scholarly journals The role of input in second language oral ability development in foreign language classrooms: A longitudinal study

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuya Saito ◽  
Keiko Hanzawa
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
First Year ◽  
Continuous Change ◽  
First Semester ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms ◽  
Academic Year

The current project longitudinally investigated the extent to which first-year Japanese university students developed their second language (L2) oral ability in relation to increased input in foreign language classrooms. Their spontaneous speech was elicited at the beginning, middle and end of one academic year, and then judged by linguistically trained coders for pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary and grammar qualities. According to the statistical analyses, the total amount of input (operationalized as number of English classes taken and L2 use outside of classrooms) was significantly related to the participants’ quick and immediate development of fluency and lexicogrammar during the first semester. Their pronunciation development was mixed, either subject to continuous change over two academic semesters (for prosody) or limited within the timeframe of the study (for segmentals). Similar to naturalistic L2 speech learning, the findings support the multifaceted role of input in different areas of oral proficiency development in foreign language classrooms.

Development of second language speech fluency in foreign language classrooms: A longitudinal study

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110086
Author(s):  
Keiko Hanzawa
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Academic Year

Although several researchers have demonstrated that foreign language (FL) learning experience has a limited effect on the short-term development of second language (L2) fluency, recent studies have suggested that learners can gain long-term (over one year) benefits from FL learning experiences. As a part of the present study, 50 Japanese university students were exposed to L2 learning experience over the course of one academic year to monitor its impact on L2 fluency measures (i.e. speed, breakdown, and repair fluency) in FL context. The relationship between the development of L2 fluency measures and learners’ learning experiences inside and outside the classroom was also investigated. The results showed a significant decrease in the length of between-clause and within-clause pauses that learners made. Furthermore, the correlational analysis showed that their L2 learning experience was uniquely associated with the development of between-clause pause frequency and repair frequency. These findings suggest that, while relatively long-term FL learning impacts the development of L2 fluency, it produces a unique pattern, whereby the effectiveness of FL learning is influenced by how students make the best use of their learning experiences.

scholarly journals APTITUDE, EXPERIENCE, AND SECOND LANGUAGE PRONUNCIATION PROFICIENCY DEVELOPMENT IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuya Saito ◽  
Yui Suzukida ◽  
Hui Sun
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Sequence Recognition ◽  
Temporal Aspects ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Sound Sequence ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

AbstractThe current study longitudinally examined the influence of aptitude on second language (L2) pronunciation development when 40 first-year Japanese university students engaged in practice activities inside and outside English-as-a-Foreign-Language classrooms over one academic year. Spontaneous speech samples were elicited at the beginning, middle, and end points of the project, analyzed for global, segmental, syllabic, prosodic, and temporal aspects of L2 pronunciation, and linked to their aptitude and experience profiles. Results indicated that the participants generally enhanced the global comprehensibility of their speech (through reducing vowel insertion errors in complex syllables) as a function of increased classroom experience during their first semester, and explicit learning aptitude (associative memory, phonemic coding) appeared to help certain learners further enhance their pronunciation proficiency through the development of fluency and prosody. In the second semester, incidental learning ability (sound sequence recognition) was shown to be a significant predictor of the extent to which certain learners continued to improve and ultimately attain advanced-level L2 comprehensibility, largely thanks to improved segmental accuracy.

scholarly journals A REVIEW ON THE USE OF L1 IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Zilian
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
First Language ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms ◽  
L1 Use

This review aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the use of first language (L1) in foreign language classrooms by reviewing 15 empirical studies. This review found that the focuses of those studies can be categorized from five aspects: (1) extent of L1 use, (2) the purpose of L1 use, (3) factors influencing teachers’ use of L1, (4) attitudes and identities related to L1 use, and (5) the effectiveness of L1 use on second language (L2) learning. Methods for research on this area and directions for future research are suggested. 本文旨在通过对15篇实证研究的回顾，对外语课堂中母语的使用提供一个全面的视角。本文主要发现, 这些研究的主题可以分为五类: (1)使用母语的程度, (2) 使用母语的目的, (3) 影响教师使用母语的因素, (4) 关于母语使用的态度和身份转变, 以及 (5) 母语使用对外语学习的影响。基于以上发现本文总结了该领域的研究方法，指明了未来的研究方向。 <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0789/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Expectations in the Foreign Language Classrooms: A Case Study

