Gicele Vergine Vieira Prebianca

Working memory capacity and speech production in L2: evidences from a picture description task

This is an experimental study which aimed at investigating theralationsship between working memory capacity and measuresof L2 speech performance in a picture description task. The mainassumption underlying the present study was that L2 speaking isa complex cognitive task which is carried out within theconstraints of a limited-capacity system, namely, working memory.In this system, there are trade-off effects between the storage andprocessing functions of working memory just as in L2 speakingthere are trade-off effects among fluency, accuracy and complexitywhen L2 learners perform under processing pressure.

English distance learning: possibilities and limitations of MEO for the Flipped Classroom

The study investigates possibilities and limitations of the course My English Online (MEO) for the inverted classroom format. Two hundred and eighty-nine Brazilian federal university students evaluated MEO software in terms of usability features. Three participants were interviewed for data triangulation. Results of the study suggest that users with more experience are more sensitive to aspects of human-computer interaction than less experienced ones, particularly when the criteria of Flexibility, User Experience, Informational Density and Feedback are considered. In addition, findings also show that the speaking and writing skills are the most difficult to develop in MEO course. The study concludes that, in order to overcome limitations in MEO, especially in terms of the Feedback criterion, the software can and should be used in the flipped classroom format.

Análise de um Software Educacional para aprendizagem de línguas: interpretação do ponto de vista da modificabilidade cognitiva estrutural e da interação Homem-computador

The aim of the study is to analyze a software for teaching English as a foreign language reporting (i) the interaction between the software and the learner; (ii) the cognitive/mental operations required to perform the tasks in software and (iii) the pedagogical strategies implemented by the software. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) aspects of the software were also analyzed so as to evaluate its degree of interactiveness and usability (Ergolist, 2011). Results of the study suggest that the software is content-oriented and the ergonomic analysis revealed that the didactic resources applied by the software meet most usability criteria, requiring few modifications.

Working memory capacity across L2 speech proficiency levels

This study investigates whether working memory capacity (WMC) varies across languages and in the course of L2 speech proficiency levels. Following suggestions in Finardi and Weissheimer (2009) and Prebianca (2010), who found that WMC varied as a function of L2 speech proficiency, the present study assessed three proficiency levels (elementary, intermediate and advanced) and two languages (L1-Portuguese and L2-English). Two WM tests were used, one in the L1 and another in the L2, both in the speaking mode. Sixty adult learners of English as a foreign language participated in the study: 19 elementary, 19 intermediate and 22 advanced learners. Results of Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests corroborate Finardi and Weissheimer (2009) and Prebianca (2010) suggesting that WMC measured with a speaking span test in L2 seems to conflate the relationship between speech proficiency levels and WMC.