Aki Siegel | Stockholm University (original) (raw)

Papers by Aki Siegel

Research methods in applied linguistics, 2025

Listening has been a notoriously challenging language skill to research due to its ephemeral natu... more Listening has been a notoriously challenging language skill to research due to its ephemeral nature and the complex, dynamic and individualized operations that contribute to comprehension. Based on empirical data analysis using the idiodynamic method for research in applied linguistics, this paper presents a scheme for coding listening comprehension issues as expressed by students who attended an English medium instruction (EMI) lecture. The coding scheme consists of five broader conceptual categories (top-down, bottom-up, affective, multimodal, and environmental) that are further divided into specific codes used to classify data. The paper describes
the emergence of these five categories and the codes subsumed within them, including illustrative data samples and discussion of the coding process. By combining theoretical and practical insights on the listening process with the idiodynamic method, the paper seeks to articulate challenges L2 listeners face and provides a fine-grained analysis tool for researchers working in this area.

This entry discusses how conversation analysis (CA) has been employed to investigate interaction ... more This entry discusses how conversation analysis (CA) has been employed to investigate interaction which occurs in second/foreign-language (L2) classrooms. The detailed, intensive study of interaction in L2 classrooms only took off in the 1960s with the advent of audio and, later, video-recording technology. The first wave of development in the description and analysis of L2 classroom interaction was observation or coding schemes from the 1960s. A second major development was the use of discourse analysis (DA) from the 1970s. DA uses principles and methodology typical of linguistics to analyze classroom discourse in structural-functional linguistic terms. Seedhouse (2004) suggested that DA cannot portray the flow of the interaction because it is essentially a static approach which portrays interaction as consisting of fixed and unidimensional coordinates on a conceptual map. Since the DA approach was developed for first language (L1) classrooms and transferred for use in L2 classrooms, it had difficulty in portraying the extra dimension which distinguishes L2 classroom interaction from L1 classroom interaction. This is that language is the object as well as the vehicle of interaction. With the development of coding schemes and DA studies, from the 1980s, the importance of interaction as a vital element in the instructed L2 learning process became clearer. Strong interest then emerged in applying a new methodology (CA) to the description and analysis of L2 classroom interaction. CA had developed in the 1960s, had no obvious connection with learning, and in its genesis dealt exclusively with monolingual English data. Publications then appeared which started to address the relationship between CA and L2 classroom interaction. The overall picture of the L2 classroom which emerges from the application of a CA methodology is that it is a very complex, dynamic, and fluid interactional environment. Pedagogy and interaction are intertwined in a mutually dependent relationship and we must examine the minute detail of the interaction to gain a full understanding of the instructed L2 learning process. Previously, for many years, researchers in the area of language learning had shied away from examining the micro-detail of classroom interaction, regarding it as an excessively complex, heterogeneous, and particularly "messy" source of data. However, with CA it became possible to do this and studies have demonstrated that, as with conversation, there is also order at all points in L2 classroom interaction. One influential monograph in this area of study is by Seedhouse (2004) who applied CA to an extensive and varied database of language lessons from around the world to tackle the question "How is L2 classroom interaction organized?" The main thesis is that there is a reflexive relationship between pedagogy and interaction in the L2 classroom, and that this relationship is the foundation of its context-free architecture. This relationship means that, as the pedagogical focus varies, so does the organization of the interaction. However , this also means that the L2 classroom has its own interactional organization which

Purpose: This scoping review investigates research on Military English (ME) language and teaching... more Purpose: This scoping review investigates research on Military English (ME) language and teaching over the past three decades. Despite the growing need for English proficiency among military personnel due to increases in international joint operations [Niculescu, B.-O., G. Obilişteanu, and I. A. Dragomir. 2019. "Contribution of Foreign Languages to Building the Professional Career of the Land Forces Academy Cadets." Land Forces Academy Review 24 (3): 213-219], ME as a field of study lacks comprehensive research. The features and patterns of ME and effective approaches towards ME language instruction remain insufficiently explored. Methodology: The study employs a scoping review approach [

