The Effects of Convergent and Divergent Tasks on Language Related Episodes in Tertiary EFL Classrooms

초록

The purpose of this study is to investigate how convergent and divergent task designs affect learners’ attention to form during interaction. Previous investigations into task types have revealed that varying task types can lead to changes in focus during learners’ meaningful language exchanges, but many specific task designs remain underexplored, which leaves a gap in the understanding of the effects of particular task types in language classes. To address this gap, the study divided an intact class of English as foreign language learners at a Korean university where half the students performed a convergent task (CT), and the other half performed a divergent task (DT). To measure attention to language form during interaction, language-related episodes (LREs) were identified, categorized, and then analyzed. The results revealed that while both groups produced a similar number of LREs, with lexis-focused LREs being the most common in both groups, there were differences in how the groups attended to language during their task. It was found that the CT group produced a similar level of lexis-focused and form focused LREs, while the DT group’s LREs were mostly lexis-focused. Also, only the DT group produced pragmatic-focused LREs while the CT group produced more mechanical-focused LREs than the DT group did. These findings suggest that the use of CT and DT in language classes provides teachers with a tool to encourage a focus on specific, different language features. The results and implications are discussed in more detail.

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