COLLABORATIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: SOME REFLECTIONS FROM INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PAIRS

ABSTRACT The focus of this study is on the interactions five pairs of students had in order to carry out a collaborative writing activity. The research was conducted in a language school of Goiânia, in Goiás, Brazil, with ten EFL/ESL students, in 2015. The objectives of this investigation are: a) to observe and discuss the elements that stand out during the students' interactions; and b) to investigate these learners' perceptions of the experience. This study is grounded on sociocultural theory (DONATO, 1994; HALL, 2001; VYGOTSKY, 1978) and collaborative language learning (FIGUEIREDO, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015; OXFORD, 1997). The theoretical assumptions that guide this research consider interaction and collaboration as essential elements for language learning development. This is a qualitative case study (GODOY, 2006; TELLES, 2002), and the sources used to generate the data are questionnaires, audio recordings of the students' interactions and semi-structured interviews. The elements that stand out in this investigation are related to the potentialities of dialogic interactions, which foster scaffolding, mutual support, and the promotion of learners' autonomy. In addition, the learners highlight some positive aspects they could perceive from the experience, such as each other's help and the possibility to access more ideas; as negative aspects, they point out disagreements and conflicts they had to handle during the interactions.

摘要 本研究聚焦于五组学生开展协作写作活动时的互动行为。研究于2015年在巴西戈亚斯州戈亚尼亚的一所语言学校开展，受试者为10名英语作为外语（English as a Foreign Language, EFL）/英语作为第二语言（English as a Second Language, ESL）学习者。本调查的研究目标为：a）观察并讨论学生互动过程中凸显的核心要素；b）探究学习者对本次协作写作体验的认知与看法。本研究以社会文化理论（DONATO, 1994; HALL, 2001; VYGOTSKY, 1978）与协作式语言学习理论（FIGUEIREDO, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015; OXFORD, 1997）为研究根基。本研究的理论假设将互动与协作视为语言学习发展的核心要素。本研究属于质性个案研究（GODOY, 2006; TELLES, 2002），数据采集来源包括问卷、学生互动过程的音频录音以及半结构化访谈。本调查中凸显的核心要素与对话式互动的潜能密切相关，这类互动能够支撑支架式教学、促进相互支持，并提升学习者的自主性。此外，学习者指出了本次体验中的若干积极方面，例如同伴互助以及获取更多思路的机会；而消极方面则包括互动过程中不得不处理的意见分歧与冲突。