scholarly journals Effects of task type on L2 Mandarin fluency development

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Wright
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Load Effects ◽  
Oral Development ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This study explores task effects on fluency development in second language (L2) Mandarin during study abroad (SA) in China, given linguistic and pedagogic challenges facing western learners of Mandarin (Zhao, 2011). Data from 10 adult English learners of Mandarin were compared pre/post 10 months’ SA in China. Performance was measured in 4 tasks with different task loads (rehearsed vs. spontaneous speech, in monologic and dialogic mode). Significant differences between the rehearsed monologue and other tasks found pre-SA were generally not found after SA. Some differences remained between monologues and dialogues, suggesting that task load effects may override SA impact. Claims about the impact of SA on L2 oral development should take more account of different task demands, to help further illuminate our understanding of how SA may benefit L2 fluency.

scholarly journals Engaging English Learners Through Literature, Fairy Tales, and Drama

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 138
Author(s):  
Alison Larkin Koushki
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Fairy Tales ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
The Impact

Use of literature in the English language classroom deepens student engagement, and fairy tales add magic to the mix. This article details the benefits of engaging English learners in literature and fairy tales, and explores how drama can be enlisted to further mine their riches. An educator’s case studies of language teaching through literature and drama projects are described, and the research question driving them highlighted: What is the impact of dramatizing literature on students’ engagement in novels and second language acquisition? Research on the effects of literature, drama, and the fairy tale genre on second language education is reviewed. Reading and acting out literature and fairy tales hones all four language skills while also enhancing the Seven Cs life skills: communication, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, commitment, compromise, and confidence. Adding the frame of project-based learning to the instructional strengths of literature and drama forms a strong pedagogical triangle for second language learning. Fairy tales are easily enacted. English educators and learners can download free fairy tale scripts and spice them with creative twists of their own creation or adapted from film and cartoon versions. Providing maximum student engagement, tales can be portrayed with minimum preparation. Using a few simple props and a short script, English learners can dramatize The Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, or Snow White in class with little practice. Engagement increases when teams act out tales on stage for an audience of family, friends, classmates, and educators. In fairy tale enactment projects, whether in class or on stage, students apply their multiple intelligences when choosing team roles: script-writing, acting, backstage, costumes, make-up, sound and lights, reporter, advertising, usher, writer’s corner, or stage managing. The article concludes with a list of engaging language activities for use with fairy tales, and a summary of the benefits of fairy tale enactments for English learners.

scholarly journals Voicing up in Debate Competition: Oral Development of Two Malaysian ESL Learners

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Amiri ◽  
Moomala Othman ◽  
Maryam Jahedi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Linguistic Resources ◽  
Communicative Strategies ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
Oral Development ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Impact

This research used a qualitative approach to focus on the classroom debate between Malaysian English second language learners (ESL). Since debate has been often perceived as not a suitable activity for low proficiency students due to their limited linguistic resources, there has not been much emphasis on the impact of debate on incompetent ESL learners; however, this study was an attempt to concentrate on two students who were not competent in English to investigate their oral development via debate. The study observed the communicative strategies employed in this challenging task during the five debate rounds. Although the progress made was quite limited, the study showed that debate competition can be a relevant and meaningful practice for speaking activity among low proficiency students. Moreover, it showed that debate can be used to scaffold students’ practice in speaking.

scholarly journals The impact of pre-task planning on speaking test performance for English-medium university admission

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan O’Grady
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
English Language ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Task Planning ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
University Admission ◽  
The Impact

This study investigated the impact of different lengths of pre-task planning time on performance in a test of second language speaking ability for university admission. In the study, 47 Turkish-speaking learners of English took a test of English language speaking ability. The participants were divided into two groups according to their language proficiency, which was estimated through a paper-based English placement test. They each completed four monologue tasks: two picture-based narrative tasks and two description tasks. In a balanced design, each test taker was allowed a different length of planning time before responding to each of the four tasks. The four planning conditions were 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. Trained raters awarded scores to the test takers using an analytic rating scale and a context-specific, binary-choice rating scale, designed specifically for the study. The results of the rater scores were analysed by using a multifaceted Rasch measurement. The impact of pre-task planning on test scores was found to be influenced by four variables: the rating scale; the task type that test takers completed; the length of planning time provided; and the test takers’ levels of proficiency in the second language. Increases in scores were larger on the picture-based narrative tasks than on the two description tasks. The results also revealed a relationship between proficiency and pre-task planning, whereby statistical significance was only reached for the increases in the scores of the lowest-level test takers. Regarding the amount of planning time, the 5-minute planning condition led to the largest overall increases in scores. The research findings offer contributions to the study of pre-task planning and will be of particular interest to institutions seeking to assess the speaking ability of prospective students in English-medium educational environments.

