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Effects Of Classroom Interaction On Language Learning

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1. Introduction 1.1. Preliminaries The effects of classroom interaction on language learning have long been a focus of research for second and foreign language teachers and researchers (Allwright, 1984; Chaudron, 1988; Ellis, 1984; 1994; van Lier, 1988). They argue that language learning comes about as a consequence of the interplay of the factors created by the learners, the teacher, and the interaction among them (teacher-student, student-student). Allwright (1984) sees classroom interaction as "the fundamental fact of classroom pedagogy because everything that happens in the classroom happens through a process of live person-to-person interaction"(p. 156). Classroom interaction is indeed a complicated phenomenon. Teachers' perceptions of the nature of language learning, of classroom activities, and of norms for classroom participation often differ from those of their students, who have a wide variety of proficiency levels, linguistic background, culturally predisposed ways of learning, and individual motivations and objectives in studying the language. If ignored, these differences can cause misunderstandings and create a barrier to effective language learning and teaching during face to-face interaction within the classrooms (Johnson, 1995; Rivers, 1987). Several theorists have attempted to …show more content…

Affective factors: In this study, affective factors refer to emotional factors which influence learning. In the classroom, affective factors may be as important for successful language learning as the ability to learn. Teachers can reduce negative factors and develop positive ones by doing activities to build a positive group dynamic, by including students in deciding aspects of the course and choosing activities that are motivating for the age and interests of the learners. They can have a negative or positive effect and they derive from learners' feelings or emotional response aroused by the attempts to learn the target language (Ellis,

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