LINGUIST List 20.1921
Wed May 20 2009
Diss: Applied Linguistics: Hondo: 'Constructing Knowledge in SLA...'
Editor for this issue: Nick Prokup
<nicklinguistlist.org>
1. Junko
Hondo,
Constructing Knowledge in SLA: The impact of timing in form-oriented intervention
Message 1: Constructing Knowledge in SLA: The impact of timing in form-oriented intervention
Date: 20-May-2009
From: Junko Hondo <hondojsas.upenn.edu>
Subject: Constructing Knowledge in SLA: The impact of timing in form-oriented intervention
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Institution: Lancaster University
Program: Department of Linguistics and Modern English Language
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2009
Author: Junko Hondo
Dissertation Title: Constructing Knowledge in SLA: The impact of timing in form-oriented intervention
Linguistic Field(s):
Applied Linguistics
Dissertation Director:
Keith Johnson
Charles Alderson
Dissertation Abstract:
In an effort to identify an optimal timing for form-oriented treatment,this dissertation reports on the impact of different timings ofform-focused intervention. Applying the theories of attentional control(Cowan, et al., 2005; LaBerge, 1995), the study further attempts to shedlight on the role of preparatory attentional control at the initial stageof form-encoding.
A reading task served as a framework for exploring different timings oftreatment with 58 EFL students in Japan. The informants were classifiedinto three groups: one group receiving explicit treatment before the task,another during, and a control group receiving no treatment. Participantstook pretests and posttests immediately before and after the task in asingle class session. These tests examined comprehension of two epistemicmeanings of 'must' in two individual forms. Working with thesetask-essential forms, each informant recorded real-time reflectionsreporting rationales for their selections from different form options inthe task. The participants' rationales revealed that contextualizedreflections are strongly associated with higher accuracy levels in choosingbetween alternate forms. Decontextualized rationales were associated withincorrect selections of forms at a high level of probability. Groupdifference was highly significant for one form and significant for theother form in the order of Control < Pre-emptive < Delayed group. Effectsizes were large (e.g. 2.00) for the delayed group which outperformed thepre-emptive group. The pattern of the results replicated three priorstudies with 286 participants.
The overall results present a promising role for delayed treatment reactiveto raised preparatory attention. The outcome further confirms that it isthrough making connections between form and meaning within current languageuse that learners become successful in language comprehension.
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