THE INCIDENTAL ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH PLURAL –S BY JAPANESE CHILDREN IN COMPREHENSION-BASED AND PRODUCTION-BASED LESSONS

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natsuko Shintani ◽  
Rod Ellis

Most studies that have investigated the effects of instruction on the SLA of specific grammatical features have focused on intentional learning. This study investigated incidental acquisition by comparing the relative effects of two types of instruction—comprehension-based instruction (CBI) and production-based instruction (PBI)—on young Japanese learners’ incidental acquisition of English plural –s. Results showed that both the CBI and PBI groups performed significantly better than the control group on both the comprehension and production tests. There were no statistically significant differences between the two experimental groups. However, a comparison of those learners in the two groups who were complete beginners indicated an advantage for the CBI instruction. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the interactions in one CBI and one PBI class showed that the students who received both kinds of instruction had ample exposure to plural –s nouns but that the nature of the corrective feedback they received differed. Whereas the feedback that the students in the CBI group received on their comprehension errors enabled them to distinguish the meanings of plural and singular nouns, the feedback that the students in the PBI group received on their production errors—in the form of recasts—did not result in the repair of errors.

Author(s):  
Ines A. Martin ◽  
Lieselotte Sippel

Abstract This study investigated the effects of teacher and peer corrective feedback on pronunciation development, with a special focus on whether providing or receiving peer feedback on pronunciation is more beneficial for L2 production skills. Participants included 96 L2 learners of German. They were assigned to one of three experimental groups or a control group. After general pronunciation training on a segmental and a suprasegmental feature, the teacher group received feedback from a teacher, the provider group gave feedback to peers, and the receiver group listened to feedback from peers. The control group received neither pronunciation training nor feedback. Results from native speaker comprehensibility ratings of learners’ productions indicated that while all groups outperformed the control group, both the teacher and the provider group improved more than the receiver group. In addition, the provider group had a slight edge over the teacher group. Theoretical and pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 243-248
Author(s):  
Lim Soo Giap

The time allocated to teach the sound system of Hanyu Pinyin in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) is insufficient for learners. Hence, it is suggested a web-based instruction incorporate into the curriculum as a self-learning material for learners to enable them to manage their learning process in the absence of instructor.The objective of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of utilizing Guru Hanyu Pinyin web based instruction as a teaching tool for non-native speakers in improving the writing and reading skills at disyllabic word level in Hanyu Pinyin. The study compares the academic achievements for Hanyu Pinyin of two different groups of students whereby the experimental group adopts the webbased instruction and the control group adopts the traditional approach as the mode of learning. This research is targeted on first year elementary level Mandarin students at UiTM Penang campus. The research sample has been selected through stratified random sampling. The findings for writing of disyllabic words showed that the mean score of the experimental group is better than the control group but there is no significant statistical difference between them. At the same time, the findings also indicate that the experimental group, which was using this Guru Hanyu Pinyin web-based instruction, is performing better than control group in term of reading skill. As the result, the students from experimental group can read the pronunciation of initials and finals better. This paper also discusses some limitations that were discovered during the research and proposes some recommendations for future research.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 589-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukie Saito ◽  
Kazuya Saito

The current study examined in depth the effects of suprasegmental-based instruction on the global (comprehensibility) and suprasegmental (word stress, rhythm, and intonation) development of Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Students in the experimental group ( n = 10) received a total of three hours of instruction over six weeks, while those in the control group ( n = 10) were provided with meaning-oriented instruction without any focus on suprasegmentals. Speech samples elicited from read-aloud tasks were assessed via native-speaking listeners’ intuitive judgments and acoustic analyses. Overall, the pre-/post-test data showed significant gains in the overall comprehensibility, word stress, rhythm, and intonation of the experimental group in both trained and untrained lexical contexts. In particular, by virtue of explicitly addressing first language / second language linguistic differences, the instruction was able to help learners mark stressed syllables with longer and clearer vowels; reduce vowels in unstressed syllables; and use appropriate intonation patterns for yes/no and wh-questions. The findings provide empirical support for the value of suprasegmental-based instruction in phonological development, even with beginner-level EFL learners with a limited amount of second-language conversational experience.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-386
Author(s):  
Ika Hidayanti ◽  
Eko Suhartoyo ◽  
Kurniasih Kurniasih

