Investigating the nature and development of L2 interactional competence

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370662
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
• Principal Investigator: Kindt Duane 名古屋外国語大学, 現代国際学部, 准教授 (70308930)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 外国語（英） / 教育学 / 国語学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study explored the nature and development of Japanese university students' ability to interact and achieve understanding in conversations-for-learning in an EFL classroom. Data for the study was gathered using an innovative tool, the head-held digital camcorder, and analyzed using special qualitative research software. From this data, which was transcribed by bilingual research assistants, further insights were gained into how students achieve "intersubjectivity," "change-of-state," and "multimodal communication." Following a Conversation Analysis (CA) analytic approach, the researcher was able to demonstrate the wide variety of vocal, nonvocal, material, and multimodal resources students were employing in conversations-for-learning to achieve understanding with their interlocutors. These findings helped develop a research-informed pedagogy for future application. The researcher intends to explore the effectiveness of this informed pedagogy in subsequent GIA studies.

Free Research Field

Applied Linguistics