Exploring L2 Learner Accuracy and Learner Participation in CMC Discussions

The present study explores EFL learners' performance in the peer-interactive computermediated communication (CMC) tasks with respect to learner accuracy and learner participation. The research questions are: 1) how the CMC tasks affect participants on improving their linguistic errors, and 2) how equally participants participate in the CMC task. To address these questions, fifty-five university students in Korea participated in the study, completing asynchronous and synchronous CMC activities. The analysis of participants’ written essays and chat discussions indicated that in terms of accuracy, participants showed a tendency to produce more accurate lexical outcomes after having a chance to work with the CMC tasks, while there was no statistically significant group difference in spelling and grammatical errors. In terms of learner participation, the results revealed that participants were engaged in chat discussions at a relatively equal level. The findings from this study suggest the advantage of using CMC tasks for improving learner accuracy, as well as the importance of wellstructured activities for enhancing the effectiveness of CMC tasks on EFL learners' learning. Pedagogical implications and limitations of this study are also discussed.