How do second language (L2) students learn a social practice in their target language? This paper reports on some of the findings of a qualitative study that took a sociocultural approach (e.g., Bruner, 1983; Rogoff, 1990; Schieffelin & Ochs, 1986) to examine how a group of five EFL students learned the social practice of board gaming. A social practice theory analysis (Mohan, 2007) showed that the students worked together to help each other participate in the game and to create a shared understanding of its rules and procedures, revealing how action and reflection discourses were woven together. The analysis also illustrated how the students as active agents altered one of the rules of the game as well as how a relatively novice player, after receiving assistance from more experienced players and observing other players’ actions, assumed a more active role as the play progressed. These findings highlight the important co-construction of actions, roles, and understanding that takes place through L2 collaborative discourse in learning to play a game
