Meaning negotiation through synchronous computer-mediated-communication (SCMC) in task-based language learning in China

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• Karen Mingfei Xu, Faculty of Education
• Wednesday 18 June 2014, 13:00-14:00
• Room 2S3, Donald McIntyre Building, Faculty of Education, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8PQ.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Lingling Xu.

Meaning negotiation is a kind of interaction frequently occurring between non-native speakers after a signal that there is a linguistic problem, which needs explicit resolution and is believed to be a key variable in L2 development. With the proliferation of computers in language learning, the proposed study investigates meaning negotiation situated in synchronous computer-mediated-communication (SCMC) contexts. The presentation will focus on the preliminary research design of the study. The proposed study will mainly investigate how learners negotiate meaning during task-based SCMC . This question is put forward based on the assumption that there may be a model of meaning negotiation in this specific kind of interaction, and if so how this model might compare with a face-to-face model of meaning negotiation put forward by Varonis and Gass (1985) and other models based on it. The second question is “Does task type have an effect on how learners negotiate meaning during SCMC ? If so, what are the influences on the quality or quantity of meaning negotiation or both?” Negotiation episodes have been shown to abound in face-to-face learner interaction especially when learners are engaged in certain types of tasks. By collecting data from different tasks, it is hoped to investigate whether meaning negotiation is task sensitive. Based on the research questions, a mixed-methods case study design will be put forward.

This talk is part of the Faculty of Education Research Students' Association (FERSA) Lunchtime Seminars 2014-2015 series.

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• Faculty of Education Research Students' Association (FERSA) Lunchtime Seminars 2014-2015
• Room 2S3, Donald McIntyre Building, Faculty of Education, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8PQ

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