Designed and emerging affordances in tutor-learner multimodal interactions via videoconferencing for second language learning and teaching: an activity theoretical approach

Videoconferencing for L2 learning affords the unique possibility of online synchronous interaction with L2 expert speakers using web-camera, microphone and text chat; pin marking students’ errors on the oral recordings; generating online feedback, etc. However, distance learning mediated by technology also presents inherent complexities due to multiple spaces, timescales, cultures and norms that are different from a classroom environment. This makes the study of affordances important to inform videoconference embedded L2 pedagogy. An affordance designates an action possibility, positive or negative, that is offered by an object or environment to an actor in the environment. Few studies have analysed the emergence and realisation of affordances in learning environments with substantial socio-cultural, pedagogical and technological components. Drawing on Cultural Historical Activity Theory, this thesis investigates the emergence and realisation of linguistic, pedagogical, technological and socio-cultural affordances in tutor-tutee multimodal interactions via videoconferencing. Master’s students (teacher-trainees) of French as a foreign language from a French University interacted online via videoconferencing with undergraduate Business students learning French at an Irish University over a period of 6 weeks. The tutor-tutee online interactions generated a multimodal corpus that provided the data for this activity-theoretical study. Activity systems at the macro, meso and micro levels were modelled, and the designed and emerging affordances were identified. Furthermore, new actions emerged to overcome manifestations of contradictions at the macro inter-institutional interaction level and at the micro level of moment-to-moment tutor-tutee interactions. The findings reveal that the design of pedagogical and technological tools, institutional norms and the division of labour within and between institutions triggered multi-level intra and inter-systemic contradictions. These were resolved by the creation of novel mediating tools and models as well as more learner-centred pedagogical interactions. Consequently, a taxonomy of technological, pedagogical and social affordances is suggested to help inform videoconference embedded L2 pedagogical design and teacher training.