27.4149, Review: App Ling; Language Acq; Socioling: van Compernolle (2015)

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Subject: 27.4149, Review: App Ling; Language Acq; Socioling: van Compernolle (2015)

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Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2016 10:13:52
From: Joshua Pope [joshua.pope at doane.edu]
Subject: Interaction and Second Language Development

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/27/27-320.html

AUTHOR: Rémi A. van  Compernolle
TITLE: Interaction and Second Language Development
SUBTITLE: A Vygotskian perspective
SERIES TITLE: Language Learning & Language Teaching 44
PUBLISHER: John Benjamins
YEAR: 2015

REVIEWER: Joshua Pope, Doane College

Reviews Editor: Robert A. Cote

SUMMARY

The primary goal of this book, “Interaction and Second Language Development: A
Vygotskian Perspective” by Rémi A. van Compernolle, is to fill a research gap
that considers comprehensively the role of interaction in L2 development under
a sociocultural theory (SCT) perspective.

The author begins demonstrating this research gap in Chapter 1,
“Introduction,” by providing a brief history regarding how interaction has
been viewed in other theoretical frameworks. This summary includes the
interactionist tradition (e.g., Long, 1981; Swain, 1985; Gass & Varonis,
1985), which began to focus on the importance of comprehensible input and
pushed output in negotiation of meaning and in linguistic development.
Research under this tradition maintained the mind/brain as the locus of L2
development. Next, the author summarizes socio-interactive perspectives, which
placed increased weight on co-constructed cognition and the locus of learning
in social interaction. Within SCT, interaction considers both sides as “higher
psychological process(es) are mediated by culturally constructed artifacts or
mediational means” (van Compernolle, 2015, p. 6).

Chapter 2, “Key Concepts and Theoretical Considerations,” introduces key
concepts and theoretical considerations as they pertain to SCT
(internalization via mediation, concept of the zone of proximal development
(ZPD), necessity for emic perspective in data analysis). Mediation in L2
learning occurs when an expert (teacher, tutor, NS, etc.) provides some
assistance that triggers a change in behavior in a novice. This support can
take shape as a gesture, gaze or request for repetition. Internalization is
the “link between the socio-external (culture) and the individual-internal
(psychology)” (p. 17). What is internalized transforms psychological
functioning and is transformed by psychological functioning (Zinchenko, 2002).
After presenting these key concepts, the author discusses the utility of
Conversation Analysis as a key convention in transcription and analysis of
data under the SCT. It allows for an emic perspective that grounds observation
in evidence rather than supposition (ten Have, 2007). Nonverbal communication,
in addition to language, is integrated into transcription because gestures,
gazes, pauses, etc. provide important meaning of what is communicated in a
conversation.  

Chapter 3, “Communicative Interaction as a Source and Driver of Development,”
focuses on communicative interaction as a driving force behind the development
of communicative skills and metalinguistic knowledge. In situations of both
types of development, interaction is a joint activity with all parties having
agency. The interaction creates a co-created context in which some type of
assistance occurs. The learner signals a need, which the expert perceives and
provides help to the novice. Under SCT, it is important to note that this help
is mediation, the support in the appropriation of a concept, not help with
task completion. Van Compernolle provides numerous examples showing how
development occurs within interactions. For example, a learner makes a
conjugation error that is signaled by the tutor. Evidence indicates she has
previous knowledge of this rule. She self-corrects and does not make the error
later. Learners are also shown to imitate expert speech they hear. This is not
mindless repeating. Instead, it is a conscious consideration of learner
communicative goals and adapting the L2 forms received in input to achieve the
goals. This is evidenced by appropriate shifting of second-person verb forms
to first-person. The author then provides examples of how interaction can
mediate metalinguistic knowledge as well, both at the peer-peer level and at
the teacher-student level. 

