scholarly journals Consistency of co-occurring actions influences young children’s word learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 190097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah F. V. Eiteljoerge ◽  
Maurits Adam ◽  
Birgit Elsner ◽  
Nivedita Mani
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Simultaneous Presentation ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Multimodal Learning ◽  
Growth Curve Models ◽  
Consistent Condition ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Perceptual Abilities

Communication with young children is often multimodal in nature, involving, for example, language and actions. The simultaneous presentation of information from both domains may boost language learning by highlighting the connection between an object and a word, owing to temporal overlap in the presentation of multimodal input. However, the overlap is not merely temporal but can also covary in the extent to which particular actions co-occur with particular words and objects, e.g. carers typically produce a hopping action when talking about rabbits and a snapping action for crocodiles. The frequency with which actions and words co-occurs in the presence of the referents of these words may also impact young children’s word learning. We, therefore, examined the extent to which consistency in the co-occurrence of particular actions and words impacted children’s learning of novel word–object associations. Children (18 months, 30 months and 36–48 months) and adults were presented with two novel objects and heard their novel labels while different actions were performed on these objects, such that the particular actions and word–object pairings always co-occurred ( Consistent group) or varied across trials ( Inconsistent group). At test, participants saw both objects and heard one of the labels to examine whether participants recognized the target object upon hearing its label. Growth curve models revealed that 18-month-olds did not learn words for objects in either condition, and 30-month-old and 36- to 48-month-old children learned words for objects only in the Consistent condition, in contrast to adults who learned words for objects independent of the actions presented. Thus, consistency in the multimodal input influenced word learning in early childhood but not in adulthood. In terms of a dynamic systems account of word learning, our study shows how multimodal learning settings interact with the child’s perceptual abilities to shape the learning experience.

scholarly journals Semantic consistency of actions influences young children’s word learning

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah F V Eiteljoerge ◽  
Maurits Adam ◽  
Birgit Elsner ◽  
Nivedita Mani
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Dynamic Systems ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Multimodal Learning ◽  
Semantic Consistency ◽  
Consistent Group ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Perceptual Abilities

Communication with young children is often multimodal in nature, involving, for example, language and actions. This multimodal input supports language learning when it highlights the connection of word and object. But multimodal input can also guide the child’s attention away from the language input, and thus, exacerbate learning. In the current study, we therefore examined the influence of semantic consistency of actions on early word learning. Children (18 months, 30 months, 36 - 48 months) and adults were presented with two novel objects and their novel labels while different actions were performed on these objects, such that the pairing of actions and objects was either consistent (Consistent group) or varied across trials (Inconsistent group). At test, participants saw both objects and heard one of the labels to examine participants’ target looking upon hearing its label. Only 3- to 4-year-olds and adults learned word-object associations with the children benefiting from consistent and adults from the inconsistent action presentations. Thus, consistency in the multimodal input facilitated word learning in early childhood. In terms of a dynamic systems account of word learning, our study shows how multimodal learning settings interact with the child’s perceptual abilities, and how the interaction can therefore shape the learning experience.

Forming associations between language and sensorimotor traces during novel word learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
BIRGIT ÖTTL ◽  
CAROLIN DUDSCHIG ◽  
BARBARA KAUP
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Learning Phase ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Lower Visual Field ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Multisensory Environment ◽  
Novel Word Learning

abstractEmbodied models of language comprehension are based on the assumption that words become associated with sensorimotor experiences during initial word learning. To test this hypothesis, adult participants learned artificial words as labels for novel objects in a multisensory environment. In a word learning phase, novel objects were located in the participant’s upper or lower visual field and participants learned the objects’ names by interacting with them. In a test phase, participants responded to the color of the words with either an upwards or a downwards directed arm movement in a Stroop-like paradigm. Responses were fastest when the movement direction was compatible with the word’s referent location (i.e., the location of the novel object in vertical space) during the learning phase. This finding suggests that sensorimotor experiences become associated with words during initial word learning. The results of the current study and implications for language learning are discussed.

scholarly journals Do preferences for words and actions influence word-object and action-object learning in early childhood?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah F V Eiteljoerge ◽  
Maurits Adam ◽  
Birgit Elsner ◽  
Nivedita Mani
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Learning Behaviour ◽  
Object Condition ◽  
Novel Objects ◽  
Unique Method