Languages

With the availability of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) courses, an increasing number o... more With the availability of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) courses, an increasing number of international students have been joining Swedish universities. However, the language use in Swedish EMI courses may display unique features; while many Swedish students have high English language proficiency, code-switching between Swedish and English is reported as a common practice by both lecturers and students, even when international students are present. Moreover, the term “international students” is often used to include students of various statuses and linguistic abilities, and the experiences and perspectives of short-term exchange students towards the language use in Swedish EMI courses are rarely documented. The current study investigates the perspectives of short-term exchange students from Japan enrolled in EMI courses at a university in Sweden. Questionnaire and focus group interview confirmed previous studies regarding the language-use practices in the classrooms. Moreov...

Drawing on the notion of epistemic stance (Heritage 2013) and utilizing the analytical framework ... more Drawing on the notion of epistemic stance (Heritage 2013) and utilizing the analytical framework of Conversation Analysis, this study investigates the development of language learner identity from a longitudinal sociointeractional perspective and suggests an alternative perspective in analyzing L2 development. English as a lingua-franca interactions at a university dormitory in Japan were collected across 22 months between two participants with different L1s. Through the analysis of word search sequences, participants were found utilizing and managing claim of rights to the knowledge of language in constructing language expert or novice identities. Furthermore, these sequentially contingent positions were found negotiable and changeable, displaying learner identity and development as a co-constructed phenomenon. This study suggests social epistemics and identity as a framework for analyzing language learner development.

応用会話分析研究― 制度的会話におけるスタンスの構築と役割― 大阪大学大学院言語文化研究科 2020

The current study investigates the phenomena of "superficial inter-subjectivity" occurring in Eng... more The current study investigates the phenomena of "superficial inter-subjectivity" occurring in English as a lingua franca (ELF) interactions at an international university dormitory in Japan. "Intersubjectivity" (Rommetveit, Ragnar. 1976. On the architecture of intersubjectivity. In Ragnar Rommetveit & Rolv Mikkel Blakar [eds.], Studies of language, thought, and verbal communication , 93-107. New York: Academic Press) refers to the shared perspective of the social world by the interlocutors. In ELF interactions where shared perspectives cannot be presumed, efforts to achieve intersubjectivity are critical. ELF research has explicated speakers' efforts and cooperativeness to achieve intersubjectivity or avoid misunderstandings during interactions (Kaur, Jagdish. 2011a. "Doing being a language expert": The case of the ELF speaker. In Alasdair Archibald, Alessia Cogo & Jennifer Jenkins [eds.], Latest Trends in ELF Research, 53-75. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing; Seidlhofer, Barbara. 2001. Closing a conceptual gap: The case for a description of English as a lingua franca. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 11[2]. 133-158). However, few studies have investigated cases where speakers display mutual understanding during a repair sequence even when the understanding is not accurate. Approximately 37 hours of naturally occurring ELF interactions were collected and analyzed using a standard conversation analysis followed by a post-analytic researcher observation. Detailed analyses of repair sequences regarding a word suggest that in non-institutional ELF interactions the accuracy of intersubjectivity is not always prioritized. Rather, statements made by the speaker positioned as the one with relatively stronger linguistic ability seem to hold influence over the repair sequence, which prompts the interlocutor with relatively weaker ability to agree with inaccurate candidate understandings. The study suggests a connection between the positioning of speakers regarding linguistic knowledge and the construction of intersubjectivity in ELF interactions.

Topics presented in textbooks and covered in language classrooms are crucial parts of language te... more Topics presented in textbooks and covered in language classrooms are crucial parts of language teaching, as they facilitate student engagement, willingness to communicate, and ultimately, learning. However, whilst researchers and practitioners frequently discuss the authenticity of the language in textbooks, the authenticity and usefulness of textbook topics are rarely discussed or evaluated. To investigate their authenticity, topics from ELT textbooks and naturally occurring conversations were collected, categorized, and compared. The conversations occurred in English between Japanese and non-Japanese students from ten different countries at a university dormitory in Japan. When the textbooks and conversations were compared, large discrepancies between the treatment of some topics became evident, including students' school lives. Pedagogic implications stemming from this review include incorporating topics that are realistic and practical for L2 English users into language classrooms to better prepare students for the 'world out there'.

