The nature of pair interaction

Pair work is frequently used in second languageclasses yet there has been little research on thetype of relations learners form when working inpairs. This study investigated the nature of pairinteraction in an adult ESL class. The sources ofdata used were: audio recordings of pairs working ondifferent tasks over the semester a survey andinterviews with the students and the taskscompleted. The study found four distinct patterns ofpair interaction: collaborative dominant/dominantdominant/passive and expert/novice. These patternswere distinguishable in terms of the level ofcontribution to the task and how learners engagedwith each other's contributions. The study found thatthe patterns remained fairly stable across thesemester and regardless of task type. Interview withthe learners suggested that the formation of thesedifferent patterns may be explained in terms of thelearners' goals and whether members of the pairshared goals. The study also found that learners whocollaborated or worked in an expert/novice patternshowed more evidence of language development thanlearners who formed dominant/dominant ordominant/passive patterns.