Effect Of Proficiency Differences And Patterns Of Pair Interaction On The Learning Of Lexical Inferencing Strategies

Based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory,this study explores the effects of proficiency differences in pairs and interaction patterns on the learning outcomes of lexical inferencing strategies.This study employed mixed methods.48 non-English major students in a higher vocational college participated in the study.They were divided into high-proficiency group and low-proficiency group,and were freely paired in three ways:high-high pairs,high-low pairs,and low-low pairs.After learning lexical inferencing strategies in pairs,they completed a lexical inferencing task collaboratively.SPSS was employed to analyze test results of lexical inferencing strategies.Judging patterns of pair interaction is mainly based on the qualitative analysis of the collaborative dialogue collected in lexical inferencing task.The results of the data analysis were supplemented by the results of the post-test interview of 15 participants.The research findings show:1)there exist four patterns of pair interaction in the process of collaborative learning:collaborative,dominant/dominant,dominant/passive,and expert/novice.And the collaborative pattern is found to be the predominant pattern of dyadic interaction,regardless of the language proficiency of the paired peers;2)Compared with the participants in HH group and LL group,participants in HL group achieved more significant improvement after paired learning of lexical inferencing strategies;3)The four interaction patterns all promoted the learning of the lexical inferencing strategies,and interaction patterns of collaborative orientation(collaborative and expert/novice)have produced a better learning effect than those of non-collaborative orientation(dominant/dominant,dominant/passive).In addition,the post-test interview results show that most of participants have a positive attitude towards pair work and the learning of lexical inferencing strategies.This study has a certain guiding significance for higher vocational English teachers.When organizing paired learning,different proficiency learners should be grouped in one pair and encouraged to actively participate in pair work.