Collaborative learning is a type of learning that allows learners to work with others. One type of collaborative learning is pair work. Pair work allows learners to achieve a given task with a team member. The social interaction does more to the learners than just accomplish the given task. This study explores interaction during pair work in a language classroom. The guiding principle behind this investigation is Vygotsky’s (1984) social constructivism learning theory that states that learning is a social process and learners construct knowledge as they interact with others. In doing so, they improve their zone of proximal development (ZPD). 36 respondents participated in this quantitative study. The instrument is a questionnaire about pair work interactions. The chosen variables are language, ZPD and social interaction. Statistical analysis was done to analyse the data. Findings revealed that there is a relationship between language use and ZPD. Findings also showed that there is a relationship between ZPD and social interaction as well as relationship between social interaction and language. Findings bear interesting implications for pair work in language classrooms.
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