Showing papers in "International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching in 2009"

Manipulating cognitive complexity across task types and its impact on learners' interaction during oral performance

Abstract: The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of manipulating the cognitive complexity of three different types of oral tasks on interaction. The study first considers the concepts of task complexity and interaction and then examines the specific studies that have looked at the effects of increasing task complex- ity on conversational interaction. In the experiment, learners of English as a foreign language organized into 27 dyads carry out three different types of tasks: a narrative reconstruction task, an instruction-giving map task, and a decision-making task. Two different versions of each task, one simple and one complex, are presented to learners in different sequences. Task complexity is manipulated along the degree of displaced, past time reference, the number of elements, and the reasoning demands. Audio recordings are transcribed and coded for interactional feedback, which is measured in terms of negotiation of meaning (i.e., confirmation checks, clarification requests, and comprehension checks), recasts, language-related episodes (LREs), and repairs, all of which have been described in the literature as being conducive to acquisition. Both parametric and non-parametric statistical tests are used. Results are discussed in the light of previous studies that have looked at the specific relationship between task complexity and interaction, attention models (Robinson 2001a, 2003, 2005, 2007b; Skehan and Foster 2001), and how different task types may variously affect the way interaction proceeds during task performance.

Oral interaction in task-based EFL learning: The use of the L1 as a cognitive tool

Abstract: The role of the first language (L1) in the learning of a second language (L2) has been widely studied as a source of cross-linguistic influence from the native system (Gass and Selinker 1992). Yet, this perspective provides no room for an understanding of language as a cognitive tool (Vygostsky 1978), that is, language as a mediating tool in all forms of higher-order mental processing. Recent findings in both foreign language classrooms (Anton and DiCamilla 1999; Brooks and Donato 1994) and immersion classrooms (Swain and Lap-kin 2000) suggest that the L1 may be a useful tool for learning the L2. This line of research argues that an L1 shared by learners provides cognitive support that allows them to work at a higher level than that which would be possible if they were just using the L2. This paper reports the findings of a study which analyses the use of the L1 and its functions in the oral interaction of twelve pairs of undergraduate EFL learners with low proficiency in the target language while engaged in three collaborative tasks (jigsaw, text reconstruction and dictogloss). Our findings indicate that the L1 is an important tool for these learners and that there is task-related variation in its use.

Practices for Dispreferred Responses Using "No" by a Learner of English

Abstract: Responding in a manner that does not align with an action or affiliate with a stance implicated in just prior talk is potentially sensitive work. Conversation Analysis (CA) has shown that participants orient to the sensitive nature of sequences of talk used to project responses that do not align, or, are dispreferred (Pomerantz 1984) in some way. This paper examines such responses, especially with the use of no tokens. The talk comes from the interactions of one adult learner of English in a language learning classroom over the course of five ten-week terms. The findings show that the participant's use of no (for other-correction, third-position repair, and multiple sayings) is oriented to by peers as appropriate for the classroom community of practice. Learning, it is suggested, may be seen in the learner's orientation to the preference for affiliation when doing negative responses.

A multiple-strategy-based approach to word and collocation acquisition

Abstract: Acquiring an adequate vocabulary is a cognitive challenge for foreign language learners. Varied exposures to newly acquired words as they occur in meaningful contexts may facilitate the process of vocabulary learning. In this study we investigated the effects of such a multiple-strategy-based vocabulary teaching approach. We conducted an experiment with 115 Taiwanese high school students, interviewed teachers, and engaged in classroom observations. The experiment involved a no-strategy control condition and two experimental conditions which utilized 7 different pedagogical activities. Interviews indicated increased student oral, listening, and reading proficiency. Observation data showed that multiple strategies led to learners' active participation and animated vocabulary teaching. The post-test mean scores of the experimental group participants ranked higher than those of the control group in word knowledge. The results also indicated that overall classroom language performance had been enhanced. The findings suggest that using multiple-strategy approaches, such as this one, are beneficial in the acquisition of L2 vocabulary.