Mediated Development: A Nexus of Dialogic and Material Mediation in the Second Language Classroom

The development of pedagogical materials and their use in second language (L2) classroom contexts has received an increased amount of attention by L2 researchers for their role in mediating language learning and teaching experiences (e.g., Guerrettaz and Johnston, Mod Lang J 97:779–796, 2013). The emergence of this important field of inquiry has overlapped with a growing body of L2 Sociocultural Theory (SCT) research referred to as Concept-Based Language Instruction (CBLI). CBLI comprises approaches to organizing language curricula around linguistic concepts that can be presented to learners through specially designed materials, including images, diagrams, and models (e.g., Poehner et al., J Cogn Educ Psychol 17:238–259, 2019). Among these approaches is Mediated Development (MD), distinct for its emphasis on the ecology developed through the interactions among learners, teachers, and instructional materials (Infante, Mediated development: promoting L2 conceptual development through interpsychological activity. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 2016). The present study seeks to examine how learner sensory and cognitive engagement with concept-based materials may help their construction and expression of meanings in the L2 and the ways in which engagement with and through material forms of mediation may contribute to the organization of L2 classroom discourse, pushing it beyond more conventional patterns. We explore these points through interactional data drawn from a recent MD project conducted in an intact Intensive English classroom.