Fostering conflict resolution skills through collaborative oral tasks in an EFL classroom

Abstract

The complex social issues currently emerging in educational environments, especially in public schools, EFL settings are considered ideal to reflect upon conflictive issues and can bring opportunities for learners to communicate their ideas and interact in the foreign language. This research aims at examining the role of collaborative oral tasks based on conflict resolution in seventh graders’ oral interaction at a public school in Bogotá; participants were 38 students ranging in age from 12 to 14 years old. The study focuses on identifying students’ skills in resolving conflicts while interacting in collaborative oral tasks, as well as interpreting the interactional patterns students co-construct when reflecting upon conflict resolution. The data for this research comprises transcribed video and audio recordings of students’ interactions when working on tasks based on conflict issues, field notes and artifacts, which were qualitatively analyzed under the framework of a research action study. Findings reported that there is students’ awareness on social conflicts when they are able to identify and propose solutions to conflicts in L2; in addition, students engaged in collaborative strategies of interaction to negotiate alternatives to resolve conflicts during tasks.