Teacher-Assisted vs. Peer-Assisted Performances and L۲ Development: A Mixed Methods Approach

The present study compared the impact of teacher-provided and peer-provided oral assistance in the acquisition of English wh-question forms. Participants were ۹۰ female Iranian EFL learners who constituted the ۳ groups of the study: teacherassisted, peer-assisted, and a control group. Participants in the experimental groups received assistance either from the teacher or a peer during task-based performances to make wh-questions, whereas those in the control group performed the same tasks with no assistance. The study took a mixed-methods design. Results from the quantitative pre/posttest analysis showed that both teacher-assisted and peer-assisted groups significantly improved in receptive and productive knowledge of the L۲ forms compared to the control group, but no significant difference was observed between the ۲ groups' degree of language development. Results of the qualitative microgenetic analysis revealed that the peer-assisted group outperformed the teacher-assisted group at the first ۲ time points of the experiment. The finding that peer-provided assistance was effective with equal or greater benefits as compared to the teacher-assisted group calls into question the traditional belief that L۲ learners are incapable of assisting peers in EFL classrooms.

Keywords:

Assisted Performance , Teacher-Provided Assistance , Peer-Provided Assistance , Sociocultural Theory , L۲ Development