Children live in a multimodal world: For example, communication with young children not only includes information from the auditory linguistic modality in the form of speech but also from the visual modality in the form of actions that caregivers use in the interaction with children. Dynamic systems approaches suggest that multimodal input can help children to learn from the environment while also allowing the child to shape their own learning experience through selective attention. This selective attention might be influenced by the child's preferences, which, in turn, might shape the child's learning behaviour. In this study, we investigated how children's selective attention to information from the linguistic or the action modality influence learning in both domains.Two- to 3-year-old children and adults participated in a novel gaze-contingent paradigm that allowed them to choose between being provided with the labels for or the actions that one can do with novel and familiar objects. At test, participants saw the two novel objects and either heard one of the labels or saw one of the actions that had been performed on one of the objects. Following label and action presentation, we investigated whether children fixated the target object, i.e., the object whose respective action/label had been presented, as an index of word and action learning. Children learned word but not action-object associations, and their target looking in the word-object condition was influenced by their selective attention to words in the earlier phase. Adults learned word-object associations and action-object associations, and their target looking in the action-object condition was influenced by their selective attention to actions in the earlier phase.Gaze-contingent eye-tracking paradigms provide us a unique method to analyse children's active learning preferences, which will help us better understand children's learning behaviour in a complex world. In particular, we show that in multimodal environments, children's preferences might help to structure the complex input into chunks that are compatible with the child's cognitive capacities in the moment.

scholarly journals Word Learning in Adults With Second-Language Experience: Effects of Phonological and Referent Familiarity

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 667-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Kaushanskaya ◽  
Jeewon Yoo ◽  
Stephanie Van Hecke
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Experience Effects ◽  
Novel Word Learning ◽  
Novel Words

Purpose The goal of this research was to examine whether phonological familiarity exerts different effects on novel word learning for familiar versus unfamiliar referents and whether successful word learning is associated with increased second-language experience. Method Eighty-one adult native English speakers with various levels of Spanish knowledge learned phonologically familiar novel words (constructed using English sounds) or phonologically unfamiliar novel words (constructed using non-English and non-Spanish sounds) in association with either familiar or unfamiliar referents. Retention was tested via a forced-choice recognition task. A median-split procedure identified high-ability and low-ability word learners in each condition, and the two groups were compared on measures of second-language experience. Results Findings suggest that the ability to accurately match newly learned novel names to their appropriate referents is facilitated by phonological familiarity only for familiar referents but not for unfamiliar referents. Moreover, more extensive second-language learning experience characterized superior learners primarily in one word-learning condition: in which phonologically unfamiliar novel words were paired with familiar referents. Conclusions Together, these findings indicate that phonological familiarity facilitates novel word learning only for familiar referents and that experience with learning a second language may have a specific impact on novel vocabulary learning in adults.

Dialogic Teaching and Translanguaging in Deaf Education

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Swanwick
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Deaf Education ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Diverse Learning ◽  
Language Context ◽  
Pedagogical Framework

This chapter proposes a pedagogical framework for deaf education that builds on a sociocultural perspective and the role of interaction in learning. Pedagogical principles are argued that recognize the dialogic nature of learning and teaching and the role of language as “the tool of all tools” in this process. Building on established work on classroom talk in deaf education, the issues of dialogue in deaf education are extended to consider deaf children’s current learning contexts and their diverse and plural use of sign and spoken languages. Within this broad language context, the languaging and translanguaging practices of learners and teachers are explained as central to a pedagogical framework that is responsive to the diverse learning needs of deaf children. Within this pedagogical framework practical teaching strategies are suggested that draw on successful approaches in the wider field of language learning and take into account the particular learning experience and contexts of deaf children.

International teleconferences in EGAP courses: preparing students for prospective professional situations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-32
Author(s):  
Anila R. Scott-Monkhouse ◽  
Michal Tal ◽  
Maria Yelenevskaya
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Israel Institute ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Institute Of Technology

Abstract This paper describes a joint programme developed in 2018 by the University of Parma Language Centre (Italy) and the Humanities and Arts Department of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The aim of the project was to involve students of English for General Academic Purposes in delivering presentations to an unfamiliar foreign audience on a topic relevant to their academic interests. The students were required to prepare for the presentation by exploring and personalising the chosen topic so as to be able to explain it to a group which they had had no previous contact with or information about. Through the active involvement of the students in a realistic implementation of their prospective professional use of English, language learning became a holistic experience where a traditional approach to language learning focusing mainly on vocabulary and macro-skills was integrated with a pragmatic approach which addressed the so-called ‘21st-century skills’ (specifically critical thinking, communication, collaboration and digital literacy). The simulation of situations that they are likely to encounter in their professional lives helped students build their confidence, with the whole learning experience carrying both emotional and social implications. This paper offers an insight into the challenges and issues which arose, and ideas for improving the learning experience. We describe the preparation carried out by the teachers at both universities, and the guided and autonomous work carried out by students in the different stages. A post-conference survey triggered the students’ self-reflection in relation to learning and personal development. The survey was also valuable for the teachers regarding reassessment of teaching strategies and preparation for future joint projects.

