Session 5: SLA Research

1. Introduction & feedback from yesterday

2. Introduction to SLA: aims and types

3. Overview of SLA Research

4. SLA Research Findings

Dr. Simon Phippsdr.simon.phipps@gmail.co

m

WHAT IS SLA?

SLA is;an attempt to understand how people of different

succeed or fail in

Who does it interest? linguists psycholinguists sociologists neurologists anthropologists AND teachers

natural or formal settings

ages attitudes intellects social backgroundsL1s

SLA RESEARCH – AN OVERVIEW

L1L2

Individual differences Role of instruction

Classroom Natural environment

AgeAptitude

MotivationPersonalityStrategies

Types of interaction Types of input

Developmental sequences

Error correctionQ types

Negotiation

Form/meaningCI

Error analysisMorpheme studies

L1 influence

Why SLA? migration - English as a world language - mixed communities -

A History of SLA 1960s - early 1970s (very little)

descriptive (error analysis, morpheme studies, learning strategies)

late 1970s - 1980s (explosion) explanatory (immersion studies, development sequence)

1990s – today (huge area) explanatory (classroom-based, more pedagogical focus)

SLA Research: some background 1

USA, AUS, NZ

BRITAIN

CANADA

How useful is SLA research?

What can it tell us as teachers?

What would you like to find out more about?

CONTEXTS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHING

(ADAPTED FROM LIGHTBOWN & SPADA 2006:111)

Characteristics Natural environment

Grammar-based

teaching

Communicative teaching

T-st st-st

Learning one thing at a time

Frequent feedback on errors

Ample time for learning

Exposure to proficient users

Variety of language types

Pressure to speak

Access to modified input

x

x

√

√

√

√

√

√

?

√

√ √

√ √

x

x?

x

x

?

x

x

x

?

? ?

? ?

?

STUDIES OF LEARNERS AND CLASSROOMS

Error correction corrective feedback

sts notice more if they are in a form-focused activity recasts

hard for sts to notice more likely to be noticed if directed at other students

Questioning techniques open vs closed Qs

open = more complex responses genuine vs display Qs

genuine Q = more processing, more complex responses scaffolding and display Qs

use of display Qs to check understanding = useful wait time

more wait = better responses

SLA RESEARCH FINDINGS 1

Order of Acquisition (for children in L1) present continuous (-ing) plural (-s) irregular past forms (went, had) possessive (‘s) copula (‘be’ as main verb) articles (the/a) regular past (-ed) 3rd person (-s) auxiliary (‘be’)(from Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. (1993). How Languages are Learned.

Oxford: OUP. p58)

SLA RESEARCH FINDINGS 2

1. Order of Acquisition Similar stages of learning

learners learn when they are ready despite L1, teaching order similar for L1 and L2 in natural settings

Frequency is not the crucial factor

Psycholinguistic processing difficulty some items are inherently easier to learn ‘Teachability/Learnability Hypothesis’ (Pienemann

1989)

similar sequence, varied order U shaped learning

language learning is not a linear process

(Ellis 1994, 1997, Lightbown & Spada 1993, 2006, Larsen-Freeman & Long 1991)

SLA RESEARCH FINDINGS 3

2. Formal instruction2.1 Instruction vs. Natural Environment• teaching = learning?• little effect on order of learning• instruction is helpful for

rate of attainment, level of attainment if the learner is ready

• CI alone = not enough good for confidence, fluency; not accuracy CI alone = some fossilisation

FI speeds up slow process of natural discoveryLearners can learn AND acquire

2.2 Error Correction• can interfere, can help• useful to point out persistent errors

which learners don’t notice L2 learners need negative evidence (L1 positive evidence is

enough)

SLA RESEARCH FINDINGS 4

2. Formal instruction (continued)2.3 Form vs Meaning Course which focuses mainly on form

interferes with IL development learners are unable to communicate effectively

Course which focuses mainly on meaning inaccurate language language (ab)use

conscious learning of rules seems to help automisation

need for CI + CO

‘.. form focused instruction and corrective feedback provided within the context of a communicative programme are more effective in promoting second language learning…’

(Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. 1993 How Languages are Learned Oxford:OUP p 105)

SLA RESEARCH FINDINGS 53. Individual differences (Social factors can affect success of individual learners)Cognitive and affective dimensions; Age

no sudden cut-off (gradual curve) crucial for pronunciation there are exceptions, but L2 learners are generally less

successful than in L1

Intelligence / Aptitude seems to be important, but what is it? affects knowledge not use multiple intelligences different effects for different aspects

memory / phonemic coding ability / inductive ability

Personality (and learning styles) need to match teaching and learning styles memory-oriented vs analytic learners importance of self-esteem

SLA RESEARCH FINDINGS 6

3. Individual differences (continued) Motivation

motivation is important, but less clear what it is instrumental, integral, intrinsic, resultative motivation is dynamic (varies during a lesson/task) learners evaluate benefits /threats when deciding whether to

invest effort

Strategies (and the Good Language Learner) affected by motivation and aptitude success = more use of strategies hard to identify links between strategy use and learning need to know more about strategy use and language

processing