Making the Most of It: Exploring Learner Agency in a Referential Communication Task Sequence

The presenter will discuss how two Korean English learners shaped interaction with the interviewer during a Question and Retell referential task sequence. Learner agency is explored through qualitative linguistic analyses of questions asked and patterns of language adopted from the interviewer. This linguistic data is surveyed for divergence from a "typical" performance through learners' strategic behavior and resistance to the task. The discussion contributes to an understanding of referential communication as social interactions that require participants to negotiate intersubjectivity as well as transfer information (Yule, 1997).

Presenter:
Kyle Searls, MA in TESOL, is adjunct faculty in the Minnesota English Language Program. His background includes teaching EFL in Argentina and South Korea; he also holds licences to teach ESL and Spanish in Wisconsin. His interests include SLA and learner identity.

Cosponsored by the Minnesota English Language Program and the Second Language Education Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.