Interaction in the literacy hour: a case study of learners with English as an additional language

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory case study which looked at interaction during guided group work in the Literacy Hour focusing on learners with English as an Additional Language (EAL). The National Literacy Strategy is considered by the DfEE (1998) to have benefits for learners with EAL as it provides opportunities for collaborative learning and guidelines for teaching practice which implicitly advocate negotiation of meaning and of form. It has been suggested that this may facilitate language acquisition (see for example, Ellis et al., 1994 and Mackey, 1999). However, in the EAL context, Cameron et al. (1996) consider that there is a tendency,for teachers and pupils to collude in developing strategies which avoid negotiation. Through an analysis of secondary data from an ESRC-funded research project on classroom assessment it appeared that, whilst negotiation of firm was more prevalent than negotiation of meaning, generally Cameron et al. (1996) scepticism would appear to be well-founded.