As Balaman and Sert (2017) put it, "CA provides a complete picture of situated participant orientations mainly through the socio-analytic constructs such as turn-taking, sequence organisation, preference organisation, and repair" and enables the researcher to determine how speakers demonstrate they understand each other in the "context-shaped and context-renewing" (Heritage, 1984) character of any interaction. Through these data we focus on the impact this project has had on the L2 interactive competence of the participating secondary school students and the resources they mobilised to achieve an effective communication in ELF when interacting with peers with a different L1.…”

Second language interactional competence and its development: An overview of conversation analytic research on interactional change over time

“…Although this is a general analytical issue pertinent to all comparisons in CA (cf. Balaman & Sert, ; Wagner, Pekarek Doehler, & González‐Martínez, ; Zimmerman, ), with L2 speakers, this issue may be even more challenging, as L2 speakers' practices for accomplishing particular actions may undergo quite rapid changes. We believe that researchers should attend to these methodological challenges by maintaining a narrow focus and being informed by methodologically more convincing studies in the growing body of literature (Nguyen, ).…”

“…González‐Lloret, , ; Tudini & Liddicoat, , for reviews of CA research on computer‐mediated communication and computer‐assisted language learning). However, video‐based online interaction (Balaman & Sert, ; Nguyen, ; Nguyen & Langevin, ) has only recently been investigated with reference to the development of L2 ICs (Balaman, ; ; Balaman & Sert, , ; Sert & Balaman, ). Balaman and Sert's research has unpacked the interactional mechanisms of a rather under‐studied setting (i.e., an online task‐oriented L2 interactional setting), paved the way for further investigations of context‐specific differences in L2 IC and opened new avenues for the conceptualization of online L2 IC.…”

Exploring L2 learners' Task-related Identities in a Reading Circle Task Through Conversation Analysis

“…In response to such calls, there has been a growing body of research examining tasks in process (e.g., Balaman & Sert, 2017a, 2017bHauser, 2009Hauser, , 2013Hellerman & Cole, 2009;Jenk, 2007Jenk, , 2009Kasper, 2004, Markee & Kunitz, 2013Mori, 200;Ro, 2018). Conversation analysis (CA) is the common framework that was used in those studies.…”

“…Task interaction is a type of institutional interaction (Arminen, 2005;Heritage & Claymen, 2010) where learners frequently have mutual goals to achieve, and the task interaction is often locally adjusted to fit the institutional context. Seedhouse (1996Seedhouse ( , 2004Seedhouse ( , 2009 proposed three "interactional properties" that constitute the uniqueness of goals of the L2 classroom interaction which are "(1) language is both the vehicle and object of instruction; (2) the linguistic forms and patterns of interaction which the learners produce in the L2 will inevitably be linked in some way to the pedagogical purposes which the teacher introduces; and (3) the linguistic forms and patterns of interaction which the learners produce are subject to evaluation by the teacher in some way" (Seedhouse, 1996, p.109).…”