Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2014, vol. 4, no. 1
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Item Book Reviews(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2014) Pawlak, MirosławItem Editorial(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2014) Pawlak, MirosławItem Q methodology for post-social-turn research in SLA(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2014) Irie, KayQ methodology, an approach to inquiry on the subjective views about a complex phenomenon/issue which has been increasingly employed in a wide range of social science fields has not yet been applied in language learning and teaching research. It is a unique approach that has characteristics of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce Q methodology as an alternative approach and demonstrate its potential to respond to the needs of the field that has been expanding in its epistemological diversity since the social turn (Block, 2003; Ortega, 2012). The relevance of the methodology for SLA research will be discussed with a particular focus on the parallels between the develop- ment of the methodology in the 1930s and current criticisms towards the traditional cognitive approach in SLA. Using a published study (Irie & Ryan, 2014), the author explains how the focus on the holistic understanding of subjectivity is built into the procedure. Suggestions for possible areas of research and teaching in which Q methodology could be applied are discussed.Item Second language learners’ reflections on the effectiveness of dictogloss: A multi-sectional, multi-level analysis(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2014) Gallego, MurielDespite the extensive research conducted regarding Focus on Form instruction, no conclusive results have been provided concerning (a) the issue of which techniques contribute most effectively to L2 acquisition, and b) at which level of proficiency those techniques should be implemented for best results. Dictogloss, one of these techniques, has been proven to be effective (Fortune, 2005; Kowal & Swain, 1994; Malmqvist, 2005; Nabei, 1996; Swain, 1998). While previous studies evaluating dictogloss explored feedback opportunities and the amount and type of language related episodes produced, fewer studies have reported on the effectiveness and its applicability according to proficiency level (Fortune, 2005; García Mayo, 2002) and none have explored learners’ conceptions about the task. Therefore, this study seeks to determine which proficiency level might be most appropriate for the implementation of dictogloss and to gather learners’ opinions regarding its usefulness and effectiveness. A total of 497 participants enrolled in novice-mid (N = 275) and ad- vanced-low (N = 222) levels took part in the study. All participants engaged in two dictogloss tasks and completed a survey afterwards. Overall, results indicate that dictogloss was better received by advanced-low level students and that most students found it both useful and effective for learning.Item The impact of teaching communication strategies on EFL learners’ Willingness to Communicate(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2014) Mesgarshahr, Abulfazl; Abdollahzadeh, EsmaeelOne of the pedagogical implications of the research on the Willingness to Communicate (WTC) might be to propose practical ways of making language learners more willing to communicate in the classroom. This study investigated the impact of teaching communication strategies (CSs) on Iranian EFL learners’ WTC. To this end, 8 intact classes were included as the experimental and con- trol groups. The control group underwent regular language instruction, while the experimental group received the treatment (i.e., communication strategy training). The self-report measurement of WTC (MacIntyre, Baker, Clément, & Conrad, 2001) was done before (pre-test) and after the treatment (post-test). The results of the independent-samples t test showed that the degree of WTC of the treatment group was significantly higher compared with that of the control group. It was concluded that teaching CSs helps learners become more willing to communicate in the classroom.Item Topic prominence in Chinese EFL learners’ interlanguage(Zakład Filologii Angielskiej Wydział Pedagogiczno-Artystyczny Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Kaliszu, 2014) Li, Shaopeng; Yang, LianruiThe present study aims to investigate the general characteristics of topic-prominent typological interlanguage development of Chinese learners of English in terms of acquiring subject-prominent English structures from a discourse perspec- tive. Topic structures mainly appear in Chinese discourse in the form of topic chains (Wang, 2002; 2004). The research target are the topic chain, which is the main topic-prominent structure in Chinese discourse, and zero anaphora, which is the most common topic anaphora in the topic chain. Two important findings emerged from the present study. First, the characteristics of Chinese topic chains are transferrable to the interlanguage of Chinese EFL learners, thus resulting in overgeneralization of the zero anaphora. Second, the interlanguage discourse of Chinese EFL learners reflects a change of the second language acquisition process from topic-prominence to subject-prominence, thus lending support to the dis- course transfer hypothesis.