Browsing by Subject "mediaatio"

The aim of this master’s thesis was to describe mediation activities as part of a group discussion task in an academic English course. In addition, the goal was to investigate how successful mediation affects interaction. The perspective on mediation in this study is guided by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and mediation is defined through the CEFR descriptors for mediation. The descriptors were added in the CEFR, and mediation presented as one of the modes of language, in the 2018 CEFR Companion Volume. The new volume, as well as the concept of mediation, further emphasizes the communicative and action-oriented approach to language learning. Mediation refers to co-creation of meaning, facilitating understanding and communication between participants in interaction. The hypothesis in this thesis was that successful mediation has a positive effect on interaction whereas problems in mediation have the opposite effect. The participants (N=51) were students from three different academic English courses in the University of Helsinki Language Centre. The data were gathered as part of a course task consisting of small group discussions. The data consist of students’ answers to post-discussion questionnaires as well as video recordings of the discussions. Mixed methods approach was used in this study, and qualitative data were analyzed both inductively and deductively. This study concretizes the concept of mediation and makes mediation activities visible. It al-so shows how mediation activities can be described and assessed from the perspective of the CEFR descriptors. The results show that mediation can be taught and practiced, and that the CEFR descriptors can be used in defining different types of mediation. In addition, the descriptors can be used as a guideline in students’ self-assessment. However, the view on language learning the concept of mediation represents is seen as more significant than the specific descriptors. Mediation embodies a communicative approach that emphasizes the social nature of learning, cultural competence and the active role of the language learner. The conclusion in this thesis is that adopting a mediation-perspective towards classroom activities contributes to a more communicative approach to language learning and teaching.