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Interaction and Second Language Development
A Vygotskian perspective
This volume addresses the role of communicative interaction in driving various dimensions of second language development from the perspective of Vygotskian sociocultural psychology. Emphasizing the dialectical relationship between the external-social world and individual mental functioning, the chapters delve into a wide range of topics illustrating how the social and the individual are united in interaction. Themes include psychological and human mediation, joint action, negotiation for meaning, the role of first language use, embodied and nonverbal behaviors, and interactional competencies. Theoretical discussions and key concepts are reinforced and illustrated with detailed qualitative analyses of interaction in a variety of second language contexts. Each chapter also includes pedagogical recommendations. Supplemental materials or ‘data sessions’ that engage the readers with the themes presented in the book through sample analytic exercises are included, while videos have been made available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/lllt.44.video.
[Language Learning & Language Teaching, 44] 2015. xi, 215 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 14 December 2015
Published online on 14 December 2015
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements | pp. ix–x
- Transcription conventions | pp. xi–xii
- Chapter 1. Introduction | pp. 1–8
- Chapter 2. Key concepts and theoretical considerations | pp. 9–34
- Chapter 3. Communicative interaction as a source and driver of development | pp. 35–62
- Chapter 4. L2 Interaction and negotiation for meaning | pp. 63–88
- Chapter 5. The role of L1 interaction in L2 development | pp. 89–112
- Chapter 6. Participation and active reception | pp. 113–140
- Chapter 7. Diagnosis-through-intervention: Dynamic assessment | pp. 141–170
- Chapter 8. The mediational nature of interactional competence | pp. 171–196
- Chapter 9. Conclusion | pp. 197–204
- References
- Index | p. 215
“The monograph makes an important contribution to educational praxis (unity of theory and practice) grounded in principles of Vygotskian psychology. Through use of Conversation Analysis, van Compernolle is able to document at a microgenetic level how mediation provided by conceptual knowledge of the target language and teacher sensitivity to a learner’s Zone of Proximal Development promote the growth of second language ability.”
James P. Lantolf, The Pennsylvania State University
“This book makes an important and original contribution to our understanding of the role of interaction in L2 development. Using a sociocultural theoretical framework and data extracts from L2 classrooms, the author uncovers the mechanisms by which L2 development occurs and explains in an accessible and reader-friendly way how collaborative co-construction is central to the process. Interaction and L2 Development: A Vygotskian Perspective will become a core reference for researchers and students interested in the process of language learning in formal settings.”
Steve Walsh, Newcastle University
“Interaction and Second Language Development: A Vygotskian Perspective provides a comprehensive and accessible synthesis of sociocultural approaches to understanding instructional interaction and the genesis of second language development. Throughout the book, van Compernolle presents clearly defined and well-illustrated concepts of the major tenets of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory using numerous examples of co-produced mediation during jointly constructed talk-in-interaction. Theoretical discussion and analyses are complemented by pedagogical implications and recommendations that re-conceptualize the object of language learning, the meaning of linguistic and cultural competency, and the purposes and consequences of classroom interactional practices. I highly recommend this book for those wanting a robust understanding of what it means to conduct sociocultural research on the role of interaction and second language learning and development.”
Richard Donato, University of Pittsburgh
video
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