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Minimizing perceptual mismatches 81
the task. The second part, dealing with renting an apartment, follows the same format.
The selected task was introduced as a paired activity, and the re- searcher focused his attention on two pairs of learners. One pair consisted of a Japanese male (S1) and a Brazilian female (S2), and another consisted of a Japanese male (S3) and a Malaysian female (S4). Pairing was done in such a way that learners in each pair did not share a common native language; the idea was to avoid the use of native language during paired activities.
The classroom interaction was audiotaped and transcribed. Dur- ing the analysis stage, the researcher/observer talked with the teach- ers and the learners in order to seek certain clarifications on the questions asked and the responses given. The classroom transcripts formed the primary data, and the interview transcripts formed the secondary data. A combination of the interactional analysis of pri- mary and secondary data, and learner, teacher, and observer per- spectives of classroom events revealed insights into the mismatches between teacher intention and learner interpretation.
Reflective task 4.2
Pause here for a moment. Think about possible sources or causes behind perceptual mismatches that occur in the classroom. Try to recall specific in- stances of learning difficulties experienced by you or your learners, and see whether you can identify possible reasons for them.
Based on the study reported above, Kumaravadivelu identified ten sources that have the potential to contribute to the mismatch between teacher intention and learner interpretation. They are:
1. Cognitive mismatch: This source refers to the general, cognitive knowledge of the world that adult language learners bring with them to the classroom. It pertains to mental processes such as remembering, perceiving, recognizing, and inferencing. Learners use these processes to obtain a conceptual understanding of not only the physical and natural phenomena in general but also of language and language learning in particular. Consider the fol- lowing episode:
