The Influence Of Classroom Interaction On Vocabulary Learning

Most researches on the interaction related to many aspects of SLA have been conducted within two frameworks: Input interaction framework and Vygotskian socio-cultural framework. Researchers who take the first perspective view the negotiation of meaning as "interactions in which learners and their interlocutors adjust their speech phonologically, lexically, and syntactically to resolve difficulties in mutual understanding that hold back the course of their communication. The researches from the latter perspective view group work can provide learners with opportunities to co-construct linguistic knowledge and meaning, which will later result in L2 development on the individual plane. There are few researches of interaction related to L2 vocabulary acquisition, and these researches have produced mixed findings. All these researches value the role of comprehensible output and the positive effect of negotiated interaction on vocabulary learning.Based on the previous researches, this paper has examined the classroom interaction for vocabulary learning purpose in an EFL classroom in China through a multi-dimensional research design. This design includes an 18-week longitude research which has employed a pretest and posttest method, and two embedded qualitative studies conducted within the first five weeks of thel8-week research period. Qualitative study (1) has investigated the features of Chinese EFL classroom interaction and its effect on vocabulary learning from the Input interaction hypothesis framework. Qualitative study (2) has analyzed the collaborative vocabulary learning process through group activities from the Socio-cultural framework.The results of two qualitative studies have indicated Chinese EFL students experienced the similar meaning negotiation process which has been well documented in SLA researches on interaction. Qualitative study (1) is based on oral conversation and Qualitative study (2) is based on synchronous written message exchange for learning purpose. The review of transcripts from two studies have indicated the EFL classroom interaction could provide a living and dynamic environment for communication which might produce optimal atmosphere for vocabulary learning. However, the written form of message exchange in Qualitative study (2) has seemed to be more effective to involve passive foreign language learners in the interaction process. Qualitative study (2) has also investigated the students'attitudes toward classroom interaction through an oral interview and a questionnaire survey, and defined the source of vocabulary knowledge in such a collaborative learning environment: even though the learners of monolingual background are lack of authentic learning situation, and they are of similar vocabulary level if compared with the learners under L2 learning conditions , they have displayed multifarious understanding of the same target vocabulary items due to the complicated nature of vocabulary knowledge (breath vs. depth and receptive vs. productive), which would still provide space for discussion in pairs or among groups. The two embedded studies within the first five weeks have provided guidelines for further exploring vocabulary learning models, through interaction and conducting the longitude research smoothly in the rest weeks.The 18-week longitude research has employed two existing classes as Control group and Experimental group under two learning conditions respectively: (a) traditional instruction (non-negotiated premodified input instruction), and (b) classroom interaction (negotiated interaction plus pushed output). Paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test revealed: both groups have achieved vocabulary growth in the receptive and productive vocabulary posttests; the vocabulary growth of E group in productive vocabulary posttest is significantly greater than that of C group. This result has proved the positive effects of classroom interaction on productive vocabulary learning and confirmed Swain's output Hypothesis-- the interaction process, especially the output production has facilitative function toward language acquisition.