The effects of pre-task explicit instruction on L2 oral self-repair behaviour

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110487
Author(s):  
Michael Sadeghi ◽  
Mostafa Pourhaji
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Local Form ◽  
Focus On Form ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
Story Retelling ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Self Repair ◽  
Experimental Group

The present study examines the effects of pre-task explicit instruction on second language (L2) oral self-repair behaviour while controlling for the effects of working memory. The participants were 121 Iranian learners of English at incipient levels of language proficiency. Their working memory was measured using an operation span task and then they were randomly assigned to a control and an experimental group. Both groups performed a picture story-retelling task that was preceded by five minutes of planning time. During the planning time, the experimental group also received a grammar handout that explained English relative clauses. The instances of self-repairs were identified through stimulated recall interviews that immediately followed performance on the oral task. They were then classified into categories of global form repairs (FG-repairs), local form repairs (FL-repairs), and content repairs (C-repairs). A series of one-way ANCOVAs were run, the results of which indicated pre-task explicit instruction had significant and beneficial effects on FL-repairs and adverse effects on C-repairs. The covariate was only associated with repairing the target structure. The findings are discussed in light of the Extended Trade-off Hypothesis and confirm the view that pre-task explicit instruction tends to foster a focus on form at the expense of meaning.

scholarly journals Football Juggling Learning Alters the Working Memory and White Matter Integrity in Early Adulthood: A Randomized Controlled Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 3843
Author(s):  
Yifan Shi ◽  
Kelong Cai ◽  
Hao Zhu ◽  
Xiaoxiao Dong ◽  
Xuan Xiong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Motor Skill ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Motor Skill Learning ◽  
Experimental Group

Cross-sectional studies suggest that motor skill learning is associated with working memory (WM) and white matter integrity (WMI). However, it has not been established whether motor skill learning improves WM performance, and information on its neural mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated. Therefore, this study compared WM and WMI across time points prior to and following football juggling learning, in early adulthood (18–20 years old), relative to a control group. Study participants in the experimental group were subjected to football juggling for 10 weeks while participants in the control category went on with their routine life activities for the same period of time and were not involved in the learning-related activities. Data on cognitive measurements and that from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were collected before and after learning. There was a significant improvement in WM performance of the experimental group after motor learning, although no improvement was observed in the control group. Additionally, after learning, DTI data revealed a significant increase in functional anisotropy (FA) in the genu of corpus callosum (GOCC) and the right anterior corona radiata (R.ACR) in the experimental group. Moreover, the better WM associated with football juggling learning was correlated to a higher FA. Mediation analysis suggested that FA in the GOCC acts as a mediation variable between football juggling learning and WM. These findings show that motor skill learning improves the WM and remodels WMI in early adulthood. With a particular emphasis on the importance of WMI in motor skill learning and WM, this study also revealed the possible neural mechanisms mediated by WMI.

Does Strategic Memory Training Improve the Working Memory Performance of Younger and Older Adults?

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Carretti ◽  
Erika Borella ◽  
Rossana De Beni
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Strategic Training ◽  
Strategic Memory ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract. The paper examines the effect of strategic training on the performance of younger and older adults in an immediate list-recall and a working memory task. The experimental groups of younger and older adults received three sessions of memory training, teaching the use of mental images to improve the memorization of word lists. In contrast, the control groups were not instructed to use any particular strategy, but they were requested to carry out the memory exercises. The results showed that strategic training improved performance of both the younger and older experimental groups in the immediate list recall and in the working memory task. Of particular interest, the improvement in working memory performance of the older experimental group was comparable to that of the younger experimental group.

scholarly journals The Impact of Blended Learning on the Twelfth Grade Students’ English Language Proficiency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Hussein Al Noursi
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Twelfth Grade ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

The blended learning approach utilizes modern technologies and electronic media in teaching to create a technology-based environment. However, it is not an exclusive online environment because the teacher and the students have to be present in a traditional face-to-face classroom. It is widely believed that adopting a blended learning approach will enable learners to have quality educational opportunities and improve their performance. The incentive for conducting the research is to evaluate the effect of the blended learning approach on high school students’ English proficiency. Specifically, the study aimed at answering the question: is there a significant difference in the Twelfth-Grade students’ English language proficiency as measured by IELTS due to the model of delivery (Blended learning model and the traditional delivery model)? To achieve the study’s goal, the researcher applied the experimental method and used IELTS to measure language proficiency. The study sample selected purposively consisted of 63 male twelfth-grade students in one of the private schools in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study sample was assigned to two groups: the experimental group taught using blended learning consisted of 31 students, and the control group led by the traditional method consisted of 32 students. The results showed statistically significant differences at the level of (a<0.01) between the means of the results of the two groups on the post achievement test in favor of the experimental group. These results illustrated the impact of adopting the blended learning approach in an English Foreign Language (EFL) setting on students’ achievement in standardized tests. However, the successful implementation of blended learning largely depends on how responsible and committed students are towards active learning.

scholarly journals PENGARUH MENDENGARKAN MUROTTAL AL-QUR’AN TERHADAP MEMORI KERJA

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32
Author(s):  
Istiqomah Nur Aziza ◽  
Nanang Wiyono ◽  
Afia Fitriani
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Span Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Operation Span ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Test Control

It is important to optimize working memory because it transforms, synergizes and constantly updates new and old information. One way to optimize working memory is to listen to Murottal Al-Qur'an, because it has a harmonious tone which can stabilize the mind to properly process the information. This study aims to determine the effect of listening to the Al-Quran murottal on working memory. The research subjects were 24 students of Psikologi 2017, grouped equally in the control and experimental groups. An experimental intervention was administered for 15 consecutive days lasting 15 minutes and 52 seconds. Measurements in working memory use Operation Span Task, Reading Span Task and Symmetry Span Task. The design of the study used a pre-test post-test control group and the data were analyzed by t-test. The results showed a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group on the symmetry span task subtest (p = 0.044, p <0.05).

scholarly journals The Relationship between Executive Functions and Language Production in 5–6-Year-Old Children: Insights from Working Memory and Storytelling

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Aleksander Veraksa ◽  
Daria Bukhalenkova ◽  
Natalia Kartushina ◽  
Ekaterina Oshchepkova
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Language Production ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Story Retelling ◽  
Grammatical Accuracy ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Global Indicators

This study examined the relationship between working memory capacity and narrative abilities in 5–6-year-old children. 269 children were assessed on their visual and verbal working memory and performed in a story retelling and a story creation (based on a single picture and on a series of pictures) tasks. The stories were evaluated on their macrostructure and microstructure. The results revealed a significant relationship between both components (verbal and visual) of working memory and the global indicators of a story’s macrostructure—such as semantic completeness, semantic adequacy, programming and narrative structure—and with the indicators of a story’s microstructure, such as grammatical accuracy and number of syntagmas. Yet, this relationship was systematically stronger for verbal working memory, as compared to visual working memory, suggesting that a well-developed verbal working memory leads to lexically and grammatically more accurate language production in preschool children.

scholarly journals The Effect of the Mind Mapping Strategy on the L2 Vocabulary Learning of Saudi Learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Nesreen Saud Alahmadi
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mind Mapping ◽  
Mapping Strategy ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mind ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Experimental Group

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of using the mind mapping strategy on learning vocabulary for Saudi Learners. Fifty female students from the English Language centre at Taibah University in Saudi Arabia were selected to participate in this study. All students were homogenous in terms of their English language proficiency. The students were performing at the intermediate level of the English language. Their level of English language proficiency was determined by the Oxford Placement Test. Participants were divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. Twenty-five students in the experimental group were taught vocabulary using the mind mapping strategy for six weeks. The control group was taught using traditional methods of vocabulary teaching, such as memorising. To test the effectiveness of the mind mapping strategy, two types of tests were applied for both groups: a pre-test and a post-test. At the end of the treatment, the results of the post-test showed a significant improvement in Second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition by Saudi learners in the experimental group. The findings of this study indicate some important implications for L2 learning, such as that mind mapping facilitates vocabulary learning by increasing the knowledge and the acquisition of the meanings of the vocabulary words used. It also helped with the vocabulary learning process by increasing the level of the motivation of Saudi students in learning new words.

scholarly journals The beneficial effects of berries on cognition, motor behaviour and neuronal function in ageing

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (10) ◽  
pp. 1542-1549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Shukitt-Hale ◽  
Donna F. Bielinski ◽  
Francis C. Lau ◽  
Lauren M. Willis ◽  
Amanda N. Carey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Fischer 344 Rats ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Fischer 344 ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Berry Fruits ◽  
Relative Differences

AbstractPreviously, it has been shown that strawberry (SB) or blueberry (BB) supplementations, when fed to rats from 19 to 21 months of age, reverse age-related decrements in motor and cognitive performance. We have postulated that these effects may be the result of a number of positive benefits of the berry polyphenols, including decreased stress signalling, increased neurogenesis, and increased signals involved in learning and memory. Thus, the present study was carried out to examine these mechanisms in aged animals by administering a control, 2 % SB- or 2 % BB-supplemented diet to aged Fischer 344 rats for 8 weeks to ascertain their effectiveness in reversing age-related deficits in behavioural and neuronal function. The results showed that rats consuming the berry diets exhibited enhanced motor performance and improved cognition, specifically working memory. In addition, the rats supplemented with BB and SB diets showed increased hippocampal neurogenesis and expression of insulin-like growth factor 1, although the improvements in working memory performance could not solely be explained by these increases. The diverse polyphenolics in these berry fruits may have additional mechanisms of action that could account for their relative differences in efficacy.

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