ABSTRACT

Higher education institutions often pair native speakers with English as a second and foreign language learners to encourage oral conversation practice. Born out of such circumstances, the current investigation, drawing upon the activity theory perspective, examined the plausibility of native-speaking conversation partners providing oral corrective focused grammar feedback. Two advanced South Korean male English learners were recruited as case studies – one received explicit oral corrective focused grammar feedback on plural noun errors while the other did not receive corrective feedback. Results of the learners’ grammatical accuracy during four conversation sessions, stimulated recalls, and the native speaker conversation partner’s reflection reports were analysed and discussed. Providing oral corrective focused feedback resulted in a decrease in language output and grammar accuracy while increasing languaging. The conversation activities were driven and defined by the learners’ motives, and their motives were shaped and influenced by the sociocultural conditions that the students had experienced. The learners formed different stances and patterns of interactions while encountering rules and division of labour in the conversation activity with the native speaker. The levels of motives and agency were not stagnant but fluctuated over time because of the dynamic influence of internal and external factors related to the conversation activity. Suggestions for conversation partner training are provided and the practicalities of native-speaking conversation partners providing oral corrective focused grammar feedback are discussed.

摘要

高等教育机构通常将母语人士与英语作为第二语言和外语学习者配对，以鼓励口语会话练习。在这种情况下，当前的调查借鉴了活动理论的观点，检查了以口语纠正为重点的语法反馈的母语对话伙伴的合理性。招募了两名韩国高级男性英语学习者作为案例研究——一名接受了针对复数名词错误的明确的口头纠正性语法反馈，而另一名则没有收到纠正性反馈。分析和讨论了学习者在四次会话期间的语法准确性、激发回忆和母语会话伙伴的反思报告的结果。提供以口头纠正为重点的反馈会导致语言输出和语法准确性下降，同时增加语言。对话活动由学习者的动机驱动和定义，而他们的动机又受到学生所经历的社会文化条件的塑造和影响。学习者在与母语者的对话活动中遇到规则和分工，形成了不同的互动立场和模式。由于与谈话活动相关的内部和外部因素的动态影响，动机和能动性的水平并没有停滞不前，而是随着时间的推移而波动。