Cover not available

In:Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda
Edited by Masatoshi Sato and Susan Ballinger
[Language Learning & Language Teaching 45] 2016
► pp. 33–61

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
authorization required

1. Peer interaction and learning

A focus on the silent learner

ORCiD logo with link
Published online: 10 March 2016
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.45.02fer
This chapter investigated whether all learners benefitted from the lexical language-related episodes (LREs) produced in small group interaction, even when acting as silent observers of their peers’ collaborative work. Using a pretest-posttest design, evidence was obtained confirming that silent learners did benefit from LREs. In fact, they were almost as likely to gain new knowledge as those learners who triggered the episodes. These findings indicate that silent learners were as actively engaged with the vocabulary being discussed in the LREs as their speaking peers. Other factors, such as the length of the episode and the amount of negotiation and repetition, seemed to have a stronger influence on learning than the actual opportunities to speak. The pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
References (48)
Alegría de la Colina, A., & García Mayo, M.P. (2007). Attention to form across collaborative tasks by low proficiency learners in an EFL setting. In M.P. Garca Mayo (Ed.), Investigating tasks in formal language learning (pp. 91–116). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Allwright, R. (1980). Turns, topics and tasks: Patterns of participation in language teaching and learning. In D. Larsen-Freeman (Ed.), Discourse analysis in second language research (pp. 165–187). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Antón, M., & DiCamilla, F. (1998). Socio-cognitive functions of L1 collaborative interaction in the L2 classroom. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 54, 314–342. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Choi, H., & Iwashita, N. (2016). Interactional behaviours of low-proficiency learners in small group work. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 113–134). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Donato, R. (1994). Collective scaffolding in second language learning. In J.P. Lantolf, & G. Appel (Eds.), Vygotskian approaches to second language research (pp. 33–56). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ellis, R., Tanaka, Y., & Yamazaki, A. (1994). Classroom interaction, comprehension, and L2 vocabulary acquisition. Language Learning, 44, 449–491. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fernández Dobao, A. (2012). Collaborative writing tasks in the L2 classroom: Comparing group, pair, and individual work. Journal of Second Language Writing, 21, 40–58. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2014a). Attention to form in collaborative writing tasks: Comparing pair and small group interaction. Canadian Modern Language Review, 14, 158–187. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2014b). Vocabulary learning in collaborative tasks: A comparison of pair and small group work. Language Teaching Research. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fernández Dobao, A., & Blum, A. (2013). Collaborative writing in pairs and small groups: Learners’ attitudes and perceptions. System, 41, 365–378. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Foster, P., & Ohta, A. (2005). Negotiation for meaning and peer assistance in second language classrooms. Applied Linguistics, 26, 402–430. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
García Mayo, M.P. (2002). The effectiveness of two form-focused tasks in advanced EFL pedagogy. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12, 156–175. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Guerrero, M.C.M. de (2005). Inner speech - L2: Thinking words in a second language. New York, NY: Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, Y. (2008). The contribution of collaborative and individual tasks to the acquisition of L2 vocabulary. The Modern Language Journal, 92, 114–130. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, Y., & McDonough, K. (2008). The effect of interlocutor proficiency on the collaborative dialogue between Korean as a second language learners. Language Teaching Research, 12, 211–234. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lapkin, S., Swain, M., & Smith, M. (2002). Reformulation and the learning of French pronominal verbs in a Canadian French immersion context. The Modern Language Journal, 86, 485–507. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lasito, & Storch, N. (2013). Comparing pair and small group interactions on oral tasks. RELC Journal, 44, 361–375. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leeser, M.J. (2004). Learner proficiency and focus on form during collaborative dialogue. Language Teaching Research, 8, 55–81. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ohta, A.S. (2000). Rethinking interaction in SLA: Developmentally appropriate assistance in the zone of proximal development and the acquisition of L2 grammar. In J.P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 51–78). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2001). Second language acquisition processes in the classroom: Learning Japanese. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Philp, J., & Iwashita, N. (2013). Talking, tuning in and noticing: Exploring the benefits of output in task-based peer interaction. Language Awareness, 22, 353–370. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rouhshad, A., & Storch, N. (2016). A focus on mode: Patterns of interaction in face-to-face and computer-mediated contexts. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 267–289). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sato, M., & Ballinger, S. (2012). Raising language awareness in peer interaction: A cross-context, cross-methodology examination. Language Awareness, 21, 157–179. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2016). Understanding peer interaction: Research synthesis and directions. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 1–30). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saville-Troike, M. (1988). Private speech: Evidence for second language learning strategies during the ‘silent’ period. Child Language, 15, 567–590. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shekary, M., & Tahririan, M. (2006). Negotiation of meaning and noticing in text-based online chat. The Modern Language Journal, 90, 557–573. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Slimani, A. (1989). The role of topicalisation in classroom language learning. System, 17, 223–234. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Storch, N. (2001a). Comparing ESL learners’ attention to grammar on three different classroom tasks. RELC Journal, 32, 104–124. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2001b). How collaborative is pair work? ESL tertiary students composing in pairs. Language Teaching Research, 5, 29–53. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2002). Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work. Language Learning, 52, 119–158. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2004). Using activity theory to explain differences in patterns of dyadic interactions in an ESL class. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 60, 457–480. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2008). Metatalk in a pair work activity: Level of engagement and implications for language development. Language Awareness, 17, 95–114. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2013). Collaborative writing in L2 classrooms. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Storch, N., & Aldosari, A. (2013). Pairing learners in pair work activity. Language Teaching Research, 17, 31–48. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Storch, N., & Wigglesworth, G. (2010). Learners’ processing, uptake, and retention of corrective feedback on writing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32, 303–334. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond. In J.P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2006). Languaging, agency and collaboration in advanced language proficiency. In H. Byrnes (Ed.), Advanced language learning: The contribution of Halliday and Vygotsky (pp. 95–108). New York, NY: Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Swain, M., Kinnear, P., & Steinman, L. (2011). Sociocultural theory in second language education: An introduction through narratives. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (1998). Interaction and second language learning: Two adolescent French immersion students working together. The Modern Language Journal, 82, 320–337. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2001). Focus on form through collaborative dialogue: Exploring task effects. In M. Bygate, P. Skehan, & M. Swain (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks: Second language learning, teaching and testing (pp. 99–118). London: Longman.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2002). Talking it through: Two French immersion learners’ response to reformulation. International Journal of Educational Research, 37, 285–304. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Watanabe, Y., & Swain, M. (2007). Effects of proficiency differences and patterns of pair interaction on second language learning: Collaborative dialogue between adult ESL learners. Language Teaching Research, 11, 121–142. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2012). Feedback and writing development through collaboration: A socio-cultural approach. In R. Manchón (Ed.), L2 writing development: Multiple perspectives (pp. 69–100). Boston, MA: de Gruyter Mouton.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Williams, J. (1999). Learner-generated attention to form. Language Learning, 49, 583–625. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2001). The effectiveness of spontaneous attention to form. System, 29, 325–340. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yilmaz, Y. (2011). Task effects on focus on form in synchronous computer-mediated communication. The Modern Language Journal, 95, 115–132. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Young, A., & Tedick, D.J. (2016). Collaborative dialogue in a two-way Spanish/English immersion classroom: Does heterogeneous grouping promote peer linguistic scaffolding? In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 135–160). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zeng, G., & Takatsuka, S. (2009). Text-based peer-peer collaborative dialogue in a computer-mediated learning environment in the EFL context. System, 37, 434–446. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (38)

