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A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners’ Task-Generated Discourse

Received: 24 October 2013    Accepted:     Published: 30 November 2013
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Abstract

This study examined oral discourse generated by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) using two different communication task types i.e. jigsaw and decision-making. It investigated how the learners approached and processed the tasks and how they interacted during task completion. The data for the study comprised transcribed recordings of learner interactions working on given tasks. They were qualitatively analysed focusing on the cognitive and social processing. Findings showed that both task types promoted episodes of negotiated interaction when the participants attempted task completion. However, close examination showed that the participants engaged in more intensive negotiations which were exploratory in nature and highly collaborative during decision-making task completion than during task completion of the jigsaw task type. The results suggest that different task types elicited different kinds of interaction from the learners and how the participants approached and processed the tasks shaped the kind of learner interactions they generated.

Published in Education Journal (Volume 2, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16
Page(s) 242-248
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

ral Discourse, Negotiated Interaction, Exploratory Talk, Communication Tasks

References
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  • APA Style

    Hazleena Baharun, Abd. Razak Zakari. (2013). A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners’ Task-Generated Discourse. Education Journal, 2(6), 242-248. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16

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    ACS Style

    Hazleena Baharun; Abd. Razak Zakari. A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners’ Task-Generated Discourse. Educ. J. 2013, 2(6), 242-248. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16

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    AMA Style

    Hazleena Baharun, Abd. Razak Zakari. A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners’ Task-Generated Discourse. Educ J. 2013;2(6):242-248. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16,
      author = {Hazleena Baharun and Abd. Razak Zakari},
      title = {A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners’ Task-Generated Discourse},
      journal = {Education Journal},
      volume = {2},
      number = {6},
      pages = {242-248},
      doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20130206.16},
      abstract = {This study examined oral discourse generated by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) using two different communication task types i.e. jigsaw and decision-making. It investigated how the learners approached and processed the tasks and how they interacted during task completion. The data for the study comprised transcribed recordings of learner interactions working on given tasks. They were qualitatively analysed focusing on the cognitive and social processing. Findings showed that both task types promoted episodes of negotiated interaction when the participants attempted task completion. However, close examination showed that the participants engaged in more intensive negotiations which were exploratory in nature and highly collaborative during decision-making task completion than during task completion of the jigsaw task type. The results suggest that different task types elicited different kinds of interaction from the learners and how the participants approached and processed the tasks shaped the kind of learner interactions they generated.},
     year = {2013}
    }
    

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    T1  - A Qualitative Analysis of EFL Learners’ Task-Generated Discourse
    AU  - Hazleena Baharun
    AU  - Abd. Razak Zakari
    Y1  - 2013/11/30
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16
    T2  - Education Journal
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    JO  - Education Journal
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20130206.16
    AB  - This study examined oral discourse generated by learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) using two different communication task types i.e. jigsaw and decision-making. It investigated how the learners approached and processed the tasks and how they interacted during task completion. The data for the study comprised transcribed recordings of learner interactions working on given tasks. They were qualitatively analysed focusing on the cognitive and social processing. Findings showed that both task types promoted episodes of negotiated interaction when the participants attempted task completion. However, close examination showed that the participants engaged in more intensive negotiations which were exploratory in nature and highly collaborative during decision-making task completion than during task completion of the jigsaw task type. The results suggest that different task types elicited different kinds of interaction from the learners and how the participants approached and processed the tasks shaped the kind of learner interactions they generated.
    VL  - 2
    IS  - 6
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Faculty of Major Language Studies, UniversitiSains Islam Malaysia (USIM)

  • Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, Malaysia

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