摘要:

This study investigated a causal model of second language learning. Particular attention was given to three situation‐specific constructs: Language Class Discomfort, Language Class Risktaking, and Language Class Sociability. It was theorized that voluntary Classroom Participation mediates the effect of Language Class Discomfort, Language Class Risktaking, Language Class Sociability, and Strength of Motivation on success in classroom L2 learning. The subjects were students enrolled in first year (first and second quarter) university Spanish classes.Data on Classroom Participation were gathered by means of classroom observation and audio recording. Proficiency was measured by correctness and fluency on a storyretelling task and correctness on a written final examination. The results of the causal analysis included findings that: Language Class Discomfort negatively predicted Language Class Risktaking and Language Class Sociability; Language Class Risktaking positively predicted Classroom Participation; and Classroom Participation positively predicted Oral Correctness for the first quarter student

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00366.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The fact that some adults are more successful at acquiring an L2 than others has led to investigations of individual characteristics as predictors of successful L2 acquisition. This paper reports the results of an investigation of the relationship between two learner characteristics, Ambiguity Tolerance (AT) and Field Independence (FI), and adult learners' acquisition of English as a Second Language in the United States. A Multiple Regression Analysis revealed that AT and FI accounted for a significant amount of variance on several end‐of‐semester language measures beyond that which could be accounted for by beginning‐of‐semester performance or other variables. The implications of these findings for further research are o

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00367.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

An analysis of the major goals of the story grammar paradigm and some of the controversy surrounding them has led to a challenge of the robustness of this paradigm's findings. The effects of text content and order of presentation on narrative recall were investigated in groups of intermediate and advanced readers of English as a foreign language. Subjects were asked to recall three narratives presented either in a standard, partially‐mixed or fully‐mixed order as well as a set of unrelated sentences. Data analysis in terms of story grammar categories revealed replication of category effects in six of the 18 conditions investigated. These effects were stronger than differences between standard and partially‐mixed orders while they were most salient in one specific text content. This picture was not similar for the two proficiency groups. It was concluded that different text‐based parameters may constrain the robustness of story grammar category

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00368.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Traditionally, researchers in the field of pidgin and Creole languages have supported the simplification theory which regards a pidgin as a simplified version of the colonizers language. This paper examines the process of pidgin development within the context of Government and Binding theory as proposed by Chomsky (1981). Empirical evidence given in this paper from Capeverdean creole (and others) indicates that the linguistic phenomenon generally labelled pidginization, creolization, decreolization, etc. can be explained as follows. The contact of various languages may produce a new experience which subsequently fixes the parameters of Universal Grammar, providing a pidgin core grammar. This core is guided by a preference of structure imposed by the markedness theory allowing the learnability condition to operate. The resultant core grammar can later incorporate a marked periphery. The addition of this marked periphery is what had been viewed in the past as creolization. If one of the donor languages is characterized by structures which meet the learnability criterion, the incorporation of the marked periphery will be targeted toward that language. The directionality of the pidgin periphery may then be predicted. However, if none of the languages meets the learnability condition, the pidgin periphery may develop independently of the peripheries of the donor languages.

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00369.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

This paper presents the results of an empirical study relating awareness of form class (morphology) to reading comprehension in which an ESL subject pool was employed. The analyses indicate that awareness of form class and reading comprehension are significantly related, but the authors note that morphology competence is but one dimension of reading comprehension and that in these data the effects of reliable method variance, world knowledge, lexical knowledge, and discourse grammar knowledge may be equally or more robust in explaining the reading comprehension variance as form class awareness. The difficulty of partitioning trait variance from trait‐irrelevant variance in language testing in general is also discusse

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00370.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00371.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00372.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0023-8333    

DOI:10.1111/j.1467-1770.1986.tb00373.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1986

数据来源: WILEY