Incidental and intentional acquisition of multiword expressions from audio-visual input: The effects of typographically enhanced captions and repetition

<p>This research project aims to extend the line of inquiry on pedagogical interventions intended to help second language (L2) learners make better progress of their mastery of multiword expressions (MWEs). Existing studies on these interventions revealed a propensity towards exclusivity in terms of input modality, item type and learning condition. Firstly, there are far more MWE studies in the context of unimodal input, e.g., written input. It is only recently that the potential of audio-visual input (i.e., L2 viewing) has been explored for MWE learning. Secondly, previous studies have by and large focused on certain types of MWEs, such as collocations. While there is merit in focusing on a certain type of item, such studies do not represent the materials that L2 learners are often exposed to. Further, authentic videos entail diverse MWE types, providing a stronger reason to include more than one type of target item. Thirdly, many MWE interventions are investigated exclusively under one of the learning conditions, i.e., intentional or incidental learning conditions. Hulstijn’s (2001) criterion is adopted to distinguish these two learning conditions, in that the presence of test announcement characterises the intentional learning condition. Due to this tendency towards a dichotomy of learning conditions, many factors known to facilitate MWE learning have been investigated under one of the learning conditions only. Two such factors are repetition and typographic enhancement. While repetition is well established as beneficial for MWE acquisition, evidence for this is mainly furnished by studies on incidental learning through written input. Therefore, the aim of this research project is to assess how repetition, operationalised as repeated viewing, influences MWE acquisition under both learning conditions. Similarly, although typographic enhancement has been shown to draw learners’ attention and promote MWE uptake, this positive evidence is mostly observed in incidental learning studies. As such, whether typographically-enhanced MWEs are indeed learned better than unenhanced MWEs under intentional learning conditions is still under-researched. Importantly, whether typographic enhancement in captioned viewing leads to superior learning compared to normal captions is unknown. This is one of the aims of the research project, in which different caption conditions are created to explore their effectiveness in facilitating MWE learning. Of further interest is whether MWE learning under different caption conditions would modulate the effect of repetition. This is motivated by the assumption that typographic enhancement might eliminate the need for repetition. To answer the research questions, two studies differentiated by the presence of test announcement were carried out. For both studies, ESL learners watched a video containing target MWEs under one of six conditions, which differed in terms of caption condition (no captions, normal captions or enhanced captions) and the number of viewing times (once or twice). MWE learning was assessed through tests that tap into form and meaning knowledge at the level of recall and recognition. Though not part of the research questions, the effects of caption condition and repetition on content comprehension were also assessed. The findings of both studies revealed trends that are consistent with literature on MWE learning and vocabulary learning in general. Firstly, both types of captions promoted better form recall knowledge compared to uncaptioned viewing. This was found to be true under both incidental and intentional learning conditions. Secondly, typographically enhanced captions led to better form recall compared to normal captions, but only under the intentional learning conditions. Under the incidental learning conditions, the effects of L2 viewing with typograhically enhanced captions on form recall appeared to be similar to viewing with normal captions. The findings also suggest that the presence of typographically enhanced captions reduced the number of viewings needed to make incidental gains in form recall knowledge. In addition, while repeated viewing under all caption conditions led to better knowledge of form under the incidental learning conditions, the effect of repetition was not found under the intentional learning conditions. This aligns well with the supposition that fewer repetitions are needed for intentional learning. Thirdly, neither repetition nor caption condition had an effect on the acquisition of MWE meanings under both learning conditions. Finally, vocabulary knowledge played a significant role in the amount of MWE learning that takes place, especially so when learners were not forewarned of MWE tests. Taken as a whole, the findings of this research project support the use of captions for L2 viewing as a way to foster MWE acquisition, at least at the level of form acquisition. The use of typographically enhanced captions, however, may have adverse effects on content comprehension. As such, the findings of this research project have meaningful implications concerning when typographically enhanced captions and repeated viewing should be used to optimise MWE learning through L2 viewing.</p>

