Assessing the effectiveness of interactional feedback for L2 acquisition: Issues and challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nassaji

AbstractHow to correct learner errors has long been of interest to both language teachers and second language acquisition (SLA) researchers. One way of doing so is through interactional feedback, which refers to feedback provided on learners' erroneous utterances during conversational interaction. Various theoretical claims have been made regarding the beneficial effects of interactional feedback, and over the years a considerable body of research has examined its effectiveness. In this context, a central and challenging question has always been how to determine whether such feedback is effective for language learning. Studies investigating the role of feedback have used various measures to assess its usefulness. In this paper, I will begin with a brief overview of the recent studies examining interactional feedback, with a focus on how its effectiveness has been assessed. I will then examine the various measures used in both descriptive and experimental research and discuss the issues associated with such measures. I will conclude with what continues to pose us a challenge in assessing the role of feedback and offer some recommendations to inform future research in this area.

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Diego Patricio Ortega-Auquilla ◽  
Cynthia Soledad Hidalgo-Camacho ◽  
Gerardo Estevan Heras-Urgiles

<p style="text-align: justify;">English language teachers are expected to implement lessons directed by the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) into today’s classrooms. In this regard, it is pivotal to know about the theoretical framework of this key language teaching approach. The framework is partly made up of one of the most crucial Second Language Acquisition (SLA) hypotheses called the Interaction Hypothesis (IH). The IH claims that second language development is better facilitated when learners participate in negotiated interaction. From a CLT perspective, a second language is acquired more effectively through interaction and communication. When language teachers attempt to design and deliver classroom instruction grounded in CLT, it is imperative to be familiar with the essential notions behind the IH and its facilitative role in SLA. Therefore, this paper provides key information on the hypothesis at hand by analyzing its early version and updated version. In addition, Krashen’s comprehensible input and Hatch’s role of interaction and conversation on L2 learning are highlighted, because the IH evolved from these two scholars’ seminal works.  This paper also deals with three key interactional modification techniques - comprehension checks, confirmation checks, and clarification requests – promoted by the IH. With the intent of facilitating language learning, the design and deliver of communicative-oriented lessons should have a central role in the classroom. However, lessons are more likely to be effective when teachers take the theory of the IH into practice by allowing learners to engage in negotiation of meaning through the use of the aforementioned interactional modifications.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-72
Author(s):  
Mai Thi Phuong Thao

In the changed context of a globalized world where English language continues to grow as a second or third language in many parts of the world, acquiring two primary languages simultaneously gains an increasing popularity. In this case, reviewing the influence of L1 on second language acquisition, i.e. language transfer, is of great importance. Though the theory of language transfer has experienced a long time of ups and downs since 1940s, up to now, it is still a central issue in applied linguistic, second language acquisition and language learning. Much of the history of this central concept has been tied in with the varying theoretical perspectives on SLA. The acceptance and/or rejection of language transfer as a viable concept has been related to the acceptance or rejection of the specific theory with which it has been associated. The article aims to compare and contrast views of the role of L1 in L2 acquisition according to Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis and Error Analysis approaches to reinvestigate how the views of L1's contributions to SLA changed in the early approaches.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1783-1786
Author(s):  
Zlatka Taneva ◽  
Blagoy Ayvazov

The current topic on the role of the antonyms in the Bulgarian language training of dental medicine students is based on observations conducted in three groups in the specialty, first and second years respectively. When communicating with Bulgarian patients students have to use words of the opposite meaning, to specify a particular problem in determining the dental status of the patient. The choice of antonyms is mandatory for determining the degree of sensations, sensitivity of the tooth to hot or cold, sensations during the mastication of solid or soft food, treated and untreated caries, in necrotic or vital teeth, sharp or dull pain, in an intact or broken filling, in slow or fast chewing of food, and many others. We present the results of the survey, analyzing them and offering guidelines for future research in the field of antonymy and synonymy in the Bulgarian language. In the course of the study, we are reviewing the idea of opposition with the ancient philosophers, referring to Heraclitus, Pythagoras and Hegel, and more precisely the concept of the opposite, as an expression of duality. We also refer to the views of modern linguists who explore and classify antonyms. In the Bulgarian language learning process, we consider the partial opposition of the lexemes by showing examples from the practice of dental students. In part, we also consider incomplete (near) antonyms, the use of which is also found in students' work. We draw attention to distinguishing the role of antonyms in artistic literature and in scientific styles. We investigate the use of antonyms in the determination of temporal and spatial relations, indicating a common seme. Of course, not every concept or phenomenon has a precise antonym. We point out examples in which the use of one lexeme in an anonymous pair calls for the opposite. We note that the same opposing couple breaks their semantics into different linguistic situations. The present work is abundant with examples from the "Bulgarian language textbook for foreign students" 2018, which is used in the direct work of Bulgarian language teachers for training in the second year when introducing specialized texts on dental medicine A semantic analysis of the examples is made, indicating the degree of opposition in the respective antonymous pair. The aim of the study is to assist students in their practice with Bulgarian patients, especially when working with children, as the antonyms play a significant role in determining the dental status and the history of patients.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Behney ◽  
Susan Gass

This Element in the Cambridge Elements in Second Language Acquisition series examines the role of interaction in Second Language Acquisition research, with a focus on the cognitive interactionist approach. The Element describes the major branches of the field, considering the importance of conversational interaction in both the cognitive interactionist framework as well as in sociocultural approaches to second language learning. The authors discuss the key concepts of the framework, including input, negotiation for meaning, corrective feedback, and output. The key readings in the field and the emphases of current and future research are explained. Finally, the authors describe the pedagogical implications that the cognitive interactionist approach has had on the teaching of second languages.


