Learner attitudes and attention to form in peer interaction: A proposal to replicate Adams et al. (2011) and Philp et al. (2010)

Abstract

Abstract Research into peer interaction continues to grow and new findings with new designs have been reported. However, there remain theoretical and methodological issues that replication studies can address. In this article, I first discuss theoretical frameworks that have been used to investigate peer interaction, namely, interactionist, sociocultural, and psychological. I explain that, regardless of theoretical frameworks, peer interaction effectiveness has been at least partly accounted for by the ways in which learners temporarily shift their attention to linguistic issues during meaningful interaction, via peer feedback or language-related episodes (LREs). Current research also suggests that learner attitudes mediate this interactional behavior. To fill the gaps in this issue, I make methodological suggestions for replication research of Adams, Nuevo, & Egi (2011) and Philp, Walter, & Basturkmen (2010), including intervention materials, transcript analysis, statistical design, and internal validity control. I conclude the paper with pedagogical implications that may arise from replication studies.