The Role of Topicalization in Classroom Language Learning.

Abstract The post-seventies era has seen a growing interest in the study of classroom learning processes which are believed to influence second language development. What seems to be conspicuously missing, however, are relevant research techniques capable of examining the on-going interactive processes which characterize classroom language learning. This paper reports some of the results obtained through the implementation of an innovative technique designed to investigate the relationship between classroom interaction and learning outcomes. The paper illustrates that the detailed study of classroom interaction can explain “uptake” — what learners claim to have learned at the end of the lesson. Topicalization by the learners (i.e. who initiates the topics of interaction) is shown to be influential in accounting for learners' claims about uptake in one instructional setting.