Online comments as input enhancement

Chapelle (2003) proposed three general types of input enhancement that help L2 learners “acquire features of the linguistic input that they are exposed to during the course reading or listening for meaning” (p. 40): input salience, input modification, and input elaboration. In 2010, Cárdenas-Claros and Gruba argued that Chapelle’s different types of input enhancement “can be and have been operationalized through help options” primarily utilized in the teaching of reading, listening, writing, grammar, and vocabulary such as glossed words, video/audio control features, captions, subtitles, and grammar explanations (p. 79). As understood from Cárdenas-Claros and Gruba’s classification of help options, input enhancement can only be accomplished through one process: salience, modification, or elaboration. In this article, we argue that YouTube comments have the potential to be (1) a help option that facilitate both listening comprehension of the videos and vocabulary learning and that (2) input enhancement accomplished by comments can be achieved by a combination of different types of input enhancement. Put another way, the aural input of a YouTube video can be salient, modified, and elaborated, thanks to the various types of comments YouTube videos often receive.

INCIDENTAL LEARNING OF COLLOCATIONS FROM MEANINGFUL INPUT

This longitudinal study investigates the effect of mode of reading on the incidental learning of collocations and factors that affect learning. One hundred Vietnamese pre-intermediate learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) were assigned to either an experimental group or a control group (no treatment). In 9 weeks, the experimental group read three graded readers containing 32 target collocations in three counterbalanced reading modes: reading-only, reading-while-listening, and reading with textual input enhancement (i.e., underlining). Learning gains were measured by a form recall pretest and delayed posttest. The results showed that reading mode had a significant effect on incidental collocation learning. Reading with textual input enhancement resulted in significantly higher learning gains than the other reading modes. Reading-while-listening was also more beneficial for collocation learning than reading-only. Learners’ prior vocabulary knowledge and congruency of collocations were significant predictors of the learning gains.

Effects of internal and external attentional manipulations and working memory on second language vocabulary learning

In light of mixed findings in existing input enhancement research, Issa and Morgan-Short in a 2019 article urged researchers to compare the relative effects of input enhancement that taps into learners’ attention to the external format of second language (L2) target forms (e.g. through capitalizing or boldfacing the forms) and input enhancement that taps into learners’ attention to the internal attributes of L2 target forms (e.g. via increasing the frequency of the forms). In response to this call, the study described in this article drew on a pretest-treatment–posttest-experimental-design to explore whether working memory (WM) capacity modulates the extent to which L2 learners benefit from input enhancement engaged by internal and external attentional manipulations for partially-acquired L2 vocabulary. Analyses of these learners’ lexical gains under different experimental conditions showed that although compound input enhancement engaged by internal attentional manipulations did indeed lead to better lexical gains, such manipulations did not unequivocally lead to greater gains than the external manipulations in all cases. Furthermore, simple input enhancement engaged by internal attentional manipulations (i.e. varying the contextual supports for the target words) could be as effective as compound input enhancement. Importantly, we found that the aforementioned pedagogical effects of internal and external manipulations were both modulated by differences in WM capacity, albeit to differing extents. Insights from this study provide important pedagogical implications for differentiated input enhancement theory and practice.

Input enhancement improved L2 learners’ production of Chinese classifiers

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of input enhancement on L2 Chinese classifier learning. Two parallel groups of preliminary-level international participants and one group of Chinese native participants were recruited, and the three groups were matched in Chinese writing experience and group size (n = 28). One group of international participants was randomly selected as the experimental group; they read a classifier-enhanced text for 10 min before performing a writing task. The other international group and the native group served as the L2-learner control group and the L1-learner control group, respectively. These two control groups performed the writing task without text reading. Results showed that likely due to the frequent use of 个/ge4/ and the extensive use of novel classifiers, a greater variety of classifiers were used by the experimental group at a greater frequency as compared with the two control groups. However, given the observation that the experimental group tended to avoid using complex classifier forms and similar classifiers, future CSL instruction is suggested to aim for quality acquisition through long-term application of input enhancement integrated with explicit explanation on a language-use basis. This study furthers our understanding of how input enhancement is applicable to the acquisition of a logographic second language.