Chapter 4, “L2 Interaction and Negotiation for Meaning,” summarizes L2
interaction and negotiation of meaning from the perspective of SCT. The author
reminds that this perspective differs from the interactionist tradition in
that it takes place beyond the individual’s mind/brain, in the social,
mediated joint activity. Successful development through negotiation of meaning
leads to understanding the appropriateness and relevance of L2 forms and
vocabulary. He focuses on three central themes: co-regulation, mediation
sequences and incidental microgenesis. Co-regulation means that all
interlocutors in an interaction can regulate the behaviors of the others. For
instance, teachers and students can initiate negotiation of meaning in order
to re-establish intersubjectivity or mutual understanding. Studying mediation
sequences allows for developmental tracking, particularly when considering if
they are initiated and resolved by the student or the teacher. Increasingly
implicit support by the teacher may be evidence of learner development and
increasing independence. Finally, incidental microgenesis is the quick process
of internalization without overt or intentional instruction. Van Compernolle
concludes the chapter with pedagogical implications that include the
recommendation that teachers be aware of students’ signals that they need
support and that they use aspects of speech delivery (i.e., prosodic cues) to
highlight the desired model.

The use of L1 interaction in L2 development is the subject of Chapter 5, “The
Role of L1 Interaction in L2 Development.” A central theme of this chapter is
that using a learner’s L1 may be optimal at times when providing assistance
(e.g., translations, metalinguistic explanations) most efficiently. This L1
use mediates the L2 development and allows for quick returns to the L2
communicative activities. Using Swain’s (2000) term, L1 collaborative
dialogue, or knowledge building dialogue, mediates L2 learning and
development. Such L1 use can be heard in learners’ private speech as they use
it to mediate their problem solving. Teachers may find it beneficial to use
learners’ L1 in concept-based instruction, which promotes the internalization
of knowledge that can mediate L2 use. 

The main focus in Chapter 6, “Participation and Active Reception,” is on SCT’s
perspective of active participation, broadly defined as any way in which
people engage in socioculturally mediated activity. This includes receptive
participation, called active reception. This differs from interactionist
perspectives in which reception is considered passive. Instead, learners are
seen as being actively engaged in hearing and paying attention. Active
reception is evidenced by gestures, eye gazes and body posture. For instance,
van Compernolle presents an example of a participant who was silent during a
group activity. She, however, was following the interaction with her gaze and
was ultimately able to contribute in a key manner. Also important in
participation under SCT is the concept of footing or participant roles
(Goffman, 1981), revised as interactive footing (Goodwin, 2007). This means
that participants’ roles are created within the interaction and change
according to the context. For example, a student is the animator/speaker when
telling a story in their L2 but becomes an addressed recipient when the tutor
provides linguistic feedback. 

Chapter 7, “Diagnosis-through-intervention: Dynamic Assessment,” presents
dynamic assessment, which is used to evaluate learners’ internalized abilities
and what they can do with mediation. It also aims to determine how learners
respond to such instructional support, thus demonstrating their emerging
abilities. In a typical example, the mediator notices an issue that requires
support, provides said support, and allows the learner to resolve the problem.
In a communicative task, the mediator acts as an assessor-teacher and as a
communicative partner. They must read the learner’s behavior and shift
orientations accordingly. Within a language task, the principle engagement is
between the learner and the activity while the mediator intervenes when
necessary (i.e., help direct to a certain part of a text). Related, the author
identifies two different orientations, collaborative frame and cooperative
frame, that mediators can enact and shift between, depending on the needs of
the learner. Under a collaborative frame, the mediation is task based, such as
narrowing down a text so that the learner can find the answer on their own.
Cooperative frame takes the focus out of the task and onto learner
development. An example given by the author takes an interaction away from a
text and into support regarding French pronouns. Within dynamic assessment,
there is always a unity between these two important frames. The title of the
chapter, “Diagnosis-through-intervention,” demonstrates that assessment and
teaching are not mutually exclusive.  

The mediational nature of interactional competence is the topic of Chapter 8,
“The Mediational Nature of Interactional Competence.” In this chapter, van
Compernolle begins by presenting dimensions of interactional competence: (1)
topic management, (2) action sequencing, (3) participant frameworks, or the
adoption and ratification of roles, (4) turn-taking and (5) register (Rine,
2009). Such competencies are important in language learning because they can
mediate development. L2 development depends on the mediator’s and the
learner’s interactional competencies in recognizing optimal times to mediate
learning and the targets of mediation. Conversely, L2 development can also
mediate interactional competence since learners’ linguistic repertoires grow,
allowing them additional resources for interaction.

