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In:Usage-based Perspectives on Language and Language Acquisition: In honour of Heike Behrens
Edited by Karin Madlener-Charpentier, Marjolijn H. Verspoor, Mirjam Weder and Annelies Häcki Buhofer
[Trends in Language Acquisition Research 35] 2026
► pp. 272–303

Chapter 10
A longitudinal dynamic usage-based study on peer interaction at an Indonesian pesantren

Authors
 | Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto
 | University of Pannonia
 | University of Zurich
 | University of Pannonia
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
Taking a dynamic usage-based perspective (Verspoor & Behrens, 2011), this study explores the written English as a foreign language (EFL) development of adolescent learners in their first two years at a pesantren, a commonly found Indonesian Islamic boarding school in which English learning is promoted especially through extensive peer interaction. Usage-based approaches posit that languages are acquired through meaningful exposure and interaction. Research in second language acquisition has demonstrated that peer interaction can facilitate foreign language (FL) development, particularly when learners provide corrective feedback to one another (see Loewen & Sato, 2018). However, it remains unclear what occurs when FL learners primarily interact with each other, with minimal meaningful input from expert language users. Using qualitative analyses and generalized additive mixed modelling (GAMM), we found that (1) students rarely use corrective feedback, (2) prior knowledge of English makes a significant difference in EFL growth, (3) a discernible effect on EFL learning can be observed in year 1, whereas in the subsequent year, minimal to negligible progress is noted, and (4) the texts contained various non-target-like forms, especially L1 forms and constructions.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The pesantren EFL learning context
  • 3.Peer interaction
  • 4.A DUB perspective
  • 5.This study
  • 6.Method
    • 6.1Participants
    • 6.2Initial conditions as predictor variables
    • 6.3Interaction data
    • 6.4Writing data
    • 6.5Data coding and scoring
      • 6.5.1Coding of corrective feedback in interaction data
      • 6.5.2Assessment of learner texts
      • 6.5.3Coding for non-target language features
    • 6.6Quantitative analysis of development over time
  • 7.Results
    • 7.1To what extent do the pesantren learners use corrective feedback in their peer interaction (RQ1)?
    • 7.2To what extent is written EFL development dependent on initial conditions such as motivation, multilingualism, prior knowledge of English, and aptitude (RQ2)?
    • 7.3When do we find periods of significant growth in the L2 developmental patterns of different proficiency/age groups (RQ3)?
    • 7.4Do the written texts show signs of an error-laden classroom pidgin (RQ 4)?
  • 8.Discussion
  • 9.Conclusion and implications
  • 10.Limitations
  • Notes
  • References
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