ESL and multimedia: A study of the dynamics of paired student discourse

This study examines the interactions of pairs of language students working with multimedia and discusses how configuration constraints and the unique character of language use of non-native speakers become relevant for teachers and software designers who wish to pair language learners at the computer.

Abstract

This study examines the interactions of pairs of language students working with multimedia. Six pairs of students of English as a second language were videotaped while working with the instructional system. Transcripts are coded by type and target of participant utterances. A framework for analyzing the interactional dynamic incorporates the ways in which the configuration is likely to shape exchanges given a number of constraints likely to affect conversation. Patterns of discourse on the part of paired subjects were first analyzed within this framework and effects of the identified contraints were observed in the data. Non-native speaker discourse was then compared to native speaker discourse with the identical computer-centered task. Implications are drawn from both the analysis of discourse patterns in light of the configuration constraints, and from discourse elements that occur in the native speaker trial but not in non-native sessions. Discussion centers on how configuration constraints and the unique character of language use of non-native speakers become relevant for teachers and software designers who wish to pair language learners at the computer.