Volume 55, Issue 2 -

This study explores the relevance and effectiveness of processing instruction in second language (L2) idiom learning by examining (1) whether structured input (SI) is more effective than non-SI, comprehension-based activities and (2) whether explicit information (EI) in addition to SI can facilitate L2 idiom learning. One hundred adult L2 English speakers were randomly assigned to one of six conditions: four groups who participated in SI activities in one of four EI conditions (i. e., no EI; EI before SI, EI during SI, or EI both before and during SI), a non-SI group, and a control group. Results from three types of tasks (translation, interpretation, and production) showed that (1) SI is more effective than comprehension-based activities in developing learners’ L2 idiom production ability and (2) EI can facilitate learners’ accurate L2 idiom translation, particularly when it is provided before the SI activities. No beneficial effect was observed from EI provided during the SI activities.

The current theoretical landscape of second language acquisition (SLA) features abundance, disunity, and fragmentation. As early as 1993, Long counted 68 theories. That number, for sure, has only multiplied in the ensuing years, though what exactly counts as a theory has remained conceptually unsettled. Extant theories are diverse and disparate; they do not seem to gravitate toward a coherent understanding of SLA. In this article, we argue that a way to make theoretical headways is by engaging critical, well-established phenomena, a theoretical path that has long been noted but has remained intact. Using ultimate attainment, one of such phenomena, as an object of theorizing, we propose a new theory to both complement the theoretical spectrum in SLA and provide for a more holistic understanding of the phenomenon at hand.

Holistic study of grammar instruction is needed not only to establish the effectiveness of pedagogical techniques, but to determine when, and in what way, they should be utilized. Within a meta-analysis of 33 experimental studies, external stimuli impacting the language learner (scope of instruction, input or output enhancement, frequency of treatment, and EFL/ESL context) were concomitantly considered alongside cognitive factors (grammatical complexity and language proficiency). Results of linear regression revealed that the selected causal factors collectively explain more than 40 % of variability in the effectiveness of pedagogical techniques for English grammar production. Study further suggests that grammar emphasis with a limited scope may be more effective; input enhancement may be more effective with grammatical features that are less essential for communication (redundant, systematic, and less salient features such as past - ed ); output enhancement may be more effective with grammatical features that have many salient lexical forms (e. g., past irregular); and learners in EFL contexts can benefit more from grammar instruction.

Robinson’s (2001, Task complexity, task difficulty, and task production: Exploring interactions in a componential framework. Applied Linguistics , 22(1), 27–57. doi: 10.1093/applin/22.1.27) Cognition Hypothesis states that requiring second language (L2) learners to engage in tasks of increasing complexity may promote greater quality of language production. However, few studies have explored the impact of increasing task complexity on learners’ development of L2 oral performance over time. The present study employed a pre-test/post-test design to investigate how engaging in tasks with different degrees of complexity impact L2 oral performance development with sixty Korean learners of English. Task complexity was manipulated based on the [+/-reasoning demands] variable following Robinson’s Triadic Componential Framework (2001). To measure the effects of task complexity on L2 oral performance, learners were assigned to one of four conditions: a) simple task, b) +complex task, c) ++complex task, and d) no task. The pre- and post-test results were analysed for complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Results indicated that L2 oral performance under complex task conditions led to greater syntactic complexity and fluency over time.