Pub Date : 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101514
Louise Hannah Shepperd, Sam Hellmuth, Leah Roberts
Many adults learn languages with written forms that differ from their first language(s). Empirical research has demonstrated the influential role of written input on developing L2 phonology. However, existing studies are limited by (1) focusing on learning languages that share the same orthographic script, predominantly the Latin alphabet, (2) small sample sizes, and (3) limited consideration of L2 proficiency. This study investigated the influence of Arabic and English written input when lexically encoding the difficult /f-v/ phonological contrast for L1 Arabic-speaking learners of L2 English. A word learning study was completed by 114 L1 Arabic speakers, with varying English proficiency, and 117 L1 English-speaking controls. Mixed-effects modeling of L1 Arabic accuracy revealed an inhibitory effect of any written input when learning words differing by the difficult contrast. Performance improved with increasing L2 proficiency; however, the inhibitory effect of written input for words differing by /f-v/ persisted into high levels of L2 proficiency.
{"title":"Written input and the encoding of L2 phonological contrasts: L1 Arabic learners of L2 English","authors":"Louise Hannah Shepperd, Sam Hellmuth, Leah Roberts","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101514","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101514","url":null,"abstract":"Many adults learn languages with written forms that differ from their first language(s). Empirical research has demonstrated the influential role of written input on developing L2 phonology. However, existing studies are limited by (1) focusing on learning languages that share the same orthographic script, predominantly the Latin alphabet, (2) small sample sizes, and (3) limited consideration of L2 proficiency. This study investigated the influence of Arabic and English written input when lexically encoding the difficult /f-v/ phonological contrast for L1 Arabic-speaking learners of L2 English. A word learning study was completed by 114 L1 Arabic speakers, with varying English proficiency, and 117 L1 English-speaking controls. Mixed-effects modeling of L1 Arabic accuracy revealed an inhibitory effect of any written input when learning words differing by the difficult contrast. Performance improved with increasing L2 proficiency; however, the inhibitory effect of written input for words differing by /f-v/ persisted into high levels of L2 proficiency.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145950000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101484
Irini Mavrou, Andrea Revesz, Andreas Kyriakou, Xin Rong
Research on how cognitive and affective factors shape bilinguals’ moral judgments in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages remains limited. This study advances our understanding of both language-related variables (L2 proficiency, age of onset of L2 acquisition, length of L2 immersion) and nonlinguistic variables (emotional intelligence, executive functions) in relation to the moral judgments and emotional intensity experienced by 90 Chinese–English bilingual speakers. Participants read five moral dilemmas and completed a set of questionnaires and cognitive ability tests. Mixed-effects models revealed no evidence of a moral foreign language effect, raising questions about the robustness of this phenomenon. Specifically, neither language-related variables nor emotional intelligence had a significant effect. However, participants with stronger updating ability made more deontological judgments in both their L1 and L2, while those with better inhibitory control also made more deontological decisions, but only in their L1. These findings offer new insights into the relationship between language and cognition.
{"title":"Cognition and emotion in moral decision-making: The role of working memory, emotional intelligence, and language factors in bilinguals’ moral judgments and emotions","authors":"Irini Mavrou, Andrea Revesz, Andreas Kyriakou, Xin Rong","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101484","url":null,"abstract":"Research on how cognitive and affective factors shape bilinguals’ moral judgments in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages remains limited. This study advances our understanding of both language-related variables (L2 proficiency, age of onset of L2 acquisition, length of L2 immersion) and nonlinguistic variables (emotional intelligence, executive functions) in relation to the moral judgments and emotional intensity experienced by 90 Chinese–English bilingual speakers. Participants read five moral dilemmas and completed a set of questionnaires and cognitive ability tests. Mixed-effects models revealed no evidence of a moral foreign language effect, raising questions about the robustness of this phenomenon. Specifically, neither language-related variables nor emotional intelligence had a significant effect. However, participants with stronger updating ability made more deontological judgments in both their L1 and L2, while those with better inhibitory control also made more deontological decisions, but only in their L1. These findings offer new insights into the relationship between language and cognition.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"186 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145908351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101344
YouJin Kim, Yeji Han, Sanghee Kang, Yoon Namkung, Stephen Skalicky, Hyejin Cho
Linguistic alignment that occurs during interaction has been found to be a useful language learning mechanism. Recent second language (L2) research on alignment has primarily focused on syntactic alignment in face-to-face oral interactions (Kim & Michel, 2023). This study expands the scope of L2 alignment research by examining pragmatic alignment in group mobile text-chat tasks conducted in Korean. Furthermore, it investigates how the source of alignment (i.e., prime, recast) and learner factors (i.e., L2 proficiency, prior knowledge of the target feature, mobile literacy, and Korean typing skills) influence the extent of L2 alignment and subsequent alignment-driven language learning. Over a period of six days, 87 Korean language learners were randomly distributed across either a prime, recast prime, or control condition and completed the following: a background survey, a pretest, four alignment tasks, two posttests, and a Korean proficiency test. During the alignment text-chat tasks, learners used the KakaoTalk mobile text-chat application to interact with two native Korean speakers who elicited Korean honorific request-making expressions in specified scenarios. The prime group received model examples prior to their production, while the recast prime group received recasts in response to non-target-like production. The learners’ use of honorific expressions was evaluated for both suppliance and accuracy across the pretests, alignment task performance, and posttests. The results revealed evidence of pragmatic alignment, with the recast prime condition demonstrating greater effects on honorific request head acts compared to the prime condition. Additionally, prior knowledge of request-making strategies facilitated L2 alignment. The implications of pragmalinguistic development through alignment-driven text-chat tasks are further discussed.
{"title":"Learning honorific request-making expressions in Korean during mobile text-chat tasks: Comparing provision of primes and recast prime","authors":"YouJin Kim, Yeji Han, Sanghee Kang, Yoon Namkung, Stephen Skalicky, Hyejin Cho","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101344","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101344","url":null,"abstract":"Linguistic alignment that occurs during interaction has been found to be a useful language learning mechanism. Recent second language (L2) research on alignment has primarily focused on syntactic alignment in face-to-face oral interactions (Kim & Michel, 2023). This study expands the scope of L2 alignment research by examining pragmatic alignment in group mobile text-chat tasks conducted in Korean. Furthermore, it investigates how the source of alignment (i.e., prime, recast) and learner factors (i.e., L2 proficiency, prior knowledge of the target feature, mobile literacy, and Korean typing skills) influence the extent of L2 alignment and subsequent alignment-driven language learning. Over a period of six days, 87 Korean language learners were randomly distributed across either a prime, recast prime, or control condition and completed the following: a background survey, a pretest, four alignment tasks, two posttests, and a Korean proficiency test. During the alignment text-chat tasks, learners used the KakaoTalk mobile text-chat application to interact with two native Korean speakers who elicited Korean honorific request-making expressions in specified scenarios. The prime group received model examples prior to their production, while the recast prime group received recasts in response to non-target-like production. The learners’ use of honorific expressions was evaluated for both suppliance and accuracy across the pretests, alignment task performance, and posttests. The results revealed evidence of pragmatic alignment, with the recast prime condition demonstrating greater effects on honorific request head acts compared to the prime condition. Additionally, prior knowledge of request-making strategies facilitated L2 alignment. The implications of pragmalinguistic development through alignment-driven text-chat tasks are further discussed.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"94 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101460
Danni Shi, Andrea Révész
This study explored the effects of repeating a video-lecture-based task on second language (L2) learners’ input processing and the relationship between online processing patterns and lecture comprehension. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The comparison group ( n = 30) performed the task once, whereas the repetition group ( n = 30) repeated the same task three times, with each group completing a free-recall test after their last performance. The stimulated-recall participants ( n = 15) completed the task once, twice, or three times and described their thought processes during their last task performance. The lecture featured an instructor introducing fundamental concepts of neurobiology with labeled diagrams. Participants’ visual attention to the instructor and diagrams was captured using an eye-tracker. Results revealed an increase in learners’ visual attention to the instructor and a decline in their visual attention to the diagrams across repetitions. Additionally, more visual attention to the instructor was related to lower comprehension.
{"title":"The effects of repeating video-lecture-based tasks on learners’ L2 multimodal processing: An exploratory study","authors":"Danni Shi, Andrea Révész","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101460","url":null,"abstract":"This study explored the effects of repeating a video-lecture-based task on second language (L2) learners’ input processing and the relationship between online processing patterns and lecture comprehension. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The comparison group ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 30) performed the task once, whereas the repetition group ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 30) repeated the same task three times, with each group completing a free-recall test after their last performance. The stimulated-recall participants ( <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> = 15) completed the task once, twice, or three times and described their thought processes during their last task performance. The lecture featured an instructor introducing fundamental concepts of neurobiology with labeled diagrams. Participants’ visual attention to the instructor and diagrams was captured using an eye-tracker. Results revealed an increase in learners’ visual attention to the instructor and a decline in their visual attention to the diagrams across repetitions. Additionally, more visual attention to the instructor was related to lower comprehension.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145847157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101447
Kazuya Saito, Siying Chen
This methodological study investigated how the distribution of training sessions—massed, equal spacing, and expanding spacing—affects L2 phonetic learning, focusing on Mandarin-speaking learners’ perception of the English /ɛ/–/æ/ contrast. While most previous phonetic training studies have used massed schedules, the current quasi-experimental design revealed that both types of spaced practice significantly outperformed massed practice in terms of immediate gains and long-term retention. Effect sizes in the spaced groups were approximately double those of the massed group. No significant differences emerged between equal and expanding spacing. These findings suggest that distributed practice—regardless of spacing type—can enhance both the magnitude and durability of L2 phonetic learning. Crucially, this study makes it possible to revisit past findings based on massed training paradigms and to consider whether adopting alternative timing schedules could unlock greater learning potential—for instance, by doubling the size and durability of training effects through the use of spaced conditions.
{"title":"Optimizing L2 phonetic learning","authors":"Kazuya Saito, Siying Chen","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101447","url":null,"abstract":"This methodological study investigated how the distribution of training sessions—massed, equal spacing, and expanding spacing—affects L2 phonetic learning, focusing on Mandarin-speaking learners’ perception of the English /ɛ/–/æ/ contrast. While most previous phonetic training studies have used massed schedules, the current quasi-experimental design revealed that both types of spaced practice significantly outperformed massed practice in terms of immediate gains and long-term retention. Effect sizes in the spaced groups were approximately double those of the massed group. No significant differences emerged between equal and expanding spacing. These findings suggest that distributed practice—regardless of spacing type—can enhance both the magnitude and durability of L2 phonetic learning. Crucially, this study makes it possible to revisit past findings based on massed training paradigms and to consider whether adopting alternative timing schedules could unlock greater learning potential—for instance, by doubling the size and durability of training effects through the use of spaced conditions.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145778059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101472
Haerim Hwang, Ganling Han
This study aims to illuminate the underlying mechanisms of sentence processing in L2 speakers. The phenomenon of interest in the study is the passive structure, which prior research has shown can be challenging for both L1 speakers and L2 speakers to process compared to active structures. Using a visual-world eye-tracking paradigm, this study investigates whether L1-English speakers and L1-Cantonese L2-English speakers employ a morphological cue within the verb to process English actives and passives, and if so, specifically when these cues are integrated into their processing. The results from a growth curve analysis and a divergence point analysis show that the L2-English speakers were slower than the L1-English speakers, but did use the morphological cue to process both actives and passives, even though this cue is absent in their L1 Cantonese. These results suggest that, despite differences in processing speed, the mechanisms underlying L1 and L2 processing are similar.
{"title":"Processing of passives using morphological information within the verb in a second language: Slower, but as robust as in a first language","authors":"Haerim Hwang, Ganling Han","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101472","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101472","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to illuminate the underlying mechanisms of sentence processing in L2 speakers. The phenomenon of interest in the study is the passive structure, which prior research has shown can be challenging for both L1 speakers and L2 speakers to process compared to active structures. Using a visual-world eye-tracking paradigm, this study investigates whether L1-English speakers and L1-Cantonese L2-English speakers employ a morphological cue within the verb to process English actives and passives, and if so, specifically when these cues are integrated into their processing. The results from a growth curve analysis and a divergence point analysis show that the L2-English speakers were slower than the L1-English speakers, but did use the morphological cue to process both actives and passives, even though this cue is absent in their L1 Cantonese. These results suggest that, despite differences in processing speed, the mechanisms underlying L1 and L2 processing are similar.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145770614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101393
Junmin Li, Ali Behzadnia, Elisabeth Beyersmann
The role of morphology in complex word acquisition was examined in Chinese (L1)–English (L2) bilinguals. Participants learned words consisting of two novel constituents, by pairing them with pictures. Items either belonged to large ( torbnel, torbilm, torbla, torbiph ) or small morphological families ( torbilm, torbla ). After training, participants completed recognition and spelling tasks with novel words that either included or excluded a trained morpheme. Results revealed robust stem-training effects, showing that items including a trained constituent were harder to reject and easier to spell than items including two untrained constituents. There was also a significant effect of morphological family size, with greater training effects for items belonging to large than small families. Effect sizes were overall smaller in L2 than in L1. These findings point to the important role of morphological structure in L2 word acquisition and suggest that large morphological family-clusters lead to better learning outcomes.
{"title":"Learning novel complex words in a second language","authors":"Junmin Li, Ali Behzadnia, Elisabeth Beyersmann","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101393","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101393","url":null,"abstract":"The role of morphology in complex word acquisition was examined in Chinese (L1)–English (L2) bilinguals. Participants learned words consisting of two novel constituents, by pairing them with pictures. Items either belonged to large ( <jats:italic>torbnel, torbilm, torbla, torbiph</jats:italic> ) or small morphological families ( <jats:italic>torbilm, torbla</jats:italic> ). After training, participants completed recognition and spelling tasks with novel words that either included or excluded a trained morpheme. Results revealed robust stem-training effects, showing that items including a trained constituent were harder to reject and easier to spell than items including two untrained constituents. There was also a significant effect of morphological family size, with greater training effects for items belonging to large than small families. Effect sizes were overall smaller in L2 than in L1. These findings point to the important role of morphological structure in L2 word acquisition and suggest that large morphological family-clusters lead to better learning outcomes.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145752971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1017/s027226312510140x
Myeongeun Son, Jongwoo Lee
This study investigates whether the second language (L2) development of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) learners in comparison to the L2 development of hearing learners, based on the processability theory (PT) developed by Pienemann (1998, 2005) in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Thirty-eight d/DHH and 32 hearing secondary school learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) completed a series of speaking tasks designed to elicit specific morphosyntactic structures that, according to PT, align with L2 developmental stages. Implicational scaling revealed that although d/DHH learners followed a similar developmental sequence to their peers, they displayed a noticeable delay. They also appeared to require additional time and practice to fully produce the entire target structures after reaching certain developmental stages. The results provide stronger empirical evidence for d/DHH learners’ L2 development, supporting the qualitative similarity hypothesis in the field of special education, which posits that despite quantitative delays, d/DHH learners exhibit qualitatively similar L2 development to their hearing peers.
{"title":"A comparative study of L2 language development in d/Deaf and hard of hearing and hearing secondary learners","authors":"Myeongeun Son, Jongwoo Lee","doi":"10.1017/s027226312510140x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s027226312510140x","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates whether the second language (L2) development of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) learners in comparison to the L2 development of hearing learners, based on the processability theory (PT) developed by Pienemann (1998, 2005) in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Thirty-eight d/DHH and 32 hearing secondary school learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) completed a series of speaking tasks designed to elicit specific morphosyntactic structures that, according to PT, align with L2 developmental stages. Implicational scaling revealed that although d/DHH learners followed a similar developmental sequence to their peers, they displayed a noticeable delay. They also appeared to require additional time and practice to fully produce the entire target structures after reaching certain developmental stages. The results provide stronger empirical evidence for d/DHH learners’ L2 development, supporting the qualitative similarity hypothesis in the field of special education, which posits that despite quantitative delays, d/DHH learners exhibit qualitatively similar L2 development to their hearing peers.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145752976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125101411
Yanlu Zhong, Simon Todd, Stefan Th. Gries, Laurel Brehm
Statistical regularities can be acquired from usage. To examine language speakers’ statistical metacognition about multiword expressions (MWEs), we collected ratings for frequency, dispersion, and directional association strength of English binomials from L1, advanced and intermediate L2 speakers. Mixed-effects modeling showed all speakers had limited speaker-to-corpus consistency but significant sensitivity to statistical regularities of language, supporting usage-based (Gries & Ellis, 2015) and statistical learning theories (Christiansen, 2019). Their statistical metacognition was also shaped by word-level cues, consistent with dual-route model (Carrol & Conklin, 2014). Despite similarities, frequency metacognition showed the strongest speaker-to-corpus consistency, while dispersion metacognition was the hardest to develop. Advanced L2 speakers showed the greatest speaker-to-corpus consistency and sensitivity, while lower-proficiency speakers relied more on word-level cues in metacognitive judgments, supporting the shallow-structure hypothesis (Clahsen & Felser, 2006). Overall, L1 and L2 speakers develop diverse statistical metacognition, with L2 speakers not necessarily inferior, suggesting that statistical metacognition is not solely shaped by usage-based experience.
{"title":"Metacognition of frequency, directional association strength, and dispersion of MWEs in first and second language speakers","authors":"Yanlu Zhong, Simon Todd, Stefan Th. Gries, Laurel Brehm","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125101411","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125101411","url":null,"abstract":"Statistical regularities can be acquired from usage. To examine language speakers’ statistical metacognition about multiword expressions (MWEs), we collected ratings for frequency, dispersion, and directional association strength of English binomials from L1, advanced and intermediate L2 speakers. Mixed-effects modeling showed all speakers had limited speaker-to-corpus consistency but significant sensitivity to statistical regularities of language, supporting usage-based (Gries & Ellis, 2015) and statistical learning theories (Christiansen, 2019). Their statistical metacognition was also shaped by word-level cues, consistent with dual-route model (Carrol & Conklin, 2014). Despite similarities, frequency metacognition showed the strongest speaker-to-corpus consistency, while dispersion metacognition was the hardest to develop. Advanced L2 speakers showed the greatest speaker-to-corpus consistency and sensitivity, while lower-proficiency speakers relied more on word-level cues in metacognitive judgments, supporting the shallow-structure hypothesis (Clahsen & Felser, 2006). Overall, L1 and L2 speakers develop diverse statistical metacognition, with L2 speakers not necessarily inferior, suggesting that statistical metacognition is not solely shaped by usage-based experience.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145664395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1017/s0272263125100880
W. L. Quint Oga-Baldwin, Ali H. Al-Hoorie, Phil Hiver
In recent years, the L2 Motivational Self System has faced increasing scrutiny over its theoretical clarity and empirical rigor. One element of this model, the L2 Learning Experience, remains ambiguously defined and theoretically underdeveloped. This study examined the content validity of the L2 Learning Experience scale and its potential overlap with intrinsic motivation, a cornerstone of self-determination theory. Using a panel of experts, we assessed to what extent items traditionally associated with the L2 Learning Experience scale align with their intended construct. Findings revealed that the items were predominantly identified as intrinsic motivation, not the L2 Learning Experience. These results suggest a significant overlap between the two constructs and raise concerns about a potential jangle fallacy. Our results also underscore the need for greater theoretical and terminological clarity in the field. Aligning language learning motivation research with broader psychological frameworks could lead to more parsimonious and robust theoretical models.
{"title":"Is “the L2 learning experience” simply intrinsic motivation by another name? A content validity analysis","authors":"W. L. Quint Oga-Baldwin, Ali H. Al-Hoorie, Phil Hiver","doi":"10.1017/s0272263125100880","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263125100880","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, the L2 Motivational Self System has faced increasing scrutiny over its theoretical clarity and empirical rigor. One element of this model, the L2 Learning Experience, remains ambiguously defined and theoretically underdeveloped. This study examined the content validity of the L2 Learning Experience scale and its potential overlap with intrinsic motivation, a cornerstone of self-determination theory. Using a panel of experts, we assessed to what extent items traditionally associated with the L2 Learning Experience scale align with their intended construct. Findings revealed that the items were predominantly identified as intrinsic motivation, not the L2 Learning Experience. These results suggest a significant overlap between the two constructs and raise concerns about a potential jangle fallacy. Our results also underscore the need for greater theoretical and terminological clarity in the field. Aligning language learning motivation research with broader psychological frameworks could lead to more parsimonious and robust theoretical models.","PeriodicalId":22008,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Second Language Acquisition","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145651488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}