Resolution of Reference-Related Problems in L2

Abstract

This study examines an academic discourse between Koreans as nonnative English-speaking TAs and native English-speaking students during lab hours. The analytic interest in the current study is to explore the ways in which the nonnative TAs deal with the American students" problems in understanding references of contents or materials used in the lab hours. The analysis of the videotaped data of four Korean TAs in the science labs of an American University identified three different types of reference-related problems: deictic expressions; misrepresentations; specificity of referents. In the course of repair, Korean TAs often failed to explicitly repair their problematic reference in a manner relevant to the American students" other-initiators. They simply recycled the problematic references or began to explain the errors in the program rather than responded to the students" questions. Their indirectness and delay in responses also sustained the problem in achieving shared meaning. Upon their students" signs of problems, the Korean TAs had to coordinate not only the verbal productions, but more importantly, the nonverbal resources such as experimental tools. These findings emphasize the importance of teaching advanced ESL/EFL learners how to properly enact the assigned role by means of different resources including the language, i.e., interactional competence.