Embodiment, materiality and learning opportunities – The construction of interaction in Finnish as a second language shop encounter tasks

This dissertation examines interaction in peer tasks carried out by adult learners of Finnish as a second language in a classroom setting. The focus of research is on embodied interaction and the use of learning materials, which are at the core of the tasks under investigation. The data consist of tasks in which learners practice shop encounters using different materials.

The study's theoretical and methodological framework is multimodal conversation analysis, which examines interaction at a micro level. This approach considers all interactional resources to be potentially meaningful, meaning that speech is only one resource among others.

I approach task interaction from different perspectives in order to shed light on the factors that influence how tasks are managed and the learning possibilities that are created. For example, I study how pointing gestures contribute to the construction of meaning in language-learning situations, how the handling of the learning materials and their physical form impact task progress, and how linguistic problems are treated through verbal and bodily action. I also discuss the role of gestures in language at a theoretical level.

This research contributes to our understanding of interaction in peer tasks, which are a common activity type in language classrooms. The study demonstrates that material resources, such as learning materials as physical artefacts, play a pivotal role in shaping interaction also at a broader level. A central question of the study is the authenticity of learning materials compared to real-life situations: authentic materials can enhance task progression, but the different aims of learning and real-life situations must also be considered.