Teacher interventions in peer interaction in early second language education
Teacher interventions in peer interaction in early second language education

Summary/Abstract: This study investigates the nature of teacher interventions in peer interaction in early second language (L2) education. In particular, it illuminates the inter- vention strategies teachers use and how these interventions enhance peer interaction in early L2 classrooms. Although previous research has illustrated the significance of teacher interventions for educationally productive class- room interaction, little is known about teacher interventions in peer interac- tion during the early years of L2 education. The data were collected from six pre-primary/early primary L2 classrooms, with three teachers and 125 chil- dren (aged 6-7) through video recording (55 hours) and observational field notes. The interaction analysis revealed five dominant intervention strategies the teachers used: (1) organizing, (2) giving corrective feedback, (3) scaffold- ing, (4) orchestrating and (5) motivating. The findings illustrate that it is chal- lenging to foster peer interaction in early L2 education and hence it is important to support teachers in developing their pedagogical sensitivity and intervention skills.

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