Learning a language with peers: Elevating classroom voices

May 2025 – Volume 29, Number 1

https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.29113r1

Learning a language with peers: Elevating classroom voices
Author:	Rebecca Adams and Rhonda Oliver (2023)
Publisher:	Routledge
Pages	e-ISBN	Price
pp. x + 163	9780367815790	$49.45 (e-book)

The potential of peer interaction to benefit second/foreign language (L2) learning has long been an interest in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). A large body of research associated with Instructed SLA has reported that peer interaction enhances L2 learning because it creates opportunities for learners to negotiate for meaning, to provide and receive corrective feedback, and to modify their language output (Loewen & Sato, 2018). However, despite such benefits, language teachers may not apply the findings of research in their teaching partly due to a lack of access to such evidence and partly due to their limited time to engage with research (Hwang et al., 2024). More importantly, teaching practitioners often perceive findings of research as irrelevant for their classroom practice suggesting a divide between teachers and second language researchers. The book ‘Learning a language with peers: Elevating classroom voices’ by Rebecca Adams and Rhonda Oliver reports an empirical study that aimed to help bridge these gaps by sharing teachers’ voices about their experiences and challenges of implementing peer interaction in their teaching. This book contributes to the field of language teaching by presenting empirical evidence and also proposing innovative techniques for implementing peer learning approaches in L2 learning contexts.

The book is organized into 8 chapters that thematically describe two key areas of peer interaction: a) teachers’ perspectives about the role of peer interaction for L2 learning, and b) how peer interaction is used in real-world language learning classrooms in diverse educational contexts. Following Chapter 1, which provides an overview of the research findings on the benefits of peer interaction for L2 learning, Chapter 2 describes the empirical study at the heart of this book and the data gathering instruments and data analysis procedures the authors used. Initially, a survey was used to explore teachers’ beliefs and perceptions about and use of peer interaction in L2 teaching and learning, and then a follow-up interview was conducted with 16 ESL teachers to investigate their beliefs about the role of peer interaction in language teaching and their reflections about successful and unsuccessful experiences with peer interaction. Finally, observations of ESL classrooms were conducted to obtain clear descriptions of interactive activities implemented in language classes.

The results of the study in Chapter 3 present key findings on the role of peer interaction for L2 learning. Among others, teachers considered peer interaction as beneficial for building confidence and motivation, for creating a social context for learners, and for helping them to develop language fluency. However, it was found that the peer interaction approach is rarely used to enhance learner literacy skills such as reading and writing (Chapter 4), highlighting the need for more research on these aspects of peer learning. Additionally, teachers reported difficulties when implementing interactive activities in computer-mediated contexts due to a number of issues, such as lack of access on the internet, technological glitches and lack of experience and sufficient pedagogical knowledge of peer learning approaches online (Chapter 5).

Teacher concerns regarding the use of peer learning approaches also involved other issues such as teaching context (EFL vs. ESL), curricular demands, class sizes, and learners’ ages (Chapter 6). For example, it was found that peer learning activities are more popular in ESL than EFL classrooms. The implementation of a peer interaction approach was more difficult in large classes than small ones. To address these concerns the book provides clear guidance and practice-based solutions for implementing peer learning approaches with learners that differ in terms of their cultural backgrounds, ages, and learning contexts EFL vs. ESL (Chapter 7). Finally, Chapter 8 highlights the teachers’ need for more knowledge about implementing peer learning activities, and it recommends new areas for future research that would drive learning     through peer interaction.

This book stands out for several reasons. First, unlike previous studies that examined peer interaction from learners’ perspectives in specific contexts, the current volume examines peer interaction approaches from teachers’ perspectives from a wide range of contexts, making it unique in the field. Second, although the existing research highlights the benefits of peer interaction and includes recommendations for its use in L2 classrooms (e.g., Adams & Oliver, 2019; Sato & Ballinger, 2016), few attempts have been made to make the findings comprehensible for language teachers who often do not understand how to incorporate such findings into their teaching practice (Sato & Loewen, 2019). The current work not only presents new evidence on peer interaction research but also provides a step-by-step guide on how language teachers can implement peer learning activities in their classrooms. In this way, the book informs language teachers on the benefits of peer interaction for L2 teaching and learning, and it also equips them with innovative techniques for implementing it in their teaching contexts. Third, with all of the stages of data collection and data analysis procedures clearly explained, the book serves as a guide for both novice and experienced researchers to carry out similar investigations. Teachers can use this research guide to explore areas that are closely connected to their teaching goals and bring about positive changes in their teaching pedagogy (Lázaro-Ibarrola, 2023; Sippel & Sato, 2022). Highlighting new areas of research on peer reading and writing, the book ends by encouraging both teachers and researchers to create joint research agendas that would enhance the language teaching pedagogy through peer interaction approach.

Despite its strengths, the book is not without limitations. First, although the authors claimed they collected data from educators around the world, the majority of participants were from North America and Asia. To have a better representation of the findings researchers could gather data from educators in other continents such as Europe, South America, or Africa. Second, all of the participants were teachers of English, making it hard to establish whether the findings obtained from English teachers would hold true for teachers of other languages. Including teachers of other languages in the study could contribute to a better generalizability of the findings. Finally, the observational data were limited to only 16 ESL classrooms. This makes it hard to establish how EFL teachers dealt with challenges when implementing peer learning activities, particularly in large classes. This is especially important when taking into account that peer interaction approaches, as noted by the authors, are less common in EFL settings.

Overall, the book brings an important contribution to the field of SLA. Pedagogically, it introduces innovative techniques of using peer interaction approaches in L2 teaching and learning contexts. Theoretically, it expands the current literature on peer interaction with new evidence from language teachers. Methodologically, it offers clear guidance on using specific data gathering instruments such as surveys, interviews and observations to investigate important aspects of peer interaction approach. Therefore, the book is recommended for novice and experienced researchers, language teachers, and students of applied linguistics who are interested in peer learning approaches.

About the Reviewer

Nuhi Bllaca received his Ph.D in English and American Studies from the University of Vienna, Austria, where he currently works as a lecturer of English Linguistics. His main research interests include peer interaction, collaborative writing, and written corrective feedback, especially among non-adult learners. <nuhi.bllacaunivie.ac.at> ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2980-2456

To Cite this Review

Bllaca, N. (2025). [Review of the book. (2023), Learning a language with peers: Elevating classroom voices, by Rebecca Adams and Rhonda Oliver]. Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ), 29 (1). https://doi.org/10.55593/ej.29113r1

References

Adams, R. J., & Oliver, R. (2019). Teaching through peer interaction. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315115696

Hwang, H.-B., Coss, M. D., Sato, M., Cárcamo, B., Nguyen, M. X. N. C., Dao, P., Iwashita, N.,Marsden, E., Hawkes, R., Loewen, S., Scheffler, P., Baranowska, K., McKinley, J., & Ortega, L. (2024). (Re)Examining the research–practice interface: International perspectives, multiple methods, persistent challenges, and novel directions. Language Teaching, Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444824000181

Lázaro-Ibarrola, A. (2023). Child L2 writers: A room of their own. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/tilar.32

Sato, M., & Ballinger, S. G. (Eds.). (2016). Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda. John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.45

Sato, M., & Loewen, S. (2019). Do teachers care about research? The research–pedagogy dialogue. ELT Journal, 73(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccy048

Sippel, L., & Sato, M. (2022). Teacher beliefs about second language research and researchers: Different roles at research‐oriented universities. The Modern Language Journal, 106(3), 583–598. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12797

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