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH MASTERY IN NEWS ITEM TEXT THROUGH USING INPUT ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUE

The goal of this research is to find out whether input enhancement technique is effective in improving students’ direct and indirect speech mastery in news item text. This research is quantitative experimental research with pretest and posttest control group design. The data of this research is the students’ direct and indirect speech mastery in new item text. The data collection technique is by administering tests, using pretest-posttest design. The data analysis technique uses t-test formula. The result indicates that there was no difference between control and experimental group in initial abiity before the input-enchancemen-technique was treated. Whereas by using input enhancement technique there was significant difference between students taught direct and indirect speech mastery using input enhancement technique and those taught direct and indirect speech mastery in news item text without using input enhancement technique. Thus, it could be concluded that the use of input enhancement technique was effective in improving students’ direct and indirect speech mastery in news item text. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui apakah penggunaan teknik peningkatan input efektif dapat meningkatkan penguasaan tuturan siswa secara langsung dan tidak langsung pada teks item berita. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian eksperimental kuantitatif dengan desain control group pretest and posttest. Data dalam penelitian ini adalah penguasaan tuturan langsung dan tidak langsung siswa pada teks item berita. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan pemberian tes, pretest dan posttest. Teknik analisis data menggunakan rumus uji-t. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tidak ada perbedaan antara kelompok kontrol dan kelompok eksperimen dalam hal kemampuan awal sebelum dilakukan perlakuan teknik input-enhancemen. Sedangkan dengan menggunakan teknik peningkatan input terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan antara hasil belajar siswa dalam hal penguasaan tuturan langsung dan tidak langsung menggunakan teknik peningkatan input dengan hasil belajar siswa dalam hal penguasaan tuturan langsung dan tidak langsung dalam teks item berita tanpa menggunakan teknik peningkatan input. Dengan demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa penggunaan teknik peningkatan input efektif dalam meningkatkan penguasaan tuturan siswa secara langsung dan tidak langsung pada teks item berita.

NOTICING, RETRIEVING AND GENERATION: AN INVESTIGATION INTO VOCABULARY LEARNING AND RETENTION

The present study is an attempt to examine the psychological processes of noticing, retrieval, and generation and their possible contribution to the process of vocabulary learning and retention among intermediate students. The research method was experimental. One hundred and twenty intermediate students were randomly assigned into four groups, namely Noticing through Input enhancement (n=30), Input Enhancement plus Input-Based Reviewing (n=30), Input Enhancement plus Output-Based Reviewing (n=30) and Input Enhancement plus Input-Based and Output-Based Reviewing. The Academic Words contextualized in Focus on Vocabulary 2: Mastering the Academic Word List (Schmitt, Schmitt, & Mann, 2011) were the target words of the study. A pretest composed of VLT items was administered to the participants. The first group encountered the target words that have been already highlighted to absorb their attention. Encountering the already highlighted words, the second group reviewed the words through researcher-made word cards. The third group, besides encountering the already highlighted words, reviewed the words through rewriting the sentences including the target words. The fourth group experienced noticing through input enhancement; retrieval through using researcher-made word cards; and generation through rewriting the sentences containing the unknown words. One week after the last treatment session, an immediate posttest, and after two weeks, a delayed posttest were administered. Based on the results of four one-way repeated measures ANOVAs and three one-way ANOVAs, it was revealed that all types of input-based, output-based and input+output-based reviewing have positive effect on vocabulary learning. However, their positive effect on vocabulary retention was fairly vague. Moreover, the group treated through input enhancement+input- and output- based reviewing outperformed the other groups.

The Role of Auditory Input Enhancement through Whats App in EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention

The present study investigated the effect of teaching vocabulary using auditory input enhancement via whats app on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. For this purpose, 85 students were participated and those 56 students whose scores were one standard deviation above or below the mean on Preliminary English Test (PET) were selected and they were assigned into one experimental and a control group. Then they were given a 40 multiple choice vocabulary test as their pretest. The 10-session treatment followed by teaching vocabulary using auditory input via Whats app in one experimental group and the control group had their conventional way of teaching. After the treatment, a vocabulary posttest was administered to groups in order to compare the participants' performance and to examine if or not the given instruction had any meaningful effect on their vocabulary achievement. After about 10 days after the posttest, the same vocabulary posttest was administered again to check the learners’ vocabulary retention. The analysis of the test scores through an independent sample t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that auditory input enhancement through Whats app had a statistically significant effect on vocabulary learning and retention of Iranian EFL learners.