scholarly journals A comparison of visual and audio scaffolds in L2 English reading

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith Stephens ◽  
Meagan Renee Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
Repeated Reading ◽  
Reading Aloud ◽  
English Classes ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Embodied Presence

This is a study of Japanese learners’ perspectives on visual and audio scaffolds in the teaching of second language English reading. We compare the approaches of ER, according to Day & Bamford’s (1998) ten principles (outlined below) in class, and Assisted Repeated Reading (ARR) of a work of fiction to a class. ARR refers to the reading aloud of a text multiple times to students as they follow along silently (see Taguchi & Gorsuch, 2002). Two classes of students in required English classes undertook both ER and ARR. Both the ER and ARR enhanced the students’ comprehension of the texts; in the case of ER, most students chose picture books, which aided their comprehension. In the case of ARR, the embodied presence of the reader, and the modeling of prosody facilitated comprehension.

Lying and perception of lies by bilingual speakers

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (05) ◽  
pp. 1313-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora Kreyßig ◽  
Agnieszka Ewa Krautz
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
Emotional Response ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Reading Aloud ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Skin Conductance Responses ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
Task Requirements

AbstractMultiple studies on bilingualism and emotions have demonstrated that a native language carries greater emotional valence than the second language. This distinction appears to have consequences for other types of behavior, including lying. As bilingual lying has not been explored extensively, the current study investigated the psychophysiological differences between German (native language) and English (second language) in the lying process as well as in the perception of lies. The skin conductance responses of 26 bilinguals were measured during reading aloud true and false statements and listening to recorded correct and wrong assertions. The analysis revealed a lie effect, that is, statistically significant differences between valid and fictitious sentences. In addition, the values in German were higher compared to those in English, in accordance with the blunted emotional response account (Caldwell-Harris & Aycicegi-Dinn, 2009). Finally, the skin conductance responses were lower in the listening condition in comparison to the reading aloud. The results, however, are treated with caution given the fact that skin conductance monitoring does not allow assigning heightened reactivity of the skin to one exclusive cause. The responses may have been equally induced by the content of the statements, which prompted positive or negative associations in the participants’ minds or by the specific task requirements.

Neural deficits in auditory phonological processing in Chinese children with English reading impairment

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
XIANGZHI MENG ◽  
HANLIN YOU ◽  
MEIXIA SONG ◽  
AMY S. DESROCHES ◽  
ZHENGKE WANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Reading Impairment ◽  
English Reading ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Esl Learners

Auditory phonological processing skills are critical for successful reading development in English not only in native (L1) speakers but also in second language (L2) learners. However, the neural deficits of auditory phonological processing remain unknown in English-as-the-second-language (ESL) learners with reading difficulties. Here we investigated neural responses during spoken word rhyme judgments in typical and impaired ESL readers in China. The impaired readers showed comparable activation in the left superior temporal gyrus (LSTG), but reduced activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and left fusiform and reduced connectivity between the LSTG and left fusiform when compared to typical readers. These findings suggest that impaired ESL readers have relative intact representations but impaired manipulation of phonology and reduced or absent automatic access to orthographic representations. This is consistent with previous findings in native English speakers and suggests a common neural mechanism underlying English impairment across the L1 and L2 learners.

Deployment of the formulaic utterance “how about∼” in task-based second language classroom discussions

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-446
Author(s):  
David Aline ◽  
Yuri Hosoda
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Alternative Procedures ◽  
Japanese Learners

Abstract Formulaic speech has long been of interest in studies of second language learning and pragmatic use as production and comprehension of formulaic utterances requires less processing and production effort and, therefore, allows for greater fluency. This study scrutinizes the sequential positions and actions of one formulaic utterance “how about∼” from the participants’ perspective. This conversation analytic study offers a fine-grained microanalysis of student interaction during classroom peer discussion activities. The data consist of over 54 h of video-recorded classroom interaction. Analysis revealed several positions and actions of “how about∼” as it occurs during peer discussions by Japanese learners of English. Emerging from analysis was a focus on how learners deploy this formulaic utterance to achieve various actions within sequences of interaction. Analysis revealed that participants used “how about∼” for (a) explicitly selecting next speaker, (b) shifting topics, (c) proposing a solution, and (d) suggesting alternative procedures. Although the formula was deployed to perform these four different actions, consistent throughout all instances was the disclosure of learner orientation to the progressivity of the task interaction. The findings show how language learners deploy this formulaic utterance in discussion tasks designed for language learning and highlights the pragmatic functions of this phrase.

scholarly journals The Effect of Learning English on P300 in Children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pâmela Mariel Marques ◽  
Ângela Leusin Mattiazzi ◽  
Laís Ferreira ◽  
Sheila Jacques Oppitz ◽  
Eliara Pinto Vieira Biaggio
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Auditory Pathway ◽  
Auditory Evoked Potential ◽  
Control Group ◽  
P300 Latency ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Learning English

Abstract Introduction Learning a second language is an essential task in today's world, and is experienced by many children. The cognitive auditory-evoked potential (P300) is related to cognitive activity, attention and concentration, enabling the investigation of the effect of a second language on the central auditory pathway. Objective To analyze the effects of learning English on P300 latency and amplitude in children and to correlate them with age, time of exposure to English, and time in class. Method An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study, in which 33 children, aged between 5 and 9 years and 11 months, of both genders participated, 14 of them in the process of learning English (study group) and 19 without this experience (control group). All subjects had their P300 evaluated using the Intelligent Hearing Systems (IHS, Miami, FL, US) Smart EP equipment. A total of 300 binaural stimuli were used in 75 dBnHL, as well as 240 frequent and 60 rare stimuli, using the pairs /ba/ and /di/ respectively. Results There was a statistically significant difference regarding P300 latency between the groups, and children exposed to English classes had lower latency in this component. No statistical difference was found between P300 amplitudes. No correlation was observed regarding age, time of exposure to English, time in class, and electrophysiological responses. Conclusion The Children exposed to English classes had the most stimulating auditory pathway, because their P300 had lower latency, being a resource for the speech therapy clinic.

scholarly journals Do Oral and Literacy Skills in Native Ghanaian Akan Language Modulate English Reading Comprehension as Second Language? A Study in Selected Basic Schools in Ghana

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Stephen Ntim
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Target Language ◽  
School Students ◽  
English Only ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Reading Comprehension ◽  
The Impact

<p>This study investigated oral and literacy skills in native Ghanaian Akan language in mediating English reading comprehension of bilingual basic school students. Levene’s test for homogeneity of variance between groups on questions directly found in text showed variances were significantly different [F=49.070, p=0.00]. Bonferroni Post-hoc test comparing groups on questions requiring making multiple sentence meanings to be able to answer, data indicated a significant difference between mean scores of students who speak both English and Akan and students who speak English Only in favour of students who speak both English and Akan. Also, students who speak Akan Only performed significantly better than students who speak English Only with.no significant difference between mean scores of students who speak Akan Only and students who speak both English and Akan. This suggests the impact of native language in second language reading comprehension is enormous. When bilinguals are reading second language (and in this study English) they are likely to make use of previous knowledge, strategies and processes from the first language through cognitive/psycholinguistic factors as orthographic processing, phonological code and meaning activation among others and by so doing limiting the effect of cognitive load in the target language.</p>

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