scholarly journals Enhancing English Learners’ Willingness to Communicate through Debate and Philosophy Inquiry Discussion

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Mardziah Shamsudin ◽  
Moomala Othman ◽  
Maryam Jahedi ◽  
Dalia Aralas
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Discussion Group ◽  
T Test ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Classroom Discussion ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Impact

The present study investigated the impact of two instructional methods, Debate and Philosophy Inquiry (PI), in enhancing Willingness to Communicate (WTC) among two groups of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners who were randomly selected. In each group there were sixteen participants. The researchers used independent samples t-test and paired samples t-test to analyze the collected data. The data analysis using paired samples t-test showed that both methods of instruction have a significant effect on learners’ WTC. However, the learners’ WTC increased more in Debate group comparing to the Philosophy Inquiry classroom discussion group. The results indicate that Debate is more effective than Philosophy Inquiry classroom discussion in enhancing ESL learners’ WTC.

Improving the Quality of Second Language Writing by First Language Use

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moussa Ahmadian ◽  
Sajjad Pouromid ◽  
Mehdi Nickkhah
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Learners ◽  
First Language ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
L1 Use ◽  
Development Structure

The role of the learners’ first language (L1) in learning second language (L2) writing has recently become a focus in SLA research. There have been many studies focusing on different aspects of this phenomenon. The results of these studies have shown how L1 use may play facilitative roles in producing writing in the second language. Many variables, such as task type and language proficiency, have also been studied in this regard. Yet, there seems to be a paucity of research on whether L1 use can significantly improve the quality of written productions in L2. The present study was therefore designed to peruse this question and find what aspects of writing may improve with L1 use. To this end, the written productions of 36 Persian-speaking intermediate English learners writing an argumentative paragraph were analyzed. 6 of the 12 groups were asked to collaborate in their first language and the others were limited to using the second language in their collaborations. The results of statistical comparisons between the first language and second language groups revealed that L1 use can significantly improve the overall score gained by the L2 writers. It was also found that L1 use improves the quality of L2 written productions in terms of organization/unity, development, structure, and mechanics.

scholarly journals Interactional Feedback in Naturalistic Interaction between L2 English Learners

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Mahishi Ranaweera
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Small Group ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Classroom Activity ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
Conversation Partner ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Small Group Activities

<p>Theoretical and empirical data support that the feedback given in small group activities promote second language acquisition. There are many studies that have examined the impact of interaction on second language acquisition in controlled language situations. This study examines the small group activity ‘conversation partner’ in order to find out how much feedback takes place in an out of classroom activity such as conversation partner where the language is not controlled. The conversations were recorded and examined for instances of interactional feedback. Later a tailor made test was given to find out whether the participants remembered the language items that they received feedback on. The results show that feedback in natural speech among learners occurs relatively at a low level but the learners remember whatever language that was used in feedback instances.</p>

scholarly journals The Influence of Planning and Task Type on Second Language Performance

1996 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Foster ◽  
Peter Skehan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Task Based Instruction ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Language Performance