Author(s):  
Amelyn A Thompson ◽  
Willy A Renandya

The role of gesture in second language acquisition (SLA) has recently become a promising area of research, characterized by the growing number of empirical research studies that examine the potential of incorporating gestures in such areas as the teaching of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. This paper focuses on how gesture can be productively used to help students notice and subsequently correct their pronunciation errors, both segmental and suprasegmental errors. First, a critical review of the literature is presented in which we carefully explore recent research on oral corrective feedback and the role that gesture plays in facilitating comprehension and acquisition. Next, pedagogical implications are considered in which we discuss a pedagogical framework that language teachers can use as a guide for incorporating gestures in pronunciation instruction. Finally, future research possibilities are discussed, including suggestions for more robust research design and new areas to investigate.


Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-457
Author(s):  
Y.L MARREDDY

Y.L MARREDDY English is recognized as a universal language. Learning English is inevitable in this present global scenario. It also acts like a link language. Especially, English literature enables learners to develop critical thinking skills, helps to discover and enlighten themselves. It is quite challenging task to teachers to teach literature for studentsin non native English countries like India. The role of the language teachers becomes predominant and the methods of teaching literature according to the students’ level of understanding also play a significant role because studying literature assists students’ tohave real time experiences, passion for language acquisition and think innovatively. In this context, it is necessary for teachers to distinct between teaching literature for special purposes or it is used as a resource language for teaching this foreign language. This paper throws light on the importance of teaching literature, several approaches and methods of teaching literature at graduate level. Literature connects the cultures across the world, throws challenges to solve and even to heal some cultures. It really provides an individual space for learners to express themselves and improve competence levels among them. It allows learners to share their participation in the experience of others, strengthens to shape, alter their attitude and meet their expectations.


2008 ◽  
Vol 155 ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa McGarry

AbstractThe increasing recognition of the concept language ideology and the corresponding increasing use of the term have not yet been matched by applications in the field of second language acquisition. However, applications of the concept in analysis of actual classroom practices have shown it to have considerable explanatory power. Greater consideration of language ideology in SLA is necessary not only to achieve greater understanding of the role of ideology in various areas but also to show connections between these areas that may yield important generalizations and to impel the application of the concept in areas where it has been neglected by highlighting its uneven treatment.


Author(s):  
Suzanne C. Thompson

A sense of personal control is an important resource that helps people maintain emotional stability and successfully negotiate their way through life. People foster their perceived control by focusing on reachable goals, creating new avenues for control, and accepting difficult-to-change circumstances. In general, perceived control need not be realistic in order to have beneficial effects, although in the area of health promotion, overestimating one's control can reduce the motivation to engage in protection. Research on ethnic differences in the benefits of a sense of personal control suggests that those from more collectivistic cultures or subcultures may be less benefited by a sense of personal control, relying instead on a socially derived sense of control. Successful interventions to enhance personal control include programs that bolster coping skills, give options and decisions to participants, and provide training that encourages attributions to controllable factors. Future research should further explore ethnic differences in the effects of personal control, the consequences of unrealistic control perceptions, and interventions to enhance the sense of control.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith L. ROWE ◽  
Catherine E. SNOW

AbstractThis paper provides an overview of the features of caregiver input that facilitate language learning across early childhood. We discuss three dimensions of input quality: interactive, linguistic, and conceptual. All three types of input features have been shown to predict children's language learning, though perhaps through somewhat different mechanisms. We argue that input best designed to promote language learning is interactionally supportive, linguistically adapted, and conceptually challenging for the child's age/level. Furthermore, input features interact across dimensions to promote learning. Some but not all qualities of input vary based on parent socioeconomic status, language, or culture, and contexts such as book-reading or pretend play generate uniquely facilitative input features. The review confirms that we know a great deal about the role of input quality in promoting children's development, but that there is much more to learn. Future research should examine input features across the boundaries of the dimensions distinguished here.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiri Lev-Ari

AbstractPeople learn language from their social environment. Therefore, individual differences in the input that their social environment provides could influence their linguistic performance. Nevertheless, investigation of the role of individual differences in input on performance has been mostly restricted to first and second language acquisition. In this paper I argue that individual differences in input can influence linguistic performance even in adult native speakers. Specifically, differences in input can affect performance by influencing people’s knowledgebase, by modulating their processing manner, and by shaping expectations. Therefore, studying the role that individual differences in input play can improve our understanding of how language is learned, processed and represented.


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