This study investigates the dynamic identities of an Asian university student engaged in English ... more This study investigates the dynamic identities of an Asian university student engaged in English as a lingua franca (ELF) interactions from a membership categorization analysis (MCA) approach . Studies adopting MCA have demonstrated that identity and intercultural membership are co-constructed in ongoing interactions (e.g., . Nevertheless, MCA studies have yet to document the multicultural identity of an individual and the ways in which members co-construct their multifaceted identities in naturally occurring non-institutional ELF interactions. The study analyzes interactions between two participants from different Asian countries, Japan and Korea. Approximately three hours of video recorded conversations were collected across four months. In and through the interaction, one of the participants was found utilizing multiple cultural identities to accomplish interactive goals. In addition, "language-form related category-bound activity" was used in constructing these identities. This study challenges the use of predetermined social categories and suggests an organic and interactional approach to identity construction.

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2015

This paper argues for the incorporation of bottom-up activities for English as a foreign language... more This paper argues for the incorporation of bottom-up activities for English as a foreign language (EFL) listening. It discusses theoretical concepts and pedagogic options for addressing bottom-up aural processing in the EFL classroom as well as how and why teachers may wish to include such activities in lessons. This discussion is augmented by a small-scale classroom-based research project that investigated six activities targeting learners’ bottom-up listening abilities. Learners studying at the lower-intermediate level of a compulsory EFL university course were divided into a treatment group (n = 21) and a contrast group (n = 32). Each group listened to the same audio material and completed listening activities from an assigned textbook. The treatment group also engaged in a set of six bottom-up listening activities using the same material. This quasi-experimental study used dictation and listening proficiency tests before and after the course. Between-group comparisons of t-test ...

English as a lingua franca studies (ELF) from a socio-interactional perspective have illustrated ... more English as a lingua franca studies (ELF) from a socio-interactional perspective have illustrated the subtle actions of interlocutors that highlight their " situated identities " (Zimmerman, 1998) in talk-in-intearaction. Many of these studies have focused on speakers' identites associated with ethnicity, nationality, or their first or second language. Nevertheless, little research exists regarding the numerous other identities people may adopt during ELF conversations, and how those identities may affect the interaction. Furthermore, the influence of an ongoing media (television) reception on such identities has not been investigated. Therefore, utilizing conversation analysis and membership categorization as a method of inquiry, this single case analysis investigates ELF interactions at a women's dormitory for university students while five women were watching television. Through the analysis, participants were found to be orienting to expert-novice identities regarding not only their linguistic knowledge but also their knowledge of the topic shown on television, baseball. Furthermore, contrary to previous research, it was found that ELF conversations are not always cooperative and supportive. The television affected not only the conversation topic but also the positioning of the participants in the group, resulting in the " othering " (Spivak, 1998) of a particular participant through the interaction. Keywords: English as a Lingua Franca, membership categorization, conversation analysis, television-accompanying talk Özet: Sosyo-etkileşimsel açıdan yapılan Ortak Dil olarak İngilizce çalışmaları konuşmacıların etkileşimdeki konuşmalarında yer alan " yerleşik kimliklerini " (Zimmerman, 1998) aydınlatan ince hareketlerini açıklamıştır. Bu çalışmaların çoğu konuşmacıların etnik kökenleriyle, milliyetleriyle ya da birinci veya ikinci dilleriyle ilişkili kimlikleri üzerinde odaklanmıştır. Yine de, Ortak Dil olarak İngilizce konuşmalarında insanların edinebilecekleri diğer çeşitli kimlikler hakkında ve bu kimliklerin etkileşimi nasıl etkileyebileceği hakkında az miktarda araştırma bulunmaktadır. Araştırma metodu olarak konuşma çözümlemesinden ve üyelik sınıflandırmasından yararlanarak, bu tek durum analizi bir üniversite yurdunda beş kadının televizyon izlerken yaşadıkları Ortak Dil olarak İngilizce etkileşimlerini incelemektedir. Çözümlemede, katılımcıların sadece dilbilimsel bilgileriyle ilgili değil aynı zamanda da televizyonda gösterilen konu (beysbol) hakkındaki bilgileriyle ilgili olan uzman-acemi kimlikler edindikleri bulunmuştur. Ayrıca, önceki araştırmaların aksine, Ortak Dil olarak İngilizce konuşmalarının her zaman işbirlikçi ve destekleyici olmadığı bulunmuştur. Televizyon sadece konuşma konusunu değil aynı zamanda da gruptaki katılımcıların konumlanmasını etkilemiştir ki bu da etkileşim boyunca bir katılımcının 'başkalaştırılması' (Spivak, 1998) ile sonuçlanmıştır. Anahtar sözcükler: Ortak Dil olarak İngilizce, üyelik sınıflandırması, konuşma çözümlemesi, televizyona eşlik eden konuşma

