The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of error correction, seen as an intrinsic component of second language teaching, in the interaction between teacher and students in an English as a Foreign Language class. Moreover, it is intended to examine the extent to which the act of correcting a formal/linguistic error can constitute a moment of co-construction of target language knowledge. The research was done through the observation of English classes in a group attending the sixth semester of a university English language course. The data indicate that, through formal correction, the statements produced by the learners, even when linguistically inadequate, may be recontextualized and incorporated in the classroom discourse. On the other hand, the results point out that even when the interaction possesses traditional instruction characteristics (cf. Gil, 1999), target language knowledge may be constructed by teacher and learners.
error treatment; co-construction; learning