Creating better pairwork: Salient cultural variables in adult TESOL classroom interaction

<p>This study investigated the salient cultural variables in play in an adult TESOL classroom. Two instructors paired students and offered their rationales for having done so. They created 71 dyads, which were examined and categorized according to Storch's four patterns of interaction. Results showed that the instructor who created pairs according to certain student cultural variables had a 12% higher rate of acquisition-enhancing patterns than did the instructor who did not pair in this same fashion. Instructor rationales were then analyzed to determine which cultural variables were found to be most salient in the creation of each of the four interaction patterns. Among them were issues of facework, trust, cultural norm remaking, and role ascription or achievement. By extension, the findings showed that using cultural variables when pairing learners in the TESOL classroom might significantly enhance second language acquisition.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

International Studies

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Weaver, Jennifer D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kent Warren

• English as a Second Language
• Multicultural Education
• Communication
• Communication and the arts
• Education
• Classroom culture
• Interactions
• Intercultural
• Pairwork
• TESOL
• International and Area Studies
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Identifier

9781321698435

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarlycommons.pacific.edu:uop_etds-1246