Incidental and intentional acquisition of multiword expressions from audio-visual input: The effects of typographically enhanced captions and repetition

<p>This research project aims to extend the line of inquiry on pedagogical interventions intended to help second language (L2) learners make better progress of their mastery of multiword expressions (MWEs). Existing studies on these interventions revealed a propensity towards exclusivity in terms of input modality, item type and learning condition. Firstly, there are far more MWE studies in the context of unimodal input, e.g., written input. It is only recently that the potential of audio-visual input (i.e., L2 viewing) has been explored for MWE learning. Secondly, previous studies have by and large focused on certain types of MWEs, such as collocations. While there is merit in focusing on a certain type of item, such studies do not represent the materials that L2 learners are often exposed to. Further, authentic videos entail diverse MWE types, providing a stronger reason to include more than one type of target item. Thirdly, many MWE interventions are investigated exclusively under one of the learning conditions, i.e., intentional or incidental learning conditions. Hulstijn’s (2001) criterion is adopted to distinguish these two learning conditions, in that the presence of test announcement characterises the intentional learning condition. Due to this tendency towards a dichotomy of learning conditions, many factors known to facilitate MWE learning have been investigated under one of the learning conditions only. Two such factors are repetition and typographic enhancement. While repetition is well established as beneficial for MWE acquisition, evidence for this is mainly furnished by studies on incidental learning through written input. Therefore, the aim of this research project is to assess how repetition, operationalised as repeated viewing, influences MWE acquisition under both learning conditions. Similarly, although typographic enhancement has been shown to draw learners’ attention and promote MWE uptake, this positive evidence is mostly observed in incidental learning studies. As such, whether typographically-enhanced MWEs are indeed learned better than unenhanced MWEs under intentional learning conditions is still under-researched. Importantly, whether typographic enhancement in captioned viewing leads to superior learning compared to normal captions is unknown. This is one of the aims of the research project, in which different caption conditions are created to explore their effectiveness in facilitating MWE learning. Of further interest is whether MWE learning under different caption conditions would modulate the effect of repetition. This is motivated by the assumption that typographic enhancement might eliminate the need for repetition. To answer the research questions, two studies differentiated by the presence of test announcement were carried out. For both studies, ESL learners watched a video containing target MWEs under one of six conditions, which differed in terms of caption condition (no captions, normal captions or enhanced captions) and the number of viewing times (once or twice). MWE learning was assessed through tests that tap into form and meaning knowledge at the level of recall and recognition. Though not part of the research questions, the effects of caption condition and repetition on content comprehension were also assessed. The findings of both studies revealed trends that are consistent with literature on MWE learning and vocabulary learning in general. Firstly, both types of captions promoted better form recall knowledge compared to uncaptioned viewing. This was found to be true under both incidental and intentional learning conditions. Secondly, typographically enhanced captions led to better form recall compared to normal captions, but only under the intentional learning conditions. Under the incidental learning conditions, the effects of L2 viewing with typograhically enhanced captions on form recall appeared to be similar to viewing with normal captions. The findings also suggest that the presence of typographically enhanced captions reduced the number of viewings needed to make incidental gains in form recall knowledge. In addition, while repeated viewing under all caption conditions led to better knowledge of form under the incidental learning conditions, the effect of repetition was not found under the intentional learning conditions. This aligns well with the supposition that fewer repetitions are needed for intentional learning. Thirdly, neither repetition nor caption condition had an effect on the acquisition of MWE meanings under both learning conditions. Finally, vocabulary knowledge played a significant role in the amount of MWE learning that takes place, especially so when learners were not forewarned of MWE tests. Taken as a whole, the findings of this research project support the use of captions for L2 viewing as a way to foster MWE acquisition, at least at the level of form acquisition. The use of typographically enhanced captions, however, may have adverse effects on content comprehension. As such, the findings of this research project have meaningful implications concerning when typographically enhanced captions and repeated viewing should be used to optimise MWE learning through L2 viewing.</p>