Cited by 38 other publications

Hidden, Marie-Odile
2025. Apports et défis de la collaboration lors d’une tâche de reformulation à l’écrit en FLE. Le français aujourd'hui n° 229:2 ► pp. 95 ff. DOI logo
Kessler, Matt
2025. Replication research in L2 collaborative writing: Replications of Fernández Dobao (2012) and Bikowski and Vithanage (2016). Language Teaching 58:2 ► pp. 274 ff. DOI logo
Peng, Carrie Xin & Neomy Storch
2025. From receiving to engaging: Collaborative oral languaging of teacher versus peer feedback by secondary school EFL learners. The Modern Language Journal DOI logo
Shoecraft, Kelly
2025. Bilingual Education in an Australian Context: Exploring Children’s Perceptions and Language Use in an Innovative Curriculum Project. In Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Language Education [Multilingual Education, 49], ► pp. 87 ff. DOI logo
Suzuki, Noriko
2025. The effect of task modality on the production of language-related episodes and learning of form. Language Awareness ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Aksoy-Pekacar, Kadriye
2024. Task-related collaborative behaviours in task-based oral peer interactions. The Language Learning Journal 52:4 ► pp. 397 ff. DOI logo
Añana, Ella Love A., Jairah Jean M. Javier & Jonel Mark D. Sarno
2024. AWARENESS ON OF THE BARANGAY JUSTICE SYSTEMAND ITS RELATIVITY CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS OF LUPONG TAGAPAMAYAPA IN STA. MARIA,DAVAO OCCIDENTAL, PHILIPPINES. International Journal of Legal Studies ( IJOLS ) 17:1 ► pp. 113 ff. DOI logo
Kirchhoff, Natalie & Raúl Dávila-Romero
2024. Diferencias individuales que afectan la interacción en el aula de alemán como lengua extranjera. European Public & Social Innovation Review 9 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Kirchhoff, Natalie & Raúl Dávila-Romero
2025. Diferencias individuales que afectan la interacción en el aula de alemán como lengua extranjera. European Public & Social Innovation Review 10 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Pais Marden, Mariolina & Jan Herrington
2024. The scaffolding role of native speaker mentors in an online community of foreign language learners. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning 32:4 ► pp. 419 ff. DOI logo
Saeid, Sana Fatah
2024. Using Peer Interaction to Improve Listening and Speaking Skills in Secondary EFL Context. Journal of Philology and Educational Sciences 3:2 ► pp. 23 ff. DOI logo
赵, 昆鹏
2024. Facilitating the Localization of Chinese Language Teaching in Australia: Translanguaging and Funds of Knowledge Lens. Creative Education Studies 12:08 ► pp. 385 ff. DOI logo
Almalki, Hanan & Neomy Storch
2023. Online collaborative L2 writing. In L2 Collaborative Writing in Diverse Learning Contexts [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 59], ► pp. 130 ff. DOI logo
Pleines, Christine & Qian Kan
2023. Exploring the use of tutorial recordings for beginner distance learners of Chinese. Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning 3:1 ► pp. 70 ff. DOI logo
Storch, Neomy
2023. Collaborative Writing as a Pedagogical Technique. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Tajabadi, Azar, Moussa Ahmadian, Hamidreza Dowlatabadi & Hooshang Yazdani
2023. EFL learners’ peer negotiated feedback, revision outcomes, and short-term writing development: The effect of patterns of interaction. Language Teaching Research 27:3 ► pp. 689 ff. DOI logo
Tosun, Sibel & Nuray Alagözlü
2023. THE EFFECT OF INTERACTIONAL STRATEGY TRAINING ON PEER COLLABORATION AND INTERACTION PATTERNS. Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 33:2 ► pp. 701 ff. DOI logo
Tavakol, Mahbube, Mansoor Tavakoli & Saeed Ketabi
2022. The impact of linguistic background on the nature of classroom dyadic interactions: evidence from L2 and L3 learners of English as a foreign language. International Multilingual Research Journal 16:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Castañeda, Daniel A.
