Interaction in advanced EFL pedagogy: a comparison of form-focused activities

Recent research on grammar pedagogy advocates the use of form-focused activities which require learners to produce output collaboratively. This paper reports on the results of a study carried out with 14 high-intermediate/advanced adult English as a foreign language (EFL) learners who completed five form-focused activities collaboratively. The learners’ interaction was codified and language-related episodes (LREs) identified. The data were analyzed for the quantity and nature of attention to form each activity generated. Results indicate that both learners’ attention to form and the nature of their reflection on grammatical choices were dependent on the activity. Furthermore, the grammatical features of concern to the learners were not always those targeted by the activity and most of the times these learners did not provide any justification for the grammatical decisions made. These results are considered in the light of current claims about the need for classroom teachers and researchers to carefully consider the choice of activity and how learners interpret and complete it.