Extensive research has informed that effective instructional strategies for promoting L2 oral interaction include explicit instruction, the use of information-gap-focused tasks, and task repetition. 

Oral interaction is important to second language (L2) learners because it facilitates L2 learning, helps to obtain educational and employment opportunities, as well as promotes social integration. Although people assume that young L2 learners can develop interactional skills and strategies naturally and effortlessly, many studies suggest that oral interaction is both socially and cognitively demanding. Children have great difficulties in collaboratively engaging in L2 oral interaction. These difficulties were also observed among non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students from South and Southeast Asia in Hong Kong. Extensive research has informed that effective instructional strategies for promoting L2 oral interaction include explicit instruction, the use of information-gap-focused tasks, and task repetition. However, these strategies have rarely been applied to young learners of languages other than English in Asian contexts. Thus, this study aims to  

1. design and implement an intervention model informed by prior research in L2 oral interaction;  
2. evaluate the intervention’s effects on enhancing young NCS students’ oral interaction in Cantonese;  
3. explore perceptions of students and teachers regarding the effectiveness and applicability of the intervention.  

The study will employ the experiment-control group with a pre-, post-, and delayed post-test design, complemented by classroom observations and interviews. 120 NCS students and their teachers will be recruited and assigned to an experimental group and a control group to ensure sufficient target students. The experimental teachers will receive training on instructional strategies of oral interaction and co-develop teaching materials with researchers. The intervention will train and practise students’ use of interactional skills and strategies through explicit instruction, information-gap-focused tasks, and task repetition. To ensure fidelity, classroom observations and a fidelity checklist will be utilised. The control group will follow instructions and activities in textbooks. The study will administer oral interaction tests before (pre-test), after the intervention (post-test), and three weeks after the post-test (delayed post-test) to both groups. Students’ oral performance will be analysed in terms of topic management skills, interaction patterns, and negotiation of meaning. Statistical analysis will be conducted to detect any between-group and within-group differences to examine the effects of the intervention on students’ oral interaction. Students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness and applicability of the intervention will be explored via interviews. The study will provide empirical evidence on the intervention effectiveness to inform the effective instructional strategies for improving young L2 learners’ interactional competence and provide insights into how these strategies can be applied to the Asian context.