The mediation and organisation of gestures in vocabulary instructions: a microgenetic analysis of interactions in a beginning-level adult ESOL classroom

There is limited research on second language (L2) vocabulary teaching and learning which provides fine-grained descriptions of how vocabulary explanations (VE) are interactionally managed in beginning-level L2 classrooms where learners have a limited L2 repertoire, and how the VEs could contribute t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language and education 2019-09, Vol.33 (5), p.445-468
Main Authors: Tai, Kevin W. H., Khabbazbashi, Nahal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult Students
Classroom communication
Classrooms
Cognition
Cognitive Processes
Community Colleges
Conversation analysis
English (Second Language)
English Instruction
ESOL classroom interaction
Gestures
Interaction
Introductory Courses
Mediation
Microgenetic analysis
Nonverbal Communication
second language development
Second Language Learning
Second language teachers
Teacher Student Relationship
Two Year College Students
Vocabulary Development
vocabulary explanations
Vocabulary instruction
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:There is limited research on second language (L2) vocabulary teaching and learning which provides fine-grained descriptions of how vocabulary explanations (VE) are interactionally managed in beginning-level L2 classrooms where learners have a limited L2 repertoire, and how the VEs could contribute to the learners' conceptual understanding of the meaning(s) of the target vocabulary items (VIs). To address these research gaps, we used a corpus of classroom video data from a beginning-level adult ESOL classroom in the United States and applied Conversation Analysis to examine how the class teacher employs various gestural and linguistic resources to construct L2 VEs. We also conducted a 4-month microgenetic analysis to document qualitative changes in learners' understanding of the meaning of specific L2 VIs which were previously explained by the teacher. Findings revealed that the learners' use of gestures allows for an externalisation of thinking processes providing visible output for inspection by the teacher and peers. These findings can inform educators' understanding about L2 vocabulary development as a gradual process of controlling the right gestural and linguistic resources for appropriate communicative purposes.
ISSN:0950-0782
1747-7581
DOI:10.1080/09500782.2019.1596122