L’apprentissage collaboratif médiatisé par Internet : conditions de mise en œuvre chez de jeunes apprenants d’anglais

The aim of this paper is to explore the possibility of using collaborative working methods as a support for early English learning. We suggest that reading and writing in pairs can foster the development of cognitive and metacognitive abilities by creating opportunites for sociocognitive conflicts within a socioconstructivist framework. The empirical research conducted focuses on two different parameters which may influence the way groups interact: number of learners and group composition. It shows how pairing children of “homogeneous” and “heterogeneous” intellectual ability may lead to the decentration necessary for collaboration to become beneficial. Finally, we describe how the various forms of interactions that have been identified through the analysis of conversations may affect learning outcomes.