2021. Improving conversational interactions with task-based activities in a Spanish as a second language class. Computer Assisted Language Learning 34:8 ► pp. 1154 ff. DOI logo
Feng, Ruiling, Kyunghee Pyun, Wenzhong Zhang & Rafael Márquez Flores
2021. When Different Language Groups Meet Online: Covert and Overt Focus on Form in Text-Based Chats. Frontiers in Psychology 12 DOI logo
Peace, Meghann M.
2021. Noticing without negotiation?: What L2 Spanish learners report hearing in peer-produced language . International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 59:4 ► pp. 491 ff. DOI logo
Sato, Masatoshi & Claudia Dussuel Lam
2021. Metacognitive instruction with young learners: A case of willingness to communicate, L2 use, and metacognition of oral communication. Language Teaching Research 25:6 ► pp. 899 ff. DOI logo
Calzada, Asier & María del Pilar García Mayo
2020. Child EFL grammar learning through a collaborative writing task. In Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 55], ► pp. 19 ff. DOI logo
Calzada, Asier & María del Pilar García Mayo
2021. Effects of proficiency and collaborative work on child EFL individual dictogloss writing. Language Teaching for Young Learners 3:2 ► pp. 246 ff. DOI logo
Fernández-Dobao, Ana
2020. Exploring interaction between heritage and second language learners in the Spanish language classroom. In Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 55], ► pp. 91 ff. DOI logo
Kim, Youn-hee
2020. Willingness to engage: the importance of what learners bring to pair work. Language Awareness 29:2 ► pp. 134 ff. DOI logo
Storch, Neomy & Ali Alshuraidah
2020. Languaging when providing and processing peer feedback. In Languaging in Language Learning and Teaching [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 55], ► pp. 111 ff. DOI logo
Swain, Merrill & Yuko Watanabe
2019. Languaging: Collaborative Dialogue as a Source of Second Language Learning. In The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Sydorenko, Tetyana, John Hellermann, Steven L. Thorne & Vanessa Howe
2019. Mobile Augmented Reality and Language‐Related Episodes. TESOL Quarterly 53:3 ► pp. 712 ff. DOI logo
Bernstein, Katie A.
2018. The Perks of Being Peripheral: English Learning and Participation in a Preschool Classroom Network of Practice. TESOL Quarterly 52:4 ► pp. 798 ff. DOI logo
Loewen, Shawn & Masatoshi Sato
2018. Interaction and instructed second language acquisition. Language Teaching 51:3 ► pp. 285 ff. DOI logo
Peeters, Ward
2018. Applying the networking power of Web 2.0 to the foreign language classroom: a taxonomy of the online peer interaction process. Computer Assisted Language Learning 31:8 ► pp. 905 ff. DOI logo
Peeters, Ward
2019. The peer interaction process on Facebook: a social network analysis of learners’ online conversations. Education and Information Technologies 24:5 ► pp. 3177 ff. DOI logo
Sato, Masatoshi
2017. Interaction Mindsets, Interactional Behaviors, and L2 Development: An Affective‐Social‐Cognitive Model. Language Learning 67:2 ► pp. 249 ff. DOI logo
Chen, Wenxue
2016. The effect of conversation engagement on L2 learning opportunities. ELT Journal ► pp. ccw075 ff. DOI logo
Philp, Jenefer
2016. New pathways in researching interaction. In Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 45], ► pp. 377 ff. DOI logo
Philp, Jenefer & Susan Duchesne
2016. Exploring Engagement in Tasks in the Language Classroom. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 36 ► pp. 50 ff. DOI logo
Young, Amy I. & Diane J. Tedick
2016. 5. Collaborative dialogue in a two-way Spanish/English immersion classroom. In Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning [Language Learning & Language Teaching, 45], ► pp. 135 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 26 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue