We report the results of a 2-year longitudinal comparison of grade 3 and grade 4 English-as-a-second-language learners in an experimental, comprehension-based program and those in a regular (i.e., ...more typical) language learning program. The goal was to examine the extent to which sustained, long-term comprehension practice in both listening and reading—in the virtual absence of any speaking—can help develop learners' second language (L2) pronunciation. We analyzed learners' sentences from an elicited imitation task using several accuracy and fluency measures as well as listener ratings of accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency. We found no differences between the two programs at the end of year 1. However, at the end of year 2, there were some differences—namely, in the listener ratings of fluency and comprehensibility— that favored learners in the regular program. These findings highlight the beneficial effects of comprehension practice for the development of L2 pronunciation but also point to some potential limits of this practice.
This study evaluated whether age effects on second language (L2) speech learning derive from changes in how the native language (L1) and L2 sound systems interact. According to the “interaction ...hypothesis” (IH), the older the L2 learner, the less likely the learner is able to establish new vowel categories needed for accurate L2 vowel production and perception because, with age, L1 vowel categories become more likely to perceptually encompass neighboring L2 vowels. These IH predictions were evaluated in two experiments involving 64 native Korean- and English-speaking children and adults. Experiment 1 determined, as predicted, that the Korean children were less likely than the Korean adults to perceive L2 vowels as instances of a single L1 vowel category. Experiment 2 showed that the Korean children surpassed the Korean adults in production of certain vowels but equaled them in vowel perception. These findings, which partially support the IH, are discussed in relation to L2 speech learning.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Reports a study of children in a comprehension-based English-as-a-Second-Language program. After 6 years students performed as well as comparison students on measures of comprehension and measures of ...oral production. Describes gaps in the written language of students in the comprehension-based program, includes a follow-up study with secondary students, and concludes with a discussion of the need for pedagogical guidance for the development of writing skills. (Author/VWL)
In the French primary schools of Quebec, increased popularity in experimental programs that provide young Francophone learners with intensive ESL instruction has been accompanied by increased ...variation in the way the instructional time is distributed. In a massed program, students complete the regular curriculum in French in 5 months and spend the remaining months learning English. In a distributed program, the intensive ESL instruction is spread across the full 10 months of the school year. Within the cognitive psychology and general education literature, there is substantial evidence in favour of distributed over massed practice. There has been less research in the language program evaluation literature contrasting the learning outcomes of students receiving similar amounts of L2 exposure in different distributions, but the findings suggest an advantage for massed learning. The present study compared the learning outcomes in two versions of the massed program and one version of the distributed program of students of the same age and L1, with similar amounts of prior exposure to English. Pretest and posttest measures from 700 students revealed superior outcomes for the massed learning conditions. The interpretation of the findings takes into account selection criteria, overall instructional time, and instructional practices in the different ESL programs.
The goal of this study was to investigate a possible link between second language (L2) learners' background variables and the type of instruction learners receive in L2 classrooms. We specifically ...focused on the relationship between several learner background factors (e.g., L2 contact, native language literacy skills, general academic ability) and measures of L2 speaking by analyzing the data from a large-scale longitudinal project investigating two different methods of teaching English as an L2 (comprehension-based vs. “traditional” L2 program). We found that the learners who had greater contact with English, who showed more interest in reading, whose parents spoke more English, and who attained higher scores in French reading, English vocabulary recognition and general school ability tended to produce more accurate and comprehensible English sentences in an elicited imitation task. However, this relationship was stronger in the comprehension-based than in the traditional program, revealing a possible interaction between type of instruction and learner background variables. Taken together, these findings suggest that certain types of instruction could be more beneficial for learners with certain learning profiles and highlight the importance of investigating interactions between learner background variables and type of instruction in authentic learning contexts.
THE LANGUAGE CONTACT PROFILE Freed, Barbara F.; Dewey, Dan P.; Segalowitz, Norman ...
Studies in second language acquisition,
06/2004, Letnik:
26, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Efforts to gather data of various sorts—demographics,
language-learning history, contact with native speakers, use of the
language in the field—as they relate to participants in SLA
research studies ...are inherent to understanding more about language
acquisition and use. Scholars frequently develop questionnaires of
their own, which are rarely shared widely in the profession.
Consequently, much time and effort is invested in reinventing the
process of gathering the types of data that are commonly needed.This research was funded in part by a grant
to Barbara F. Freed from the Council for International Educational
Exchange (New York), in part by a grant from the Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council of Canada to Norman Segalowitz, and in part
by a grant from the Dean's Office, Faculty of Arts and Science, at
Concordia University to Segalowitz.
Classrooms as Lexical Environments Meara, Paul; Lightbown, Patsy M; Halter, Randall H
Language teaching research : LTR,
1997, Letnik:
1, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Explores the vocabulary available in English-as-a-Second-Language classes in which teachers have made a strong commitment to a communicative approach to language teaching. Provides an account of ...problems that were encountered in an attempt to establish a rich lexical environment in one classroom. (Author/VWL)
Cette recherche propose de tester l'intuition commune que les apprenants du français L2 dont la compétence langagière est considérée plus approfondie utilisent un vocabulaire plus riche lors de leurs ...interactions orales. Elle teste aussi la capacité de la méthode Profil de fréquence lexicale (PFL) à fournir une mesure objective du vocabulaire utilisé. Deux groupes étaient composés d'anglophones adultes apprenants du français L2 (N = 48) et fonctionnaires du gouvernement fédéral canadien ayant obtenu un certain niveau de compétence en français comme exigence partielle de leur poste. Les groupes ont été répartis selon leur niveau d'interaction orale obtenu dans leur test. Ces interactions étaient enregistrées et dactylographiées, et la méthode PFL utilisée pour la conversion quantitative des données afin de mener des tests statistiques. Ces tests ont démontré des différences statistiquement significatives entre les productions des deux groupes et par ce même fait ont confirmé notre intuition de différence lexicale.
COMPREHENSION-BASED PRACTICE Trofimovich, Pavel; Lightbown, Patsy M.; Halter, Randall H. ...
Studies in second language acquisition,
12/2009, Letnik:
31, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
We report the results of a 2-year longitudinal comparison of grade 3 and grade 4 English-as-a-second-language learners in an experimental, comprehension-based program and those in a regular (i.e., ...more typical) language learning program. The goal was to examine the extent to which sustained, long-term comprehension practice in both listening and reading—in the virtual absence of any speaking—can help develop learners’ second language (L2) pronunciation. We analyzed learners’ sentences from an elicited imitation task using several accuracy and fluency measures as well as listener ratings of accentedness, comprehensibility, and fluency. We found no differences between the two programs at the end of year 1. However, at the end of year 2, there were some differences—namely, in the listener ratings of fluency and comprehensibility—that favored learners in the regular program. These findings highlight the beneficial effects of comprehension practice for the development of L2 pronunciation but also point to some potential limits of this practice.
