Peer interaction, mediation, and a view of teachers as creators of learner L2 development

Abstract

SLA researchers in a variety of theoretical traditions have argued that interaction is essential to supporting learner L2 (second/foreign language) development. While L2 research informed by sociocultural theory has generally examined either peer-to-peer or teacher–learner interactions, the present study investigated how these may function together to form a mediating classroom environment. Drawing on examples from a collaborative project with a university teacher of L2 Japanese writing, we illustrate that while the quality of peer interactions may differ from teacher mediation, learner collaborative efforts allow them opportunities to collectively uncover partial understanding and synthesize their knowledge, positioning them to benefit from subsequent interactions with the teacher while also helping orient the teacher to areas of learner difficulty.