This paper illustrates the interactive structure of L2 writing conferences in several learner–tutor pairs who often engaged in collaborative writing to develop the learner texts further. In particular, it explores the role or functions of reading aloud, thinking aloud and text-aloud in relation to learners’ L2 proficiency and languaging.
A writing conference (WrC) is a one-on-one consulting session concerning a student’s written academic work that takes place in a novice–expert pair. Within the field of SLA, the importance of oral output in the acquisition of grammar has been widely studied (e.g., Swain,2006). By analyzing dyadic interactions in L2 writing, Storch (#_ENREF_140, #_ENREF_141) highlighted that in collaborative writing, feedback may move both ways, which helps learners construct knowledge socially and improve communication skills. As learners participate in WrCs, they would gain opportunities to negotiate meaning with their tutors, though little is known. As part of a large research project, I observed WrCs with 33 pairs of L2 English learners and their graduate-student tutors over a semester in a college-level EAP program in the U.S. I video-recorded each WrC session, collected text drafts and revisions, and conducted playback sessions with each participant. To understand the negotiation and scaffolding that take place during L2 WrCs in depth, I conducted a qualitative content analysis of the participants’ focus during WrCs, text changes, the conversational structure, the learners’ active participation and their tutor’s scaffolding. This paper will illustrate the interactive structure of their WrC talk in several learner–tutor pairs who spent much time discussing how to develop the texts further collaboratively. In particular, one advanced-level learner and his tutor often thought aloud, trying text out on each other. His tutor’s reading aloud was more for brainstorming ideas as private speech, in sharp contrast to the tutors’ read-aloud practices with the intermediate learners to draw learner attention. Instead of inserting the text suggested by the tutor as it was, the learner, engaged in languaging by building on the given text. Pedagogically, this study addresses skills and knowledge needed for L2 learners to make use of WrC opportunities beyond grammar editing and effective tutor support.
