Impact of post-task explicit instruction on the interaction among child EFL learners in online task-based reading lessons

Chung, Y. and Révész, A. (2025) Impact of post-task explicit instruction on the interaction among child EFL learners in online task-based reading lessons. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. ISSN 1613-4141 doi: 10.1515/iral-2024-0168

Abstract/Summary

L2 researchers increasingly agree that task-based teaching, combined with timely form-focused instruction, offers an ideal environment for L2 learning. However, the timing of form-focused instruction is debated, with concerns that pre-task interventions may distract learners from focusing on meaning. While some studies address this issue for adults, little is known about children. Hence, this study examined the impact of post-task explicit instruction on children’s task-based interactions in an online EFL setting. Thirty-three Korean EFL children aged 7–11 participated in seven online lessons using Zoom and Padlet. They read a storybook and completed a collaborative post-reading task. The +Explicit Instruction group (+EI) received a three-minute grammar explanation before the task, while the −Explicit Instruction group (−EI) did not. The children’s interaction was analysed for language-related episodes (LREs). Although the number of LREs was small, the −EI group generated significantly more and more elaborate LREs than the +EI group. Regardless of group, the participants attempted to address the majority of linguistic issues raised, but importantly, LREs related to the target form hardly ever occurred. Overall, the analyses of task-based interactions revealed that participants’ primary attention remained on meaning, regardless of whether or not they received explicit instruction.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/120147
Identification Number/DOI	10.1515/iral-2024-0168
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Literature and Languages > English Language and Applied Linguistics
Publisher	Walter de Gruyter GmbH
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