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Researching The (Dis)Connection Between Literary Discussions And Speaking Functions: A Replication With Intermediate Learners, Joshua J. Thoms

Joshua J. Thoms

Responding to the call for more replication studies in the fields of second language acquisition and applied linguistics (Ortega, 2009; Polio & Gass, 1997), this chapter reports on a conceptual study based on the work of Donato and Brooks (2004). The current study is different in that it analyzes whole-class discussions in Spanish between an instructor and her 19 students in an introductory Spanish literature course (i.e., 5th semester) at the college level. One overarching research question is explored along with two sub-questions: (1) Does an introductory-level literature course for Spanish language learners provide occasions during whole-class discussion for participation …