Date of Award
1994
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Bachelor of Education Honours
School
School of Education
Faculty
Faculty of Education
First Supervisor
Bernard Hird
Abstract
Student to student dyadic interaction (pairwork) is a recommended activity in the second language learning classroom but if learners do not find it useful or enjoyable, then its effectiveness is reduced and the learners' motivation diminished. In this study a survey questionnaire with both open and closed questions was used to ask 207 intermediate and advanced adult migrant learners of English of diverse ethnicity about their perceptions of pairwork. Twenty-four learners from the sample were interviewed. The results revealed that most students found pairwork useful and enjoyable, but that perceptions differed according to region of origin and to previous language learning experience. Learners with no formal other language learning experience, South East Asians, Central Asians and Africans were the most, and Eastern Europeans the least, positive. Factors that affected pairwork success were mainly dependent on the partner's personality, proficiency level or pronunciation
Recommended Citation
Nichols, P. G. (1994). Adult migrant learner perceptions of dyadic interaction in the learning of English as a second language in Australia. Edith Cowan University. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/641