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olha Ketsman
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Student Achievement ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
High School Classrooms ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms

Research shows the strong correlation between expectations and student achievement across different disciplines. However, little research has been conducted regarding the role of discipline specific classroom expectations in student academic achievement. This multiple instrumental case study discusses expectations in two rural Spanish high school classrooms in which teachers produce d the highest achieving students. The data was collected through classroom observations, one-on-one audiotaped interviews with teachers and exploration of instructional materials. The study provides insights about the role of expectations in foreign language classrooms and offers examples of foreign language pedagogical practices that reflect high expectations. The study concludes that expectations shape the learning process in Spanish high school classrooms and contribute to high student achievement. Foreign language educators, faculty of teacher preparation programs, employees of professional development institutes, administrators and state teacher education policy makers will benefit from findings of the study by receiving a better understanding of the role of expectations in the foreign language classroom.

scholarly journals Developing second language oral ability in foreign language classrooms: The role of the length and focus of instruction and individual differences

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 813-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAZUYA SAITO ◽  
KEIKO HANZAWA
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Oral Performance ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Picture Description ◽  
Description Task ◽  
Cram School ◽  
Temporal Qualities

ABSTRACTThe current study aimed to examine how instruction can impact the global, segmental, prosodic, and temporal qualities of second language (L2) oral ability in foreign language (FL) settings (i.e., a few hours of target language input per week). Spontaneous speech was elicited via a timed picture description task from 56 Japanese freshman college students who had studied English through FL instruction from Grades 7 to 12 without any experience abroad. The tokens were rated for global accentedness and then submitted to segmental, prosodic, and temporal analyses. According to statistical analyses, (a) the participants' oral performance widely varied in relation to the length and focus of FL instruction, the frequency of their conversations in the L2, and aptitude; and (b) their diverse proficiency levels were predicted in particular by the amount of extra FL activities inside (i.e., pronunciation training) and outside (i.e., cram school) of high school (but not junior high) classrooms. The results in turn suggest that whereas extensive FL instruction (>875 hr) itself does make some difference in L2 oral ability development, its pedagogical potential can be increased by how students optimize their most immediate FL experience beyond the regular syllabus.

scholarly journals Foreign Language Anxiety and Student Interpreters’ Learning Outcomes: Implications for the Theory and Measurement of Interpretation Learning Anxiety

2010 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Nan Chiang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Language Anxiety ◽  
Foreign Language Anxiety ◽  
Learning Anxiety ◽  
Exam Scores

Although anxiety has been documented as an important variable in both interpretation performance and second language acquisition, there has been virtually no research on the interconnections between the anxiety reactions induced by these two cross-linguistic / cultural endeavors. A review of the literature on anxiety and interpretation performance finds that most of the existing studies have treated the anxiety induced by interpretation as a transfer of other general types of anxieties, such as trait anxiety, without considering the probable role of second language anxiety in interpretation performance. In order to determine the role of foreign language anxiety in 213 Chinese-English interpretation students’ learning outcomes, which were indexed by the participants’ mid-term exam scores and semester grades, this study employed Spielberger’s (1983)Trait Anxiety Inventoryto measure the students’ trait anxiety, while utilizing Horwitz, Horwitzet al.’s (1986)Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale(FLCAS) to measure the participants’ foreign language anxiety. Results of correlation analyses showed that a) trait anxiety was not related to either mid-term exam scores or semester grades, b) foreign language anxiety was significantly and negatively associated with both outcome measures, c) after controlling for the effect of trait anxiety, the relationship between foreign language anxiety and interpretation learning outcomes remained significant, and d) a vast majority of theFLCASitems had significant and negative associations with both outcome measures. Implications for developing a theory of and a measurement instrument for interpretation learning anxiety are suggested.

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