Task-type and vocabulary-related difficulty in CMC

Abstract

The current study addresses whether features of task design, such as type of task and vocabulary- related difficulty, can promote processes facilitative of language development. In particular, we examine how these two features promote the exchange of information, the use of negotiation routines, and of L1- and L2-based communication strategies. 196 learners of Spanish worked in pairs via an online chat to complete either a jigsaw or a decisionmaking task that included vocabulary classified as appropriate or inappropriate for their level. The statistical analyses performed indicated that both independent variables, task type and vocabulary difficulty, contributed significantly to L2-based communication strategy use, but only task type had an effect on the other discourse aspects that were measured, namely, exchange of information and negotiation of meaning.