Online task design for language learning: communicating with the tutors or the peers?

Abstract

This study examines an asymmetrical telecollaboration project between tutors (future French language teachers) and learners (French language students) in which the tutors design pedagogical scenarios and help the learners to accomplish them. The research focuses on online task design and attempts to provide better understanding of interaction between tutors and learners and the degree of learner flexibility in the outcome. Based on socio-constructivist theory, it shows how the features of an action-oriented task design can influence the implementation of a task and the communication between the two groups. The hypothesis examined is that, in an asymmetrical telecollaboration project, the dominant interaction is student-tutor and the role of a tutor (as a teacher who corrects the learners) precedes the role of a peer. The research analyzes the instructions of the pedagogical scenarios and examines learner outcomes, as well as the interaction between the two groups. The findings of the study illustrated that the familiarity of their relationship has an impact on the outcome's language.