From metalinguistic instruction to metalinguistic knowledge, and from metalinguistic knowledge to performance in error correction and oral production tasks

The purpose of this study is to analyse the effect of metalinguistic instruction on students' metalinguistic knowledge on the one hand, and on students' performance in metalinguistic and oral production tasks on the other hand. Two groups of primary school students learning English as a foreign language were chosen. One of them (Rule group) was provided with metalinguistic instruction on English possessive determiners (PDs) for six weeks (N= 21), while the Comparison group (N= 22) did not receive such instruction. These students' progress was analysed through a pre-test/post-test design by means of a written error correction task, a 'free production' oral task, and a metalinguistic judgement task. The results of the statistical analyses indicate that, although the learners in the Rule group were more advanced in their knowledge and use of the English PDs than their peers in the Comparison group, the differences between groups were not statistically significant in all the tests. Additional analyses revealed that there were correlations between students' knowledge and performance in the Rule group, indicating that the learners who made the most gains from pre- to post-test were the ones who had demonstrated a more advanced knowledge of the rule

Development of English language skills in oral production by adult students in intensive and regular EFL courses

Time is undoubtedly an important factor in second language learning, not only in terms of the total amount of hours allotted for a particular program, but also in relation to how such hours are distributed. Research in Canada has shown that when primary school students receive concentrated second language (L2) instruction they reach higher levels of competence than through regular lessons. The purpose of this study is to shed some light on the effect of time distribution on instructed L2 learning by examining the development of oral production skills (in terms of oral fluency, complexity, and accuracy) in regular vs. intensive programs for adult EFL learners registered in intermediate and advanced EFL courses. The results of the analyses suggest that, although there are no statistically significant differences in oral gains between program types, there is a slight tendency for greater gains in the case of learners receiving intensive instruction

The time factor in EFL practice

This paper analyzes whether the distribution of the hours of classroom practice has any effect on students' foreign language gains, by comparing two types of EFL (English as a foreign language) programs: one in which the hours of instruction are distributed in long sessions over a short period (intensive course), and another in which the students attend short sessions over a long period of time (regular course). Data from 152 participants at two proficiency levels were gathered. Learners' grammar and vocabulary knowledge, as well as listening, writing and speaking skills were examined through a variety of tasks. The results of the analyses performed indicate that intermediate-level students tend to make more language gains in intensive programs than in regular programs, whereas advanced EFL students do not seem to benefit from intensive classroom practice as much as intermediate students do

A state-of-the-art review of distribution-of-practice effects on L2 learning

The purpose of this state-of-the-art review is to provide a general overview of recent research on time distribution and second language (L2) learning with special implications for classroom settings. Several studies have been performed to examine how to best distribute the hours of L2 practice to maximize learning by comparing conditions that promote intensive exposure versus others in which L2 input or instruction is more widely spaced. Findings from these studies are relevant not only for practical purposes but also for theory development. This review provides a summary of recent studies as well as suggestions for pedagogical practice. Additionally, it identifies areas for future research concerning the effect of time distribution on L2 learning

Contact, attitude, and motivation in the learning of Catalan at advanced levels

The theoretical complexity of current understandings of second language (L2) identity has brought the study of language learning motivations from basic concepts of intrinsic, integrative, and instrumental motives to a more dynamic construct that interacts with background factors, learning contexts, and proficiency levels. This cross-sectional study examines the profile of the advanced non-native learner of Catalan as a means of understanding L2 contact, attitudes, and motivations that underlie the self-concept of this learner group as distinct from foreign language learners. Adult students in advanced courses (N = 90) in Catalonia responded to questionnaire items about the presence of the target language in their social network, attitude toward it, motivation for studying, and background information including age and length of residence, among others. Principle component analysis revealed four driving factors for language study, which are discussed in terms of learners' Ideal and Ought-to L2 Selves from the L2 Motivation Self System (Dörnyei, 2009), in addition to mediating L2 community factors found uniquely in second language study contexts. Through discussing these motivations, we hope to arrive at a better understanding of learners who, arriving in a multilingual community, form an advanced L2 self-concept and translate these push and pull factors into proficiency

Grupos de empresa a efectos laborales y cash pooling

Grupos de empresa a efectos laborales

Young L2 learners' online processing of information in a graded reader during reading-only and reading-while-listening conditions: A study of eye-movements

Combining reading with auditory input has been shown to be an effective way of supporting reading fluency and reading comprehension in a second language. Previous research has also shown that reading comprehension can be further supported by pictorial information. However, the studies conducted so far have mainly included adults or adolescents and have been based on post-reading tests that, although informative, do not contribute to our understanding of how learners' processing of the several sources of input in multimodal texts changes with the presence of auditory input and the effect that potential differences could have on comprehension. The present study used eyetracking to examine how young learners process the pictorial and textual information in a graded reader under reading only and reading-while-listening conditions. Results showed that readers spent more time processing the text in the reading only condition, while more time was spent processing the images in the reading-while-listening mode. Nevertheless, comprehension scores were similar for the readers in the two conditions. Additionally, our results suggested a significant (negative) relationship between the amount of time learners spent processing the text and comprehension scores in both modes

Learning Vocabulary Through Assisted Repeated Reading: How Much Time Should There Be Between Repetitions of the Same Text?

Repeated reading, which involves the reading of short passages several times, has been demonstrated to be beneficial for second language fluency (Chang & Millett, 2013) and vocabulary acquisition (Liu & Todd, 2014). Despite the increasing interest in repeated reading, no study has addressed the effects of time distribution how different encounters with the same text should be spaced for repeated reading to have the strongest impact on second language learning, specifically on vocabulary acquisition, the focus of the present study. This study includes two groups of 16-year-old EFL learners in Taiwan (n = 71). One group carried out assisted repeated reading (i.e., with audio support) once every day for five consecutive days (intensive distribution); the other read the same text once every week for five consecutive weeks (spaced distribution). Our results revealed that intensive practice led to more immediate vocabulary gains but spaced practice led to greater long-term retention

Same hours, different time distribution: any difference in EFL?

The effects of the distribution of instructional time on the acquisition of a second or foreign language are still not well known. This paper will analyze the performance of adult students enrolled in three different types of EFL programs in which the distribution of time varies. The first one, called 'extensive', distributes a total of 110 hours in seven months (the students receive four hours of instruction per week during the school year, starting in October and finishing in May). The second program is the 'semi-intensive', which offers the same number of hours distributed in three to four months, where the students receive instruction from eight to ten hours per week (depending on the semester where this course is implemented). Finally, the intensive course offers 110 hours in five weeks during the summer (25 hours of instruction per week). The results from our analyses suggest that concentrating the hours of English instruction in shorter periods of time is more beneficial for the students' learning than distributing them in many months