Learning new word meanings from story reading: the benefit of immediate testing

This study investigated how word meanings can be learned from natural story reading. Three experiments with adult participants compared naturalistic incidental learning with intentional learning of new meanings for familiar words, and examined the role of immediate tests in maintaining memory of new word meanings. In Experiment 1, participants learned new meanings for familiar words through incidental (story reading) and intentional (definition training task) conditions. Memory was tested with cued recall of meanings and multiple-choice meaning-to-word matching immediately and 24 h later. Results for both measures showed higher accuracy for intentional learning, which was also more time efficient than incidental learning. However, there was reasonably good learning from both methods, and items learned incidentally through stories appeared less susceptible to forgetting over 24 h. It was possible that retrieval practice at the immediate test may have aided learning and improved memory of new word meanings 24 h later, especially for the incidental story reading condition. Two preregistered experiments then examined the role of immediate testing in long-term retention of new meanings for familiar words. There was a strong testing effect for word meanings learned through intentional and incidental conditions (Experiment 2), which was non-significantly larger for items learned incidentally through stories. Both cued recall and multiple-choice tests were each individually sufficient to enhance retention compared to having no immediate test (Experiment 3), with a larger learning boost from multiple-choice. This research emphasises (i) the resilience of word meanings learned incidentally through stories and (ii) the key role that testing can play in boosting vocabulary learning from story reading.

The Ethics Interview: Connecting Students with Professionals

Professional engagement helps students develop professional judgment, connect their coursework to the “real world,” and explore accounting-related careers. Internships often provide a route to these benefits, but some students cannot complete internships. The Pathways Commission calls for new, creative approaches to professional engagement. In the ethics interview exercise, students engage with professionals for a single interview. Following the intentional learning model, students complete activities before and after the interview. They select the interviewee, prepare questions about ethics and topics of personal interest, organize and conduct the interview, and reflect on the experience. We implemented the exercise in different accounting courses at universities in the United States and Bolivia, using both face-to-face and virtual interviews. We applied principles of phenomenology for assessment. Results indicate the exercise helps students experience the benefits of professional engagement. The exercise requires little modification to existing courses and can be modified to support varied learning goals.

Emotion and concreteness effects when learning novel concepts in the native language

The aim of the present study was to test the proposal of Kousta et al. (2011), according to which abstract words are more affectively loaded than concrete words. To this end, we focused on the acquisition of novel concepts by means of an intentional learning experiment in which participants had to learn a set of 40 novel concepts in Spanish (definitions) associated with novel word forms (pseudowords). Concreteness (concrete vs. abstract concepts) and emotionality (neutral vs. negative concepts) were orthogonally manipulated. Acquisition was assessed through a recognition task in which participants were asked to match the novel word forms with their definitions. Results showed that concrete concepts were acquired better than abstract concepts. Importantly, the concreteness advantage disappeared when the content of the concept was negative. Hence, emotional (negative) content facilitated the acquisition of abstract concepts, but not of concrete concepts, giving support to the proposal of Kousta et al. (2011).

Professional Agency for Learning as a Key for Developing Teachers’ Competencies?

Teacher’s professional competencies have been discussed extensively in the literature, often linked to educational policy discourses, teaching standards, student learning outcomes, or the intended outcomes of teacher education. Extensive, but fragmented and loosely theoretically or empirically based lists of teacher competencies are provided without much clarification of how, when, and why teachers learn and identify the competencies they need. Teacher competencies and how they are related to the core of their work as thinking practice have been discussed extensively by a range of stakeholders. However, what is actually needed in order to attain such competencies has been less studied. This paper contributes to the gap in the literature on active and intentional learning of teacher competencies by elaborating the relationship between teacher competencies and professional agency for learning. Through this, our aim in this article is to provide a better understanding of the topic, both theoretically and empirically. Drawing on earlier research, we have elaborated on the relationships between a teacher’s professional competencies and agency for learning among pre- and in-service teachers. We also aim to answer the question: what characteristics of teacher education lead to student teachers becoming competent and agentic? Why should we focus on those features during pre-service teacher education and as part of a teacher’s career?