The concluding chapter reiterates that cognitivist-interactionist and
socio-interactionist perspectives do not paint the entire picture of the role
of interaction in L2 development. SCT, on the other hand, does because it
recognizes that communicative interaction drives L2 development, uniting the
external (social) plane with the internal (psychological) plane. The author
concludes by presenting research gaps (e.g., further investigation needed on
the roles of imitation, gestures, etc., have in internalization) and by
summing up some pedagogical implications, including calling on educators to
mediate internalization through interaction and facilitating opportunities for
learners to co-construct joint activity. 

EVALUATION

Van Compernolle sets out to fill a research gap regarding the role of
interaction in L2 development within the SCT perspective. This is effectively
accomplished by first providing background information and key SCT concepts.
The fact that each subsequent chapter focuses on different aspects of
interaction and its mediation of L2 allows for ease in following arguments.
Ample examples that effectively illustrate the author’s main points are also
included in appropriate places. 

A principle goal of this book is to allow readers an understanding of the
roles interaction plays in L2 development within SCT. In particular, much
space is dedicated to how communicative interaction, in either the learner’s
L1 or L2, mediates L2 development. Additionally, such interaction is a joint
activity, co-created by the interlocutors. The author’s emphasis on these
concepts is well placed as they are key to understanding the Vygotskian
perspective. 

The data and discussion presented by the author is well situated within the
field of SLA. Much of Chapter 1 is used to situate SCT’s perspective on
interaction in comparison to other frameworks. Van Compernolle manages to use
the book as a synthesis of relevant SCT research, primarily through his own
work and work that he has carried out with his co-authors.

The book was clearly written for a mix of audiences. Researchers who work
under any research framework can use this book as a tool to understand how
interaction drives L2 development under the SCT perspective. Students who are
studying SLA and applied linguistics form a particular intended audience,
especially given that Chapters 2-8 end with an activity. Each activity
presents a data set (many of which are paired with an online video) that
requires some form of analysis suggested by the author. There are also
discussion questions. These activities help researchers-in-training to
internalize concepts and methods presented by the author.  Language educators
are also a target audience. Most chapters conclude with a section of
approximately two pages that overtly applies the chapters’ contents to
pedagogical practice by making recommendations. Given the wide intended
audience, it would not be surprising if some sections were not appealing to a
given sector, (e.g., students). However, the author manages to write in a way
that allows most content to be appropriate for all.

Despite the positive evaluations this book deserves, the presence of numerous
misspellings (e.g., “fillms” [p. 55] for “film” and “one their own” for “on
their own” [p. 58]) distracts from the message. While this reviewer recognizes
mistakes are inevitable, the number of tokens is abnormal for a book of this
length.

REFERENCES

Gass, S.M. & Varonis, E.M. (1985). Variation in native speaker speech
modification to non-native speakers. Studies in Second Language Acquisition,
7, 37-58.

Goffman, E. (1981). Forms of talk. Philadelphia, PA: University of
Pennsylvania Press.

Goodwin, C. (2007). Participation, stance and affect in the organization of
activities. Discourse and Society, 18, 53-73.

Long, M. (1981). Input, interaction and second language acquisition. Annals of
the New York Academy of Sciences, 379, 259-278.

Rine, E.F. (2009). Development in dialogic teaching skills: A micro-analytic
case study of a pre-service ITA. Unpublished dissertation, The Pennsylvania
State University, University Park.

Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input
and comprehensible output in its development. In S. Gass & C. Madden (Eds.),
Input in second language acquisition (pp. 235-253), Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition
through collaborative dialogue. In J.P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory
and second language learning (pp. 97-114). Oxford: OUP.

Ten Have, P. (2007). Doing conversation analysis: A practical guide (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Van Compernolle, R.A. (2015). Interaction and second language development: A
Vygotskian perspective. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing
Company.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Joshua Pope is Assistant Professor of Spanish at Doane University. His
research interests include language learning during study abroad and language
pedagogy.





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