Introduction

Research on second language (L2) acquisition within the interactionist framework (Gass & Mackey, 2007; Long, 1996) has shown that oral interaction among learners facilitates the L2 acquisition process (see meta-analyses by Keck et al., 2006; Mackey & Goo, 2007). Negotiated interaction provides learners with comprehensible input, feedback and opportunities to produce modified output (García Mayo & Alcón Soler, 2013; Mackey, 2007). Most research to date within this framework has focused on adult English as a second language (ESL) or English as foreign language (EFL) populations, whereas interaction among child learners has been under-researched. Except for the pioneering work by Oliver (2009) with child ESL learners, little is known about whether interaction actually occurs in EFL settings, where exposure to the language is much less frequent than in ESL contexts, and even less about a new methodological approach that is becoming prevalent in Europe: content and language integrated learning (CLIL), where exposure to the target language is increased.

It is well known that the early introduction of foreign languages in school contexts is on the increase worldwide (Enever, 2011; García Mayo & García Lecumberri, 2003; Muñoz, 2006, 2014; Nikolov & Mihaljević Djigunović, 2011). Gathering data about what actually occurs in EFL settings regarding the existence of child interaction in communicative contexts is of great importance in order to maximise the children's language learning opportunities (Pinter, 2011). In order to lessen this research gap, the aim of this study is to assess whether or not EFL children use conversational interaction strategies and, if so, whether these vary depending on the age of the children, the context (mainstream EFL or CLIL) in which they are exposed to the language, and whether they develop over time. A total of 27 dyads of children (age range 8–12 years old) were video-recorded while completing a communicative task and their use of conversational strategies was codified and analysed.