  The current study aims at investigating the effectiveness of using strategy-based instruction on the student’s listening achievement. This research applied quasi-experimental design, and the instruments were pretest and posttest. Both tests were about putting the pictures in order and form completion.  Prior to strategy choice, this study utilized Posteriori Taxonomy of Strategies of Learning English Listening Skill (Zuhairi & Hidayanti, 2014) especially focusing on the use of eight strategy categories deployed by successful students (Hidayanti & Umamah, 2018). Gaining the result from Independent t-Test analysis, it was found out that the experimental group outperformed better than their counterparts in control group. Thus, Strategy-based instruction plays important role to enhance and improve the EFL learners’ listening skill. 


2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAZUYA SAITO

ABSTRACTThe current study examines in depth how two types of form-focused instruction (FFI), which are FFI with and without corrective feedback (CF), can facilitate second language speech perception and production of /ɹ/ by 49 Japanese learners in English as a Foreign Langage settings. FFI effectiveness was assessed via three outcome measures (perception, controlled production, and spontaneous production) and also according to two lexical contexts (trained and untrained items). Two experimental groups received 4 hr of FFI treatment to notice and practice the target feature of /ɹ/ (but without any explicit instruction) in meaningful discourse. A control group (n = 14) received comparable instruction in the absence of FFI. During FFI, the instructors provided CF only to students in the FFI + CF group (n = 18) by recasting their mispronunciations of /ɹ/, while no CF was provided to those in the FFI-only group (n = 17). Analyses of pre- and posttests showed that FFI itself can sufficiently promote the development of speech perception and production of /ɹ/ and the acquisitional value of CF in second language speech learning remains unclear. The results suggest that the beginner learners without much phonetic knowledge on how to repair their mispronunciation of /ɹ/ should be encouraged to learn the target sound only through FFI in a receptive mode without much pressure for modified output.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-368
Author(s):  
Masahiro Takimoto

The present pilot study compared the effects of cognitive and non-cognitive approaches on the development of Japanese learners’ knowledge about the different degrees of sureness attached to certain, probable, and possible items. The results showed that the cognitive approach group outperformed the non-cognitive approach and control groups in writing and comparison judgment tests, and that both the cognitive and non-cognitive approach groups performed better than the control group in the categorization judgment test. These results suggest that the cognitive approach with 3D image content through computers can promote L2 language learning because it may have made the target structures more salient and also enabled the participants to connect spatial concepts with different degrees of sureness attached to the certain, probable, and possible items, thereby facilitating deep processing of form-meaning pairings.


2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Takimoto

This study involving 60 Japanese learners of English investigated the effects of various kinds of form-focused instruction on learners' ability to comprehend and produce polite requests in English. Each treatment group received one of the following: (a) deductive instruction; (b) inductive instruction with problem-solving tasks; or (c) inductive instruction with structured input tasks. These tasks all involved explicit input-based instruction and were intended to test for differences in deductive versus inductive treatments. Treatment group performance was compared with that of a control group on a range of input- and output-based pretests, posttests, and follow-up tests. The results indicate that the three treatment groups performed significantly better than the control group, suggesting that in this study explicit input-based instruction was effective both deductively and inductively for learners' comprehension and production of English polite requests. There was also some indication that inductive treatment may be superior in the longer term.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Aisha Tanveer ◽  
Mehwish Malghani ◽  
Durdana Khosa ◽  
Maria Khosa

