A major challenge teachers and learners face in foreign language (FL) learning is oral interaction. The paradigm shift in language education towards blended and online learning environments necessitates a re-evaluation of oral interaction practices in second language (L2) teaching and learning. This shift fails to fully utilize the advantages of online learning, such as increased practice time and improved feedback through recording and annotation tools. Despite the potential of online environments, there is reluctance among educators to implement oral interaction online, partly due to negative experiences during emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the past pandemic. ERT, characterized by unplanned, synchronous sessions trying to mimic face-to-face methodologies, has led to a gradual return to traditional teaching, with many lessons learned during the pandemic being overlooked.

Aims

• Reframe oral interaction practices in blended language learning programmes to assist with their transition from the face-to-face part of blended courses to online contexts.
• Explore the dynamics of teacher-student and student-student interactions, examining how these interactions differ from traditional face-to-face settings and how they can be optimized in blended environments.
• Focus on the didactic processes of task presentation, task implementation, and feedback to find out how they differ in face-to-face and online modes of delivery and which is the most effective in terms of learners' cognitive, behavioural, and affective engagement.

Expected Outcomes

Key outcomes of this research include a best-practices framework for L2 educators to implement effective oral interaction practices in blended L2 learning environments.

Website

For more details, visit the official INTERAC-TIC project page.

Project Reference

PID2023-148075OB-I00

Duration

sept. 2024 – sept. 2027

Funding

Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities