scholarly journals An Investigation of the Impact of Task Complexity on ESL Learners’ Spoken Language Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1362
Author(s):  
Amir A. Hassanein ◽  
Emad A. S. Abu-Ayyash
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
High Achievers ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Oral Production ◽  
To Come ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the multiple effects of task complexity on language performance and production in English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms. Through its qualitative design, the present study aims to gain well-founded insights about the potential influence the degree of task complexity has on actual oral productions by ESL learners. In particular, this study construed how the increasing task complexity affected students’ oral production. Given that ‘oral production’ is a notion that involves an intricate web of variables, the present study sought to come to grips with three major components of oral production, which are fluency, vocabulary and grammar. The researchers used the IELTS speaking band descriptor to benchmark the learners’ productions. In essence, the study sought to answer three research questions: 1) What is the impact of task complexity on the quality of high achievers’ and mid achievers’ speech production?, 2) What is the relationship, if any, between learners’ language proficiency and their performance in monologic and dialogic tasks?, and 3) Does increasing the cognitive complexity of the task impact oral language performance? The findings revealed that high achievers’ grammar, lexical resource and fluency aligned variably with the task complexity, whereas the three elements dropped markedly among mid-achievers.

scholarly journals Analysing Morphological Errors in ESL Graduating Students’ Writing based on Surface Structure Taxonomy

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Kamisah Ariffin ◽  
Norizul Azida Darus ◽  
Norhajawati Abdul Halim ◽  
Nurul Akmal Awang
Keyword(s):  
Surface Structure ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Standard Form ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
English Grammar ◽  
Grammar Rules ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Graduating Students

Empirical studies have examined errors committed by ESL learners at different levels of study in terms of its inconsistency with the standard form of English grammar rules in general. This study, on the other hand, looked into the errors in the English morphological system of a language that deals with the minimal units of linguistic form and meaning. By understanding the errors from the morphological perspective, instructors may also be able to figure out the specific causal factors that can help devise their methods and approach to teaching. As the English language performance of the graduates in this country has been publicly lamented by employers, this study focused on the writing products of graduating students to see the common errors made and to understand the interfering factors so that any intervention initiatives to improve their English language proficiency can be objectively proposed. The data were procured from a mock writing exit test of 60 graduating students from a public university. The Theory Taxonomy of Dulay or Surface Structure Taxonomy framework was used for data analysis. The data were treated quantitatively in terms of frequency counts of errors occurred in each category. The findings indicate that the errors were prevalent in the Omission category, followed by Addition, Misformation and Misordering. This has significant pedagogical implications on developing intervention or remedial programmes for graduating students.

scholarly journals Language skills differences between adults without formal education and low formal education

2022 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariane Pereira ◽  
Karin Zazo Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
Oral Language ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Low Education ◽  
Language Assessment Battery ◽  
Low Educated ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The influence of education on cognition has been extensively researched, particularly in countries with high levels of illiteracy. However, the impact of low education in all cognitive functions appears to differ. Regarding to language, the effects of education on many linguistic tasks—supported by different processing—remain unclear. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether oral language task performance differs among individuals with no formal and low-educated subjects, as measured by the Brazilian Montreal-Toulouse Language Assessment Battery (MTL-BR). This is the only language battery available for use in Brazil, but lacks normative data for illiterate individuals. The secondary objective was to gather data for use as clinical parameters in assessing persons with aphasia (PWA) not exposed to a formal education. Methods A total of 30 healthy illiterate individuals aged 34–60 years were assessed. All participants underwent the MTL-BR Battery, excluding its written communication tasks. The data obtained in the present study were compared against results of a previous investigation of individuals with 1–4 years of education evaluated using the same MTL-BR instrument. Results Statistically significant differences in performance were found between non-formal education and the low-educated (2–4 years) groups on the tasks Auditory Comprehension, Repetition, Orthographic/Phonological Fluency, Number dictation, Reading of numbers and also on simple numerical calculations. Conclusion The study results showed that individuals with no formal education/illiterate had worse performance than low-education individuals on some of the language tasks of the MTL-Br Battery, suggesting that each year of education impacts cognitive-language performance. Also, data were obtained which can serve as a guide for PWA not exposed to a formal education.

THE IMPACT OF COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY ON FEEDBACK EFFICACY DURING ONLINE VERSUS FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTIVE TASKS

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Baralt
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Impact

Informed by the cognition hypothesis (Robinson, 2011), recent studies indicate that more cognitively complex tasks can result in better incorporation of feedback during interaction and, as a consequence, more learning. It is not known, however, how task complexity and feedback work together in computerized environments. The present study addressed this gap by investigating how cognitive complexity in face-to-face (FTF) versus computer-mediated communication (CMC) environments mediates the efficacy of recasts in promoting second language development. Eighty-four adult learners of Spanish as a foreign language at a mid-Atlantic university were randomly assigned to a control group or one of four experimental groups. The experimental groups engaged in one-on-one interaction and received recasts on the Spanish past subjunctive but differed according to (a) whether or not they had to reflect on another person’s intentional reasons during the task and (b) whether they interacted in FTF or CMC environments. Learning was measured with two production tasks and a multiple-choice receptive test in a Pretest-Posttest 1-Posttest 2 design. Results revealed that in the FTF mode, performing the cognitively complex task while receiving recasts led to the most learning. In the CMC mode, the cognitively complex task + recasts was not effective. Instead, the cognitively simple task led to the most development in CMC. The study also found that judgments of time on task were the only independent measure of cognitive complexity that held across mode.

scholarly journals Interference of Compensatory Strategies in Oral Production of English Language Student in an ESL Classroom: Does Compensatory Strategy Play a Role in Academic Performance?

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Novalyn M. Rubis ◽  
Remart Dumlao
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Compensatory Strategies ◽  
Oral Production ◽  
Proficiency Level

The study aims to identify the compensatory strategies predominantly used by fifty-four ESL High school student, its relation to language proficiency level in terms of accuracy, fluency, and comprehensibility and to its role in academic performance of the participants. Two oral task namely oral interview and pictured-cued narration were used as primary source of data. The picture-cued narration was applied to determine the oral language proficiency level and compensatory strategies of the participants. Finding shows the eight compensatory strategies were employed in their production, namely, switching to mother tongue, getting help, using mime, selecting the topic, adjusting the message, coining words, avoiding communication partially and totally, and using circumlocution or synonyms. It was also found out that switching to mother tongue was predominantly employed in their oral production. There is, however, negative relationship between compensatory strategies used and academic performance of ESL learners. Pedagogical implications are discussed discussed in the paper. Keywords: communicative competence, compensatory strategies, language classroom, oral production

Task complexity, L2 proficiency and EFL learners’ L1 use in task-based peer interaction

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110046
Author(s):  
Jinfen Xu ◽  
Yumei Fan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
First Language ◽  
L2 Proficiency ◽  
Complex Tasks ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
L1 Use ◽  
The Impact

This study is aimed to identify the effects of task complexity on first language (L1) use and the functions it may serve when two groups of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) work on collaborative tasks. Twenty-four pairs of Chinese EFL learners from two universities were assigned to a lower-proficiency and a higher-proficiency group, each with twelve pairs. Each group completed two collaborative tasks of different cognitive complexity. The results showed that task complexity had an appreciable impact on the use of L1 and its functions. It is also found that the impact of task complexity was dependent on learners’ English proficiency. Specifically, the higher-proficiency group employed more L1 to perform complex tasks than they did in the simple versions of the tasks. These learners also devoted significantly more L1 turns to fulfill the functions of metacognitive and grammar talk to complete the complex tasks. These trends did not hold for the lower-proficiency group.

The Supra Tutor

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-67
Author(s):  
Edna F. Lima
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
International Teaching Assistants ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Oral Language Proficiency ◽  
Pronunciation Instruction ◽  
Before And After ◽  
International Teaching ◽  
Training Research ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Pronunciation is critical for English oral language proficiency because of its immediate role in language judgments. However, effective and targeted English pronunciation instruction is scarce. Given the need for pronunciation instruction and the undeniable impact of suprasegmentals on intelligibility and on comprehensibility, the Supra Tutor, a four-module online pronunciation tutor focusing on suprasegmentals, was developed. This mixed methods study assessed the impact of the Supra Tutor on the comprehensibility of international teaching assistants (ITAs). Participants were evaluated for comprehensibility before and after training. The study also examined ITAs’ perceptions of the Supra Tutor in terms of usefulness, engagement, and overall quality. Findings indicated that the Supra Tutor can provide effective pronunciation instruction and engage learners to successfully complete the training. Research and pedagogical implications of the Supra Tutor and its contribution to pronunciation instruction are discussed.

scholarly journals Peer Interaction in the L2 Classroom: A Study among Malaysian ESL Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-150
Author(s):  
Larisa Nikitina ◽  
Siak Bie Soh ◽  
Shu Sim Tam
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Causal Reasoning ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Negotiation Of Meaning ◽  
Complex Tasks ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Peer Discussion ◽  
Interactionist Perspective ◽  
Esl Learners

Adopting a cognitive-interactionist perspective, this study focused on peer interaction in the L2 classroom. It explored types of peer interaction in terms of Negotiation of Meaning (NoM), Language-related Episodes (LRE) and Uptake of Recast that tend to prevail during task discussions in the L2 classroom. This study also assessed whether task complexity and task condition influenced L2 peer interaction. Thirty-six (N=36) Malaysian university students learning English as a second language participated in this study. The tasks were designed at two levels of cognitive complexity, namely, simple tasks with two causal reasoning demands and complex tasks with six causal reasoning demands. Each participant was involved in peer discussion sessions of simple and complex tasks in dyadic and triadic groupings. The findings revealed that clarification requests during the NoM were the most prominent feature of the peer interaction. A paired sample t-test showed that statistically significant difference was detected between the dyadic and triadic settings for the comprehension check feature (NoM), the incorrectly resolved episodes (LRE) and the unmodified uptake of recast. The article concludes with a discussion of theoretical and pedagogical implications from these findings.

scholarly journals Russian language proficiency of monolingual and Russian–English bi/multilingual children

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Makarova ◽  
Natalia Terekhova
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Oral Language Proficiency ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Canadian Context ◽  
Bilingual Group ◽  
Description Task

This paper reports the results of a study investigating the Russian-language proficiency of bi/multilingual (Russian–English [+additional language]) children in Saskatchewan, Canada, as compared to monolingual children in Russia. Very few studies of Russo-English bilingual children’s language performance are available in the Canadian context, and no studies have ever been conducted in Saskatchewan, where input is severely restricted compared to other contexts due to demographic reasons. The major impetus for the study was therefore to determine if in these settings, bi/multilingual children can develop minority language proficiency comparable to that of their monolingual peers in Russia. The methodology employed in the study focuses on the linguistic analysis of audio recordings of a picture description task performed by participants. Oral language proficiency parameters (including vocabulary, fluency, and syntactical complexity) in the speech of the 5–6-year-old bi/multilingual children were compared with the ones produced by a control group (monolingual children) from Russia. The results demonstrate that the oral language proficiency in the bilingual group is on a par with that of the monolingual group. However, reading and writing skills of the bi/multilingual group are less developed than in the control group.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document