Jenefer Philp

Implicit and Explicit Knowledge in Second Language Learning, Testing and Teaching

Part 1: Introduction Chapter 1 Implicit and explicit learning, knowledge and instruction - Rod EllisPart 2: The measurement of implicit and explicit knowledge Chapter 2 Defining and measuring implicit and explicit knowledge of a second language - Rod Ellis Chapter 3 Elicited oral imitation as a measure of implicit knowledge - Rosemary Erlam Chapter 4 Grammaticality judgement tests and the measurement of implicit and explicit l 2 knowledge - Shawn Loewen Chapter 5 Validating a metalinguistic test - Cathie ElderPart 3: Applying the measures of implicit and explicit knowledge Chapter 6 Investigating learning difficulty as implicit and explicit knowledge - Rod Ellis Chapter 7 Implicit and explicit knowledge of an l 2 and language proficiency - Cathie Elder Chapter 8 Pathways to proficiency: Learning experiences and attainment in implicit and explicit knowledge of English as a second language - Jenefer Philp Chapter 9 Exploring the metalinguistic knowledge of teacher trainees - Rosemary Erlam, Jenefer Philp, and Cathie ElderPart 4: Form-focused instruction and the acquisition of implicit and explicit knowledge Chapter 10 The roles of output-based and input-based instruction in the acquisition of l 2 implicit and explicit knowledge - Rosemary Erlam, Shawn Loewen and Jenefer Philp Chapter 11 The incidental acquisition of 3rd person -s as l 2 implicit and explicit knowledge - Shawn Loewen, Rosemary Erlam and Rod Ellis Chapter 12 The effects of two types of input on the acquisition of l 2 implicit and explicit knowledge - Hayo Reinders and Rod Ellis Chapter 13 Implicit and explicit corrective feedback and the acquisition of l 2 Grammar - Rod Ellis, Shawn Loewen and Rosemary ErlamPart 5: Conclusion Chapter 14 Retrospect and prospect - Rod Ellis

Peer interaction in the foreign language classroom: what factors foster a focus on form?

Peer interaction may facilitate acquisition through fostering learner production, feedback, and noticing of form. This study examined learners’ awareness of form during peer interaction in role-play and discussion tasks over a three-week period of a tertiary intermediate-level French class. The data for the study comprised transcribed recordings of pair and group work interaction in class and subsequent primed interviews with seven students. The study investigated the incidence, focus, and source of language-related episodes arising during the tasks and explored environmental and social considerations impacting on the students’ participation in the episodes. The results suggest that the students’ willingness to attend to difficulties with language form during peer task-based interaction is affected both by the task and by social considerations.

Language acquisition in foreign language contexts and the differential benefits of interaction

Abstract This paper specifically focuses on the findings of research on interaction in foreign language contexts in which time and L2 input are both limited. Although theoretical work on the relationship between interaction and second language development has placed great emphasis on the benefits of input, feedback and modified output when they arise from meaningful communication between learners in L2 settings, these aspects have not been greatly considered in a range of FL contexts. The authors argue for the need for further research on the nature and outcomes of interaction in this setting, and particularly on how interactional features and effects differ according to instructional context. Such research needs to explore the extent to which interaction facilitates L2 development in contexts where target-like input and opportunities for interaction are greatly limited.

Exploring engagement in tasks in the language classroom

ABSTRACT This article explores how learners engage in tasks in the context of language classrooms. We describe engagement as a multidimensional construct that includes cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional dimensions of engagement among second and foreign language learners in the classroom. We discuss key concepts and indicators of engagement in current research on task-based interaction and outline some of the issues in researching engagement in this context.

Learner-Generated Content and Engagement in Second Language Task Performance.

This study investigates the benefits of designing second language (L2) learning tasks to operate on learner-generated content (related to actual content in their lives and experiences) as opposed to teacher-generated content typical of current approaches to L2 task design (fictitious ideas and events created to provide an opportunity for meaningful language use). Thirty-two Japanese learners completed parallel versions of narrative tasks, which operated on learner-generated content and teacher-generated content respectively. Learner engagement in L2 use was measured in terms of behavioral, cognitive, and social components: behavioral engagement was measured in terms of effort and persistence in task completion; cognitive engagement in terms of attention to elaborating and clarifying content; and social engagement in terms of participants’ affiliation in the discourse. Results indicate that tasks operating on learner-generated as opposed to teacher-generated content had positive effects on all aspects of engagement in L2 use during task performance. Furthermore, participants’ affective responses to the respective conditions as reflected in a post-performance questionnaire corroborated the results for performance. This indicates that learners were also more affectively engaged in the performance of the tasks in the learner-generated content condition than they were in those in the teacher-generated content condition.

Talking, tuning in and noticing: exploring the benefits of output in task-based peer interaction

This study examines whether the process of interacting in a second language, versus observing others interact, may differentially affect learners awareness of language. This study involved 26 university students of intermediate-level French. Two experimental groups, Interactors and Observers, engaged in three sessions of dyadic task-based interaction. The tasks elicited use of noun–adjective agreement and the passé composé. Although the Interactors provided little feedback to one another, subsequent stimulated recall interviews suggest differences between groups as to what they were thinking about during interaction, with Interactors paying more attention to language form. The results suggest that active language production itself (rather than passive observation) pushes learners to think about how to express meaning in the target language, and to draw upon explicit knowledge of the language. The findings contribute to understanding roles of output in second language learning.

Exploring the Uniqueness of Child Second Language Acquisition (SLA) : Learning, Teaching, Assessment, and Practice.

This issue was designed to include a wide range of research on childrens second language learning. Here we provide a short overview of each of the articles contained in this issue, many of which bring up novel ideas and topics, as well as new takes on familiar themes that sometimes challenge prior conceptions and, ideally, inspire new understandings of child language acquisition, and policies, and practices in instructed settings. The 15 articles in this issue are based in instructed and naturalistic settings and include reviews and experimental work, and collectively represent learners between 5 to 18 years old. The language backgrounds include Mandarin (first language [L1]), Arabic (L1), Basque (L1), Cantonese (L1), English (second language [L2]), Hebrew (L1, L2), Spanish (L1, L2), and Thai (L1). Topics include the uniqueness of child second language acquisition (SLA); learning in majority language classrooms; best practices in bilingual schooling, cognition, and SLA in younger learners; testing and assessment relating to age and language choice; and methodological contributions that arise from the particular challenges of researching child second language development in instructed and naturalistic settings.