ELT Journal Volume 59/1 January 2005 © Oxford University Press
An intensive approach to building conversation skills
Peter Sayer is an Assistant Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the BA TESOL programme at the Department of Languages of the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca in Mexico. He is currently working towards a PhD from Arizona State University. His interests are in educational linguistics, language teacher education, and exploring local knowledge and identity in peripheral ELT contexts. Email: psayer72{at}yahoo.com
This paper describes an action research project undertaken to look into the effectiveness of tasks designed to raise learner awareness of conversational strategies. The goal was to test whether tasks and direct instruction aimed at promoting learner awareness of conversational language at the discourse-level had any impact on the students' performance. Excerpts from transcripts of students' conversations are included to illustrate how such activities can be effective in improving student performance on conversation tasks.
Received October 2003.