{"title":"Practice Makes Perfect, but How Much Is Necessary? The Role of Relearning in Second Language Grammar Acquisition","authors":"Jonathan Serfaty, Raquel Serrano","doi":"10.1111/lang.12585","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigated how much practice is necessary for learners to attain durable second language (L2) grammar knowledge. Using digital flashcards, 119 participants practiced translating 12 sentences into an artificial language, followed by feedback, until they had typed all sentences correctly. Participants repeated this activity in one, two, three, or four relearning sessions on consecutive days. After a 14-day delay, all groups scored highly on a receptive test. However, scores on a productive test were substantially higher for groups with three or four relearning sessions. Accuracy tended to peak on the 3rd day of training. An analysis by individual training performance revealed that participants attained durable productive knowledge if they completed two sessions without errors, regardless of how many sessions they had performed in total. The findings provide a timeframe for processes described in skill retention theory (Kim et al., 2013) and suggest a performance benchmark to indicate when learners have gained procedural L2 grammar knowledge.</p>","PeriodicalId":51371,"journal":{"name":"Language Learning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/lang.12585","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Language Learning","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/lang.12585","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study investigated how much practice is necessary for learners to attain durable second language (L2) grammar knowledge. Using digital flashcards, 119 participants practiced translating 12 sentences into an artificial language, followed by feedback, until they had typed all sentences correctly. Participants repeated this activity in one, two, three, or four relearning sessions on consecutive days. After a 14-day delay, all groups scored highly on a receptive test. However, scores on a productive test were substantially higher for groups with three or four relearning sessions. Accuracy tended to peak on the 3rd day of training. An analysis by individual training performance revealed that participants attained durable productive knowledge if they completed two sessions without errors, regardless of how many sessions they had performed in total. The findings provide a timeframe for processes described in skill retention theory (Kim et al., 2013) and suggest a performance benchmark to indicate when learners have gained procedural L2 grammar knowledge.
期刊介绍:
Language Learning is a scientific journal dedicated to the understanding of language learning broadly defined. It publishes research articles that systematically apply methods of inquiry from disciplines including psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, educational inquiry, neuroscience, ethnography, sociolinguistics, sociology, and anthropology. It is concerned with fundamental theoretical issues in language learning such as child, second, and foreign language acquisition, language education, bilingualism, literacy, language representation in mind and brain, culture, cognition, pragmatics, and intergroup relations. A subscription includes one or two annual supplements, alternating among a volume from the Language Learning Cognitive Neuroscience Series, the Currents in Language Learning Series or the Language Learning Special Issue Series.