Pub Date : 2024-12-30DOI: 10.1177/13621688241303250
Raúl Azpilicueta-Martínez
The purported foreign language gains of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) over traditional EFL (English as a foreign language) programs with young learners are still unclear. Specifically, little is known about how CLIL time and timing impact grammatical complexity. Additionally, mediating factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and extramural exposure have been rarely controlled in the existing literature. This study analysed grammatical complexity in four groups of young learners in Spain ( n = 108) during an oral task. The sample comprised: (1) an EFL-only group (1,766 EFL hours), (2) a low-exposure CLIL group (1,766 EFL hours + 707 CLIL hours), (3) a high-exposure CLIL group (1,766 EFL hours + 2,473 CLIL hours), and (4) a younger high-exposure CLIL group (1,545 EFL hours + 2,164 CLIL hours). All groups were matched for SES and extramural exposure. The analysis included independent ratings and computational measures of overall sentence complexity, subordination, and coordination. Distribution, Kruskal–Wallis and post-hoc tests were conducted. Results showed significant differences in favour of the high-exposure groups over the EFL-only group in the ratings and in two of the computational measures: overall sentence complexity and subordination. This evidence highlights the potential of high-exposure CLIL to supplement grammatical instruction in EFL programs. Our results also suggest that the comparatively higher exposure of the younger high-exposure CLIL group has the potential to override the one-year cognitive advantage of the older, EFL-only learners.
{"title":"Exposure or age? The effect of additional CLIL instruction on young learners’ grammatical complexity while performing an oral task","authors":"Raúl Azpilicueta-Martínez","doi":"10.1177/13621688241303250","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241303250","url":null,"abstract":"The purported foreign language gains of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) over traditional EFL (English as a foreign language) programs with young learners are still unclear. Specifically, little is known about how CLIL time and timing impact grammatical complexity. Additionally, mediating factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and extramural exposure have been rarely controlled in the existing literature. This study analysed grammatical complexity in four groups of young learners in Spain ( n = 108) during an oral task. The sample comprised: (1) an EFL-only group (1,766 EFL hours), (2) a low-exposure CLIL group (1,766 EFL hours + 707 CLIL hours), (3) a high-exposure CLIL group (1,766 EFL hours + 2,473 CLIL hours), and (4) a younger high-exposure CLIL group (1,545 EFL hours + 2,164 CLIL hours). All groups were matched for SES and extramural exposure. The analysis included independent ratings and computational measures of overall sentence complexity, subordination, and coordination. Distribution, Kruskal–Wallis and post-hoc tests were conducted. Results showed significant differences in favour of the high-exposure groups over the EFL-only group in the ratings and in two of the computational measures: overall sentence complexity and subordination. This evidence highlights the potential of high-exposure CLIL to supplement grammatical instruction in EFL programs. Our results also suggest that the comparatively higher exposure of the younger high-exposure CLIL group has the potential to override the one-year cognitive advantage of the older, EFL-only learners.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142901963","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 : 2024-12-30DOI: 10.1177/13621688241304871
Joseph S. Yamazaki, Phil Hiver
In many compulsory second language (L2) classrooms, learners routinely encounter linguistically difficult L2 reading tasks. However, it is unclear (1) how learners behaviorally engage and perform on such tasks, (2) what motivational characteristics predict their reactions, and (3) whether maladaptive learner reactions can be ameliorated. This study examined the role of two motivational constructs (attributions and self-efficacy) and a common teaching practice (effort feedback) in predicting and ameliorating learners’ behavioral engagement and performance on linguistically difficult L2 reading tasks. Japanese high school students ( N = 238) studying English were recruited for an experimental study and randomly assigned to either the treatment group ( n = 124) or the comparison group ( n = 114). Both groups first performed a linguistically difficult L2 reading task. Time on task was measured as a direct indicator of behavioral task engagement. They then rated the success or failure attributions of their task performance. Next, the treatment group received brief positive feedback highlighting effort attributions (i.e. effort feedback), while the comparison group did not receive any attributional feedback. Both groups then rated their levels of self-efficacy to perform a similar task. Lastly, both groups performed a follow-up linguistically difficult L2 reading task, and their time on task was recorded. Results showed that participants generally displayed low behavioral engagement and performed poorly on the initial task. Both the treatment and comparison groups experienced a significant decline in their behavioral engagement in the subsequent task, but the treatment group showed a small improvement in their subsequent task performance. The external controllability dimension of attributions positively predicted learners’ behavioral engagement on the subsequent task. These findings shed light on an unexplored territory of task engagement research that warrants further attention.
{"title":"Learners’ behavioral engagement and performance on linguistically difficult L2 reading tasks: The effects of effort feedback, self-efficacy, and attributions","authors":"Joseph S. Yamazaki, Phil Hiver","doi":"10.1177/13621688241304871","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241304871","url":null,"abstract":"In many compulsory second language (L2) classrooms, learners routinely encounter linguistically difficult L2 reading tasks. However, it is unclear (1) how learners behaviorally engage and perform on such tasks, (2) what motivational characteristics predict their reactions, and (3) whether maladaptive learner reactions can be ameliorated. This study examined the role of two motivational constructs (attributions and self-efficacy) and a common teaching practice (effort feedback) in predicting and ameliorating learners’ behavioral engagement and performance on linguistically difficult L2 reading tasks. Japanese high school students ( N = 238) studying English were recruited for an experimental study and randomly assigned to either the treatment group ( n = 124) or the comparison group ( n = 114). Both groups first performed a linguistically difficult L2 reading task. Time on task was measured as a direct indicator of behavioral task engagement. They then rated the success or failure attributions of their task performance. Next, the treatment group received brief positive feedback highlighting effort attributions (i.e. effort feedback), while the comparison group did not receive any attributional feedback. Both groups then rated their levels of self-efficacy to perform a similar task. Lastly, both groups performed a follow-up linguistically difficult L2 reading task, and their time on task was recorded. Results showed that participants generally displayed low behavioral engagement and performed poorly on the initial task. Both the treatment and comparison groups experienced a significant decline in their behavioral engagement in the subsequent task, but the treatment group showed a small improvement in their subsequent task performance. The external controllability dimension of attributions positively predicted learners’ behavioral engagement on the subsequent task. These findings shed light on an unexplored territory of task engagement research that warrants further attention.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142908485","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 : 2024-12-30DOI: 10.1177/13621688241308836
Ayşe Yılmaz Virlan, Burak Tomak
With the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) tools available to anybody with internet access, English language learners are increasingly turning to these resources to improve their writing skills. By examining their utilization of AI tools to improve their writing proficiency, this research examines the perspectives of Turkish English language learners enrolled in a preparatory program at a state university in Istanbul. Using a Q methodological approach, researchers created a set of 40 statements based on a literature study, which were then sent to 55 consenting individuals. Qualitative information was also collected by interviewing five students in depth. The analysis indicated a growing tendency among students to utilize AI tools for writing assignments, highlighting advantages such as assistance in translation, idea generation, and preparedness for future studies. However, participants expressed concerns over excessive dependence on these technologies, which can result in problems such as plagiarism, reduced originality, and ethical dilemmas. These findings highlight the need for supporting the ethical and balanced use of AI technologies in language learning environments, ensuring that learners may use technology efficiently while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of their work. Further study should explore strategies for integrating AI tools into language teaching in ways that minimize these concerns and enhance their benefits for learners.
{"title":"A Q method study on Turkish EFL learners’ perspectives on the use of AI tools for writing: Benefits, concerns, and ethics","authors":"Ayşe Yılmaz Virlan, Burak Tomak","doi":"10.1177/13621688241308836","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241308836","url":null,"abstract":"With the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) tools available to anybody with internet access, English language learners are increasingly turning to these resources to improve their writing skills. By examining their utilization of AI tools to improve their writing proficiency, this research examines the perspectives of Turkish English language learners enrolled in a preparatory program at a state university in Istanbul. Using a Q methodological approach, researchers created a set of 40 statements based on a literature study, which were then sent to 55 consenting individuals. Qualitative information was also collected by interviewing five students in depth. The analysis indicated a growing tendency among students to utilize AI tools for writing assignments, highlighting advantages such as assistance in translation, idea generation, and preparedness for future studies. However, participants expressed concerns over excessive dependence on these technologies, which can result in problems such as plagiarism, reduced originality, and ethical dilemmas. These findings highlight the need for supporting the ethical and balanced use of AI technologies in language learning environments, ensuring that learners may use technology efficiently while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of their work. Further study should explore strategies for integrating AI tools into language teaching in ways that minimize these concerns and enhance their benefits for learners.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142901894","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 : 2024-12-26DOI: 10.1177/13621688241304168
Bin Gao, Jiashun Fan
While research on student engagement with oral and written corrective feedback (CF) in second language acquisition (SLA) is well established, the study of such engagement within the context of interpreting, which requires bilingual conversion, is not as developed. Building on Ellis’ tripartite conceptualization of student engagement – comprising affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses – this study explored the engagement of 30 students with teacher feedback in three Chinese-to-English consecutive interpreting courses. Data were collected through classroom recordings, semi-structured interviews, stimulated recall sessions, and students’ in-class notes. The findings indicated that, affectively, all students highly valued and presented overall affirmative emotions towards teacher feedback. Cognitively, students employed various cognitive strategies, including active attribution, mental rehearsal, and information categorization in processing feedback information; however, they encountered challenges in fully understanding the content and process-focused feedback. Behaviorally, two predominant note-taking patterns emerged: ‘language-oriented’ and ‘skill-oriented’. The findings emphasize the critical role of interpreting practice in language acquisition and underscore the need to refine pedagogical approaches in interpreting courses to support both language learning and interpreter training.
{"title":"Understanding student engagement with teacher feedback in Chinese-to-English consecutive interpreting courses","authors":"Bin Gao, Jiashun Fan","doi":"10.1177/13621688241304168","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241304168","url":null,"abstract":"While research on student engagement with oral and written corrective feedback (CF) in second language acquisition (SLA) is well established, the study of such engagement within the context of interpreting, which requires bilingual conversion, is not as developed. Building on Ellis’ tripartite conceptualization of student engagement – comprising affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses – this study explored the engagement of 30 students with teacher feedback in three Chinese-to-English consecutive interpreting courses. Data were collected through classroom recordings, semi-structured interviews, stimulated recall sessions, and students’ in-class notes. The findings indicated that, affectively, all students highly valued and presented overall affirmative emotions towards teacher feedback. Cognitively, students employed various cognitive strategies, including active attribution, mental rehearsal, and information categorization in processing feedback information; however, they encountered challenges in fully understanding the content and process-focused feedback. Behaviorally, two predominant note-taking patterns emerged: ‘language-oriented’ and ‘skill-oriented’. The findings emphasize the critical role of interpreting practice in language acquisition and underscore the need to refine pedagogical approaches in interpreting courses to support both language learning and interpreter training.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142886838","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 : 2024-12-24DOI: 10.1177/13621688241306165
Mostafa Morady Moghaddam, Neil Murray
This study investigates the intricate dynamics of student–faculty interactions in asynchronous online communication, focusing in particular on professors’ responses to non-native English-speaking students’ (NNSs’) favor-asking during online exchanges. Through qualitative analysis of email exchanges, this research examines how students articulate their concerns and requests for grade reassessment, and how professors respond to such instances of favor-asking. This study indicates that politeness is a more critical issue in asynchronous email communication than whe face-to-face interactions. The findings reveal that students often challenge professors’ authority by questioning assessment fairness, whereas professors employ disaffiliative strategies to maintain academic rigor and uphold their authority. This study highlights the role of cultural norms and politeness strategies in shaping these interactions, suggesting that a lack of awareness regarding these norms can lead to misunderstanding and escalate tensions. Furthermore, this research underscores the necessity of teaching pragmatic communication skills to non-native speakers to enhance their engagement and effectiveness in academic discourse. This study illuminates the complexities of these exchanges, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by both students and faculty in the context of assessment and communication in higher education.
{"title":"Beyond pleasantries: University teachers’ responses to students’ favor-asking in asynchronous online communication","authors":"Mostafa Morady Moghaddam, Neil Murray","doi":"10.1177/13621688241306165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241306165","url":null,"abstract":"This study investigates the intricate dynamics of student–faculty interactions in asynchronous online communication, focusing in particular on professors’ responses to non-native English-speaking students’ (NNSs’) favor-asking during online exchanges. Through qualitative analysis of email exchanges, this research examines how students articulate their concerns and requests for grade reassessment, and how professors respond to such instances of favor-asking. This study indicates that politeness is a more critical issue in asynchronous email communication than whe face-to-face interactions. The findings reveal that students often challenge professors’ authority by questioning assessment fairness, whereas professors employ disaffiliative strategies to maintain academic rigor and uphold their authority. This study highlights the role of cultural norms and politeness strategies in shaping these interactions, suggesting that a lack of awareness regarding these norms can lead to misunderstanding and escalate tensions. Furthermore, this research underscores the necessity of teaching pragmatic communication skills to non-native speakers to enhance their engagement and effectiveness in academic discourse. This study illuminates the complexities of these exchanges, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by both students and faculty in the context of assessment and communication in higher education.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142884401","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 : 2024-12-24DOI: 10.1177/13621688241288877
Natalie Finlayson, Emma Marsden, Rachel Hawkes
This study explores some of the implications of policy changes relating to the composition and use of word lists for French, German, and Spanish as foreign languages in secondary schools in England. Against the backdrop of literature relating to word list creation and use, we review requirements for the vocabulary content of high-stakes examinations in these languages under current and new policy, and describe the methodological steps we took in collaboration with teachers and members of an awarding organization to create corpus-informed lists for adolescent, beginner-to-low-intermediate learners based on frequency, word-topic relatedness, and teacher judgments of usefulness, relevance and difficulty. Under current policy, awarding organizations provide educators with non-mandatory, topic-driven word lists structured around pre-determined themes. We analyse the content of lists compiled using each approach (corpus-informed or topic-driven) and examine their lexical coverage of four corpora designed to represent potential learning goals of adolescents: passing exams, further study, reading and discussing young adult literature, and engaging with web content. Despite being 36%–44% (foundation tier) and 11%–21% (higher tier) shorter, the new lists cover an average 11% (foundation tier) and 18% (higher tier) more of every corpus. Our further analyses suggest that these stark results can be attributed to (1) the nature of the content (rather than function) words, (2) negligible coverage benefits from multiword phrases on the current lists, and (3) a more balanced part-of-speech distribution in the new lists. Some of our methods were used by awarding organizations in England to develop accredited lists for the new examinations. Those lists share large numbers of lexical items with the lists reported here, suggesting that our findings have immediate implications for secondary school foreign language education in England. More generally, we demonstrate a replicable approach to developing short lists with high coverage, suggest some pedagogical applications, and discuss how our methods could be adapted for other contexts.
{"title":"Creating and evaluating corpus-informed word lists for adolescent, beginner-to-low-intermediate learners of French, German, and Spanish","authors":"Natalie Finlayson, Emma Marsden, Rachel Hawkes","doi":"10.1177/13621688241288877","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241288877","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores some of the implications of policy changes relating to the composition and use of word lists for French, German, and Spanish as foreign languages in secondary schools in England. Against the backdrop of literature relating to word list creation and use, we review requirements for the vocabulary content of high-stakes examinations in these languages under current and new policy, and describe the methodological steps we took in collaboration with teachers and members of an awarding organization to create corpus-informed lists for adolescent, beginner-to-low-intermediate learners based on frequency, word-topic relatedness, and teacher judgments of usefulness, relevance and difficulty. Under current policy, awarding organizations provide educators with non-mandatory, topic-driven word lists structured around pre-determined themes. We analyse the content of lists compiled using each approach (corpus-informed or topic-driven) and examine their lexical coverage of four corpora designed to represent potential learning goals of adolescents: passing exams, further study, reading and discussing young adult literature, and engaging with web content. Despite being 36%–44% (foundation tier) and 11%–21% (higher tier) shorter, the new lists cover an average 11% (foundation tier) and 18% (higher tier) more of every corpus. Our further analyses suggest that these stark results can be attributed to (1) the nature of the content (rather than function) words, (2) negligible coverage benefits from multiword phrases on the current lists, and (3) a more balanced part-of-speech distribution in the new lists. Some of our methods were used by awarding organizations in England to develop accredited lists for the new examinations. Those lists share large numbers of lexical items with the lists reported here, suggesting that our findings have immediate implications for secondary school foreign language education in England. More generally, we demonstrate a replicable approach to developing short lists with high coverage, suggest some pedagogical applications, and discuss how our methods could be adapted for other contexts.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"67 4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142879967","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 : 2024-12-24DOI: 10.1177/13621688241303321
Jieting Jerry Xin
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have shown great potential for assisting teachers in their teaching routines. However, there is an urgent need for more empirical research to investigate the implementation and effectiveness of these tools. This study aimed to explore how teachers in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context perceived and used a generative AI-based tool, ChatPDF, to develop materials for reading lessons. Data were collected from three EFL teachers’ dialogues with ChatPDF, artefacts (including original and finalized materials), and individual semi-structured interviews. Content analysis was used to analyse the dialogues with ChatPDF through the lens of pedagogical content knowledge. The interviews were analysed thematically, and the artefacts were used for triangulation. The findings show that the teachers mainly used ChatPDF for text modification, task design, and pedagogical suggestions. The teachers relied on their knowledge of pedagogy, knowledge of students, and teacher language awareness during the process of developing language-learning materials with ChatPDF. The findings revealed a ‘D-R-E-A-M’ pattern of teachers’ use of ChatPDF for materials development (determine the needs, render the prompts, evaluate the suggestions, adjust the prompts if necessary, and make the final decision). The teachers acknowledged several advantages and limitations of using ChatPDF to develop materials. The results of this study have pedagogical implications for EFL teachers regarding how to make better use of generative AI tools for materials development, as well as for teacher educators regarding what to include in teacher professional development programmes in the era of generative AI.
{"title":"Investigating EFL teachers’ use of generative AI to develop reading materials: A practice and perception study","authors":"Jieting Jerry Xin","doi":"10.1177/13621688241303321","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241303321","url":null,"abstract":"Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have shown great potential for assisting teachers in their teaching routines. However, there is an urgent need for more empirical research to investigate the implementation and effectiveness of these tools. This study aimed to explore how teachers in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context perceived and used a generative AI-based tool, ChatPDF, to develop materials for reading lessons. Data were collected from three EFL teachers’ dialogues with ChatPDF, artefacts (including original and finalized materials), and individual semi-structured interviews. Content analysis was used to analyse the dialogues with ChatPDF through the lens of pedagogical content knowledge. The interviews were analysed thematically, and the artefacts were used for triangulation. The findings show that the teachers mainly used ChatPDF for text modification, task design, and pedagogical suggestions. The teachers relied on their knowledge of pedagogy, knowledge of students, and teacher language awareness during the process of developing language-learning materials with ChatPDF. The findings revealed a ‘D-R-E-A-M’ pattern of teachers’ use of ChatPDF for materials development (determine the needs, render the prompts, evaluate the suggestions, adjust the prompts if necessary, and make the final decision). The teachers acknowledged several advantages and limitations of using ChatPDF to develop materials. The results of this study have pedagogical implications for EFL teachers regarding how to make better use of generative AI tools for materials development, as well as for teacher educators regarding what to include in teacher professional development programmes in the era of generative AI.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"86 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142884402","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 : 2024-12-19DOI: 10.1177/13621688241300399
Daniel Jach, Jing Zeng
This study addresses the long-observed phenomenon of foreign language learners avoiding particle verbs from a novel perspective. Departing from the decades-old debate about the uncertain grammatical status of particle verbs, recent studies have proposed to reconceptualize particle verbs not as words or phrases but as constructions. Constructions are holistic form–meaning representations of usage regularities, which emerge from lexical patterns in language use. In accordance with this understanding, we analyse the use of particle verbs in a corpus of native and non-native German and compare lexical distributions across speaker groups, proficiency levels, and linguistic contexts. Of particular importance is the comparison of contexts of joint particle–verb conjunction (e.g. an-lächeln ‘to smile at’) with those of syntactic particle separation (e.g. lächelt an ‘smiles at’), as these contexts appear to be primarily responsible for learning difficulties and avoidance behaviors. Our findings reveal that contexts of particle separation tend to be lexically sparse and formulaic, contrasting with the more lexically diverse joint contexts. We argue that the joint construction emerges as the default for particle verb usage, ‘crowding out’ the less productive separate construction which becomes confined to specific lexical contexts in non-native language use. Building upon these findings, we use corpus material to develop data-driven learning activities that aim to prevent learners from becoming entrenched in fossilized lexical patterns and to facilitate the acquisition of productive constructions.
{"title":"Analysing the use of particle verbs in German as a foreign language: Unproductive particle separation and a proposal for a data-driven learning intervention","authors":"Daniel Jach, Jing Zeng","doi":"10.1177/13621688241300399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241300399","url":null,"abstract":"This study addresses the long-observed phenomenon of foreign language learners avoiding particle verbs from a novel perspective. Departing from the decades-old debate about the uncertain grammatical status of particle verbs, recent studies have proposed to reconceptualize particle verbs not as words or phrases but as constructions. Constructions are holistic form–meaning representations of usage regularities, which emerge from lexical patterns in language use. In accordance with this understanding, we analyse the use of particle verbs in a corpus of native and non-native German and compare lexical distributions across speaker groups, proficiency levels, and linguistic contexts. Of particular importance is the comparison of contexts of joint particle–verb conjunction (e.g. an-lächeln ‘to smile at’) with those of syntactic particle separation (e.g. lächelt an ‘smiles at’), as these contexts appear to be primarily responsible for learning difficulties and avoidance behaviors. Our findings reveal that contexts of particle separation tend to be lexically sparse and formulaic, contrasting with the more lexically diverse joint contexts. We argue that the joint construction emerges as the default for particle verb usage, ‘crowding out’ the less productive separate construction which becomes confined to specific lexical contexts in non-native language use. Building upon these findings, we use corpus material to develop data-driven learning activities that aim to prevent learners from becoming entrenched in fossilized lexical patterns and to facilitate the acquisition of productive constructions.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"119 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142869851","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 : 2024-12-10DOI: 10.1177/13621688241298741
Lieselotte Sippel, Ines A. Martin
This study examined learners’ perceptions of telecollaboration, specifically an email exchange between learners in the US and Germany, and of peer and teacher corrective feedback (CF) during the exchange. Participants were 38 learners from a second-semester German course at a US university. Their virtual exchange partners were learners of English at a German high school. Learners were assigned to a telecollaboration + peer feedback (PeerF) condition ( N = 15), a telecollaboration + teacher feedback (TeacherF) condition ( N = 10), or a telecollaboration-only (Control) condition ( N = 13). Each week, they sent one email in German and one email in English to their partners. While the PeerF Group received CF on their emails from their partners, the TeacherF Group received feedback from their instructor, and the Control Group did not receive feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data from a survey and semi-structured interviews indicated that all learners strongly believed in both the effectiveness of telecollaboration and CF during telecollaboration. However, learners in the TeacherF Group found telecollaboration significantly less enjoyable than learners in the PeerF Group. Moreover, learners in both feedback groups favored receiving CF from an email partner over CF from a teacher. Pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
{"title":"Learners’ perceptions of corrective feedback during written telecollaboration","authors":"Lieselotte Sippel, Ines A. Martin","doi":"10.1177/13621688241298741","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241298741","url":null,"abstract":"This study examined learners’ perceptions of telecollaboration, specifically an email exchange between learners in the US and Germany, and of peer and teacher corrective feedback (CF) during the exchange. Participants were 38 learners from a second-semester German course at a US university. Their virtual exchange partners were learners of English at a German high school. Learners were assigned to a telecollaboration + peer feedback (PeerF) condition ( N = 15), a telecollaboration + teacher feedback (TeacherF) condition ( N = 10), or a telecollaboration-only (Control) condition ( N = 13). Each week, they sent one email in German and one email in English to their partners. While the PeerF Group received CF on their emails from their partners, the TeacherF Group received feedback from their instructor, and the Control Group did not receive feedback. Quantitative and qualitative data from a survey and semi-structured interviews indicated that all learners strongly believed in both the effectiveness of telecollaboration and CF during telecollaboration. However, learners in the TeacherF Group found telecollaboration significantly less enjoyable than learners in the PeerF Group. Moreover, learners in both feedback groups favored receiving CF from an email partner over CF from a teacher. Pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.","PeriodicalId":47852,"journal":{"name":"Language Teaching Research","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142804609","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}
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