Collocational Knowledge Uptake by University Students under Online Learning

The article discusses an experiment that looked into the acquisition of collocational knowledge in three university groups studying online, each subjected to different learning conditions: incidental acquisition, intentional acquisition, and intentional acquisition with an extra productive output (essay), the latter having been assessed for the amount and accuracy of target lexis usage in their texts. The aim of the study was to see how well upper-intermediate university students could identify collocations in an input text, and how the text-based output affected the collocational uptake outcomes. The study showed that the productive output group outperformed the other intentional learning group, while incidental acquisition group failed to complete a productive knowledge posttest. Although the study revealed only slightly higher gains in the output group, their results appeared more consistent than those demonstrated by the other intentional uptake group, whose retention rate decreased by the time of delayed posttest.

An empirical research on the adequacy of task-induced involvement load hypothesis: A case for intentional vocabulary learning

The present study aimed at examining the adequacy of the task-induced involvement load hypothesis in intentional learning. An investigation was carried out to find out whether proficiency level of learners had a role in the effectiveness of the vocabulary tasks with different involvement loads. One hundred and thirty-six university students were randomly assigned into four task groups, each of which included upper and lower intermediate learners. Reading comprehension and discussion, reading comprehension and gap filling, reading comprehension plus sentence-making and reading comprehension plus translation with different involvement loads were compared against each other in terms of the immediate and delayed retention of new words. The study partially supported the involvement load hypothesis in that the task with the highest involvement loads resulted in better immediate and delayed retention of new words. The results of the experiment also showed that tasks with similar involvement loads might not result in similar amounts of vocabulary learning. Keywords: Task-induced involvement, load hypothesis, vocabulary learning, word retention, task.

EXPRESS: The effect of value on long-term associative memory

Items with high value are often remembered better than those with low value. It is not clear, however, whether this value effect extends to the binding of associative details (e.g., word colour) in episodic memory. Here, we explored whether value enhances memory for associative information in two different scenarios that might support a more effective process of binding between identity and colour. Experiment 1 examined incidental binding between item and colour using coloured images of familiar objects, while Experiment 2 examined intentional learning of word colour. In both experiments, increasing value led to improvements in memory for both item and colour, and these effects persisted after approximately 24 hours. Experiment 3a and Experiment 3b replicated the value effect on intentional word-colour memory from Experiment 2 while also demonstrating this effect to be less reliable when word colour is incidental to the encoding phase. Thus, value-directed prioritization can facilitate episodic associative memory when conditions for binding are optimized through the use of appropriate to-be remembered materials and encoding conditions.

Disgust-Related Memory Bias in Children and Adults

Studies with adults found a memory bias for disgust, such that memory for disgusting stimuli was enhanced compared to neutral and frightening stimuli. We investigated whether this bias is more pronounced in females and whether it is already present in children. Moreover, we analyzed whether the visual exploration of disgust stimuli during encoding is associated with memory retrieval. In a first recognition experiment with intentional learning, 50 adults (mean age; M = 23 years) and 52 children ( M = 11 years) were presented with disgusting, frightening, and neutral pictures. Both children and adults showed a better recognition performance for disgusting images compared to the other image categories. Males and females did not differ in their memory performance. In a second free recall experiment with eye-tracking, 50 adults ( M = 22 years) viewed images from the categories disgust, fear, and neutral. Disgusting and neutral images were matched for color, complexity, brightness, and contrast. The participants, who were not instructed to remember the stimuli, showed a disgust memory bias as well as shorter fixation durations and longer scan paths for disgusting images compared to neutral images. This “hyperscanning pattern” correlated with the number of correctly recalled disgust images. In conclusion, we found a disgust-related memory bias in both children and adults regardless of sex and independently of the memorization method used (recognition/free recall; intentional/incidental).