This study focuses on the impact of different variables on the nature of language performance in the context of task-based instruction. Characteristics of tasks are discussed, and then a framework is offered that can organize the nature of task-based instruction and relevant research. The framework is used to generate predictions regarding the effects of three different tasks (Personal Information Exchange, Narrative, and Decision-Making) and three different implementation conditions for each task (unplanned, planned but without detail, detailed planning) on the variables of fluency, complexity, and accuracy. The study reports strong effects of planning on fluency and clear effects also on complexity, with a linear relationship between degree of planning and degree of complexity. However, a more complex relationship was discovered between planning and accuracy, with the most accurate performance produced by the less detailed planners. In addition, interactions were found between task type and planning conditions, such that the effects of planning were greater with the Narrative and Decision-Making tasks than with the Personal Information Exchange task. The results are discussed in terms of an attentional model of learning and performance and highlight the importance of tradeoff effects between the goals of complexity and accuracy in the context of the use of limited capacity attentional resources. The study contributes to the development of cognitive models of second language performance and addresses a number of pedagogic issues.

scholarly journals The Influence of Attention to Language Form on the Production of Weak Forms by Polish Learners of English

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-290
Author(s):  
Agata Barańska ◽  
Magdalena Zając
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Foreign Accent ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Slight Degree ◽  
Language Form ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Task

The paper discusses a study whose aim was to examine the impact of attention to language form and task type on the realisation of English function words by Polish learners of English. An additional goal was to investigate whether style-induced pronunciation shifts may depend on the degree of foreign accent. A large part of the paper concentrates on the issue of defining ‘weakness’ in English weak forms and considers priorities in English pronunciation teaching as far as the realisation of function words is concerned. The participants in the study were 12 advanced Polish learners of English, who were divided into two groups: 6 who were judged to speak with a slight degree of foreign accent and 6 who were judged to speak with a high degree of foreign accent. The subjects’ pronunciation was analysed in three situations in which we assume their attention was increasingly paid to speech form (spontaneous speech, prepared speech, reading). The results of the study suggest that increased attention to language form caused the participants to realise more function words as unstressed, although the effect was small. It was also found that one of the characteristics of English weak forms, the lack of stress, was realised correctly by the participants in the majority of cases. Finally, the results of the study imply that, in the case under investigation, the effect of attention to language form is weakly or not at all related to the degree of foreign accent.

Origami folding: Memory load effects on acquisition of sequential skills.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Zhao ◽  
Robert Gaschler ◽  
Anneli Kneschke ◽  
Simon Radler ◽  
Melanie Gausmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Curve ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Visuospatial Sketchpad ◽  
Load Effects ◽  
The Impact

Cognitive and motor memory loads can affect sequential skills. Differentiating the execution and the acquisition of sequential skills, we studied the impact of cognitive or motoric dual-task loads on performance in Origami folding and changes with practice. Participants (N = 53) folded five Origami figures for four times each, which were randomly paired with five types of secondary tasks to cause either cognitive (verbal vs. visuospatial) or motoric (isochronous vs. nonisochronous tapping) memory load or none (control condition). Origami performance showed a typical learning curve from Repetition 1 to Repetition 4. We observed a dissociation between variants of dual-task load influencing Origami folding performance vs. the variants influencing learning (i.e. change in performance across the four repetitions). In particular, the learning of Origami folding was only interfered by the memory load of the cognitive visuospatial secondary task as well as by the isochronous tapping secondary task. This might be due to the use of visuospatial sketchpad and absolute timing mechanism during the acquisition of Origami folding. The performance of Origami folding was moderated by the isochronous tapping secondary task.

Rating L2 speaker comprehensibility on monologic vs. interactive tasks

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin Crowther
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Combined Effect ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Minimal Impact

Abstract Second language (L2) scholars generally agree that pronunciation development should prioritize understandable over nativelike speech. However, which linguistic features enable understanding lacks clarity. While monologic research indicates a combined effect of segmental and suprasegmental measures, interactive research has emphasized a segmental focus. The current study takes a step in addressing this divide by applying a monologic methodology to interactive speech. 20 L2 English learners completed one interactive and three monologic tasks. 36 native listeners rated each speaker per task for comprehensibility. I additionally coded all utterances for a series of phonological and fluency measures. Surprisingly, segmental and suprasegmental measures had minimal impact on listerners’ ratings. Instead, ratings for the two more linguistically-constrained monologic tasks demonstrated stronger associations with fluency measures than the less-constrained monologic and interactive tasks. This finding is likely an effect of (a) increased cognitive task demands placed on speakers, and (b) listener familiarity with L2 English speech.

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