Second language listening pedagogy has generally favored the development of top-down processing a... more Second language listening pedagogy has generally favored the development of top-down processing and suppressed the importance of bottom-up abilities such as phonetic perception and word segmentation. Recently, however, some listening methodologists have started to advocate a shift away from previously accepted listening pedagogy and toward listening activities that aim to improve students' bottom-up processing and decoding skills. This paper reports on a study of bottom-up listening activities used in two Japanese university listening courses, in which a coordinated program of bottom-up activities was implemented over one semester. Results from 100-word pre/post-semester dictation tests were compared to determine what, if any, influence the bottom-up activities had on students' decoding of the speech stream. In addition, a questionnaire was used to ascertain student opinions of these classroom techniques. Results from both the dictation tests and the questionnaire suggest that such listening activities have value in the second language classroom for development of learners' phoneme processing and sentence parsing abilities.

The JALT Pragmatics SIG Forum brought together 3 researchers who are investigating learner L2 pra... more The JALT Pragmatics SIG Forum brought together 3 researchers who are investigating learner L2 pragmatic competence and ability through various assessment tools. This paper recounts their presentations and subsequent discussion with forum attendees. Joseph Siegel discussed the use of oral discourse completion tests and role-play tasks that he used as pragmatic assessment tools in recent research on the topic of pragmatic development during study abroad. Yusuke Okada investigated the change in a learner's participation in a peer-peer multi-party EFL speaking test comparing her first and second examination and discussed the idea of interactional competence as an assessment objective. Aki Siegel assessed one participant's word search sequences in L2 interactions outside the language classroom through conversation analysis. The forum provided insights on several methods for pragmatic assessment. A t the JALT Pragmatics SIG Forum, three speakers discussed their views, shared findings, and offered personal experiences related to pragmatic assessment and research. The first speaker, Joseph Siegel, compared the use of oral discourse completion tasks to role-play tasks as options for eliciting spoken pragmatic output. The second presenter, Yusuke Okada, examined student interactional competence in a multi-person interaction via a discursive pragmatic approach. The third speaker, Aki Siegel, detailed how word search sequence interaction changed during L2 interactions outside the classroom context. Following the three speakers, discussion with audience members provided stimulating insights into pragmatic assessment and set potential objectives for future research.

Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap, 2020

The nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi was hit by an earthquake, a tsunami, and experienced nu... more The nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi was hit by an earthquake, a tsunami, and experienced nuclear reactor failures in 3 March, 2011. Six years later, In 31 March 2017, an important step was ta ...

Research methods in applied linguistics, 2025

Languages

応用会話分析研究― 制度的会話におけるスタンスの構築と役割― 大阪大学大学院言語文化研究科 2020

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2015

Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap, 2020