Linguistic Literacy

– The aim of this study was to assess students' reaction to a communicative activity, in which a group activity is carried out in a very different manner from the traditional group work activities, especially in terms of classroom management and seating plan. This study follows a qualitative method research design, which elicited students' feedback on the activity through open-ended written self-reports. The results suggested that students regarded the activity as very beneficial to their language development and stated preference for this particular activity over traditional pair-work (PW) and group-work (GW) activities. This paper will discuss, in some detail, the extent to which PW and GW activities in a communicative class contribute to second language development, especially as far as accuracy is concerned. The article will challenge the claim that communicative interaction can drive language acquisition forward, and it will question the assumption that communicative activities push students to negotiate for meaning. The article will also suggest an alternative PW and GW activity, which is more conducive to learning, especially in terms of formal properties of language.

The main concern of this paper is the extent to which students’ expectations of first language studies reflect the idea that linguistic proficiency produces social and cultural capital (Bourdieu, 2008 and earlier work). The participants consisted of 14 focus groups of students in secondary schools in Iceland. Most of the students believe it is desirable to acquire fluency in reading and formal writing. In their view, however, the amount of time devoted to traditional school grammar is actually a detriment to that very goal. Furthermore, the students think that success in Icelandic as a school subject depends to some extent on reading habits and language instruction at home. These views support the idea that schools tend to reward their students for knowledge and skills that are not necessarily highlighted in the classroom but which can rather be viewed as advantageous due to a systematic cultural reproduction within families and social networks.