Over the last few decades, considerable research has been done to investigate the role of written corrective feedback in SLA classrooms. However, early researches suffered from major design flaws and consequently failed to draw any definite conclusions. In order to move this line of research it is important to analyze the issue in EFL/ESL settings. This research study, by applying quantitative research design, seeks to investigate the effectiveness of WCF on 30 low-intermediate EFL learners and their error reduction rate on pre, post and delayed posttest. Two different types of WCF (direct and indirect metalinguistic) were provided on two error categories, i.e. articles and past tense. Statistical analysis indicated that both treatment groups performed significantly better than control group on subsequent drafts. Thus, the present study by proving the efficacy of WCF at least on above mentioned error categories strengthens the case in favor of WCF in L2 classrooms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Shodikin

<p>Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan pemecahan masalah menggunakan strategi abduktif-deduktif. Penelitian yang dilakukan merupakan eksperimental dengan desain pretes-postes dan kelompok kontrol tidak acak pada siswa kelas XI di salah satu SMA di Kabupaten Pati, Jawa Tengah. Analisis data penelitian dilakukan secara kuantitatif-kualitatif berdasarkan kategori kemampuan awal matematis (KAM) maupun keseluruhan. Selain peningkatan kemampuannya, dianalisis pula interaksi antara pembelajaran dan KAM. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa peningkatan kemampuan pemecahan masalah matematis siswa yang mendapatkan pembelajaran dengan strategi abduktif-deduktif lebih baik daripada siswa yang mendapat pembelajaran ekspositori. Secara lebih rinci dari kategori KAM, hanya pada kategori tengah yang menunjukkan peningkatan yang lebih baik. Sedangkan pada kategori KAM atas dan bawah memiliki peningkatan kemampuan pemecahan masalah yang sama. Interaksi antara pembelajaran dan KAM dalam meningkatkan kemampuan pemecahan masalah tidak menunjukkan hubungan yang signifikan.</p><p><em>Th</em><em>is</em><em> research purpose is </em><em>to </em><em>improv</em><em>e</em><em> the </em><em>problem solving</em><em> ability using abductive-deductive strategy. </em><em>This study</em><em> </em><em>is </em><em>experimental </em><em>research </em><em>using a pretest-posttest design </em><em>with</em><em> </em><em>nonrandomized control group in XI class</em><em> </em><em>student at one senior high school in Pati, Central Java</em><em>, Indonesia</em><em>. Data analysis was performed </em><em>by</em><em> quantitative-qualitative analysis based o</em><em>n</em><em> categories of early mathematical ability and overall. In addition,</em><em> it</em><em> also analyzed the interaction between learning and early mathematical ability. The results showed that</em><em> the </em><em>improvement </em><em>of </em><em>mathematical </em><em>problem solving</em><em> abilities in students with abductive-deductive strategy better than </em><em>those</em><em> who received the expository learning. More detail</em><em>s</em><em> </em><em>based on</em><em> early mathematical ability categories, only the middle category which showed better improvement. While the </em><em>upper and the under </em><em>categories ha</em><em>ve</em><em> </em><em>equal</em><em> improvement. </em><em>The i</em><em>nteraction between learning and early mathematical ability showed </em><em>no</em><em> significant relationship</em><em> </em><em>to improve </em><em>problem solving</em><em> ability.</em></p><p> </p>


Author(s):  
Minh Thi Thuy Nguyen ◽  
H.T. Do ◽  
T.T. Pham ◽  
A.T. Nguyen

AbstractThis study investigates effects of pragmatics-focused instruction using different types of written corrective feedback (CF) on the development of pragmatic competence of Vietnamese learners of English as a foreign language. Five intermediate-level groups of learners who were learning syntactic downgraders for mitigating their email requests were randomly assigned to either the control or one of the four treatment conditions: instruction + clarification requests, instruction + recasts, instruction + metapragmatic feedback, and instruction + explicit correction. The performance of the treatment groups on a DCT pre-test, immediate post-test, and two follow-up tests at one and eight months after the treatments was compared with that of a control group who received only routine instruction. Results showed that the four treatment groups performed significantly better than the control group when measured at all three post-tests, but there was no difference among the treatment groups in their post-treatment scores.


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