Education of undergraduate: Epistemic and cultural beliefs as obstacles to technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 002072092098431
Author(s):  
Fahad SS Alfallaj ◽  
Ahmed AH Al-Ma'amari ◽  
Fahad IA Aldhali
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Language Curriculum

This study aims to identify the epistemological and cultural beliefs that act as barriers in English learning by Saudi undergraduate learners. English is a compulsory component of education from the early school years in Saudi Arabia, and the Ministry of Education invests a great deal of workforce and financial resources in this sector in a concerted effort to ensure that Saudi students attain language proficiency. The study employed a mixed-method research design and was conducted with 85 undergraduate learners at Qassim University. It used a questionnaire and interviews to obtain insight into the factors that inhibit the English learning experience. Results revealed that the respondents' resistance to the learning of others' culture stems mainly from the epistemic and cultural barriers embedded in English language learning. Implications of the study will provide the basis to policymakers, educationists, institutions, and learners for contextualizing the English language curriculum of Saudi Arabia.

scholarly journals Exploring the Success of GMT Technique: Games, Mind-Mapping, and Twitter Hashtags in Teaching Vocabulary in EFL Higher Education Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Banan Hassan Alhajaji ◽  
Jalila Saleh Algmadi ◽  
Amal Abdelsattar Metwally
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Mind Mapping ◽  
Grammatical Competence ◽  
Interactive Games ◽  
Assessment Tests ◽  
Vocabulary Building

Vocabulary is an essential element of language learning. Wide ranges of vocabulary along with grammatical competence guarantee learners to communicate in the language effectively. This study proposes an edutainment method for learning vocabulary by simply combining education and entertainment. This study aims to gain insights about learners’ opinions and perspectives about the use of a technique developed by the researchers as well as how participants feel about their learning. The study investigates the effect of employing Games, Mind-mapping and Twitter Hashtags as the GMT technique, on female Saudi university students’ achievement in English vocabulary. The study suggests that this technique which consists of interactive games, cognitive mind-mapping and the exploitation of technology in the form of twitter hashtags, all employed together, constitute a unified framework for activating students’ vocabulary learning. The sample in the study consisted of 150 students enrolled in the vocabulary building course during the second semester of the academic year 2018/2019. The participants were asked to respond to the questionnaire and they also took variant assessment tests, then their scores were compared to the results of other students who were not taught vocabulary using the technique in question. The findings ascertain the improvement and significant in the experimental group. In addition, the results reveal that the learners had mostly positive opinions on implementing the GMT technique which facilitated their language learning experience. The researchers conclude that the GMT technique can be an effective tool to promote students’ active engagement, motivation, and interaction in vocabulary learning.

Tandem language learning via e-mail: from motivation to autonomy

ReCALL ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
EMA USHIODA
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Affective Learning ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Pedagogical Issues ◽  
Affective Dimension ◽  
Tandem Learning ◽  
E Mail

This paper examines the affective dimension of tandem language learning via e-mail. It begins by highlighting some of the obstacles to this mode of learning, including organisational and pedagogical issues as well as the particular issues confronting learners. Drawing on a small body of empirical data, it explores the interactions between these issues and what learners perceive to be intrinsically motivating about tandem learning. It concludes by suggesting that affective learning experience has a potentially powerful role to play in fostering the development of learner autonomy through the reciprocity on which successful tandem learning is founded.

scholarly journals Understanding High Performance in Late Second Language (L2) Acquisition—What Is the Secret? A Contrasting Case Study in L2 French

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Fanny Forsberg Lundell ◽  
Klara Arvidsson
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Host Community ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Attribute Importance ◽  
High Performing ◽  
High Performers

Adult L2 acquisition has often been framed within research on the Critical Period Hypothesis, and the age factor is one of the most researched topics of SLA. However, several researchers suggest that while age is the most important factor for differences between child and adult SLA, variation in adult SLA is more dependent on social and psychological factors than on age of onset. The present qualitative study investigates the role of migratory experience, language use/social networks, language learning experience, identity and attitudes for high performance among Swedish L1 French L2 users in France. The study constitutes an in-depth thematic analysis of interviews with six high-performing individuals and four low-performing individuals. The main results show that the high performers differ from the low performers on all dimensions, except for attitudes towards the host community. High performers are above all characterized by self-reported language aptitude and an early interest in languages, which appears to have led to rich exposure to French. Also, they exhibit self-regulatory behaviors and attribute importance to being perceived as a native speaker of French—both for instrumental and existential reasons.

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