1,721,062 research outputs found
Investigating interdependence and Literacy Development in Heritage Language Speakers: Theoretical and Methodological considerations
No full textTesting Interdependence in Portuguese Heritage Speakers in Switzerland: the HELASCOT Project
No full textDie deutsche Schriftsprache und die Regionen: Entstehungsgeschichtliche Fragen in neuer Sicht
No full textLanguage Aptitude at Primary School (LAPS): Theoretical framework of the project
No full textThis chapter introduces the theoretical framework of the project Language Aptitude at Primary School (LAPS). We considered the impact of a range of individual difference (ID) variables and environmental factors on children’s foreign language proficiency. These variables will be discussed in turn, starting with an overview of the language aptitude construct. ID variables pertaining to general cognitive abilities are discussed next, namely intelligence, working memory (WM), creativity, field independence as cognitive style, and metalinguistic awareness. This is followed by an outline of L2 motivation and related constructs to depict the affective dispositions that underlie foreign language learning, i.e. L2 self-concepts, L2 anxiety, and locus of control. Lastly, we discuss the role of environmental factors, such as socioeconomic status, parent education, and teaching paradigm
Watching a French TV series to learn new vocabulary? The role of pre- and post-viewing activities
Full text linkSeveral studies suggest audio-visual inputs such as TV series support the learning of new vocabulary (e.g. Muñoz et al., 2021; Rodgers & Webb, 2020), and this learning may be enhanced through the use of pre/post-viewing activities (Schmitt, 2008). However, these theories have not yet been studied in the context of adolescent L2 French learners. This study investigates the effect of presence and sequence of viewing activities on the learning of new words in French L2. Seventeen target words of differing word class, length, frequency and occurrence were selected from three 13-15 minute excerpts from the French TV series "Plan Cœur" (Netflix, 2018; total 51 target words). A within-subjects design study was then undertaken in compulsory secondary school in Switzerland, where 97 beginner level L2 French students, aged 13-14, watched the three excerpts with French captions. The participants watched each excerpt in a different condition (episode only, episode and pre-viewing activity, episode and post-viewing activity). In the activities, the participants had to recognise the correct meaning (translation) of target words. Three immediate and one delayed post-test of the same type (meaning recognition) were administered to four upper-level classes (HI) and two lower-level classes (LO). We fit a mixed effects logistic regression model to our data which includes random intersects for each student, each item and each class. The immediate post-test results show that learners in the HI track have a higher (+20%) probability to recall the meaning of the target words than learners in the LO track. With an activity (regardless of pre or post), the probability of a correct recall significantly increases by 15% (HI) and 18% (LO), and there is no significant interaction with track. Similar patterns were observed with the delayed post-test results; however these were not significant. Thus, it seems that the repetition of a new word in the episode and in the activity enhances the learning of new vocabulary for both HI and LO learners. Our results also show that the sequencing of the activity is not decisive. Overall, these results highlight the importance of pre/post-viewing activities when learning new vocabulary through audio-visual input in foreign language teaching. We hope they encourage language instructors to incorporate TV series and pre-/post-viewing activities into their teaching
Zwischen Traualtar und Scheidungsanwalt - Zum Verhältnis von Linguistik und DaF
Full text linkThis paper gives an account of the disciplinary tensions between (German) linguistics and the field German as a second language (DaF). Based on the author's personal experience, the divergingobjectives as well as the areas of contact of the two disciplines are laid out. Transdisciplinaryapproaches to the common subject language will be demonstrated using examples from theoreticaland descriptive syntax, language acquisition and corpus linguistics. The paper argues that there isconsiderable overlap in the subject matter, that there are shared fundamental methodologicalmentalities, and that there is a common tendency towards psychologically realistic accounts oflanguage and (second) language acquisition. Based on these arguments, the author advocates thestrengthening of ties between the two fields
Individual differences in early instructed language learning
Full text linkVariability in predispositions for language learning has attracted scholarly curiosity for over 100 years. Despite major changes in theoretical explanations and foreign/second language teaching paradigms, some patterns of associations between predispositions and learning outcomes seem timelessly robust. This book discusses evidence from a research project investigating individual differences in a wide variety of domains, ranging from language aptitude over general cognitive abilities to motivational and other affective and social constructs. The focus lies on young learners aged 10 to 12, a less frequently investigated age in aptitude research. The data stem from two samples of multilingual learners in German-speaking Switzerland. The target languages are French and English. The chapters of the book offer two complementary perspectives on the topic: On the one hand, cross-sectional investigations of the underlying structure of these individual differences and their association with the target languages are discussed. Drawing on factor analytical and multivariable analyses, the different components are scrutinized with respect to their mutual dependence and their relative impact on target language skills. The analyses also take into account contextual factors such as the learners’ family background and differences across the two contexts investigated. On the other hand, the potential to predict learner’s skills in the target language over time based on the many different indicators is investigated using machine learning algorithms. The results provide new insights into the stability of the individual dispositions, on the impact of contextual variables, and on empirically robust dimensions within the array of variables tested
The Development of Argumentative and Narrative Writing skills in Portuguese Heritage Speakers in Switzerland (HELASCOT Project)
No full textL’apprentissage du genre grammatical en langue étrangère: à la croisée des approches linguistiques et cognitives
Full text linkLe nœud central de cette recherche porte sur la difficulté de l’apprentissage du genre
grammatical en langue étrangère en comparaison à sa relative facilité d’acquisition en langue
première. Nous nous interrogerons sur ce paradoxe en comparant appropriation L1 et L2 du
genre grammatical telle que celle-ci est décrite dans les études acquisitionnelles, puis le
mettrons en lien avec des aspects plus cognitifs liés à l’organisation du lexique mental
monolingue et bilingue. Notre propre recherche empirique se situera dans cette dernière
perspective et focalisera les caractéristiques cognitives du genre grammatical par l’entremise
d’une étude expérimentale menée avec des apprenants de français langue étrangère des
Universités de Fribourg et Lausanne. Nous tenterons ainsi de donner une possible explication
à la difficulté que représente l’apprentissage du genre grammatical pour des apprenants dont
les L1 connaissent ou ne connaissent pas de genre grammatica
The role of language aptitude, cognition, and motivation
Full text linkVariability in predispositions for language learning has attracted scholarly curiosity for over 100 years. Despite major changes in theoretical explanations and foreign/second language teaching paradigms, some patterns of associations between predispositions and learning outcomes seem timelessly robust. This book discusses evidence from a research project investigating individual differences in a wide variety of domains, ranging from language aptitude over general cognitive abilities to motivational and other affective and social constructs. The focus lies on young learners aged 10 to 12, a less frequently investigated age in aptitude research. The data stem from two samples of multilingual learners in German-speaking Switzerland. The target languages are French and English. The chapters of the book offer two complementary perspectives on the topic: On the one hand, cross-sectional investigations of the underlying structure of these individual differences and their association with the target languages are discussed. Drawing on factor analytical and multivariable analyses, the different components are scrutinized with respect to their mutual dependence and their relative impact on target language skills. The analyses also take into account contextual factors such as the learners’ family background and differences across the two contexts investigated. On the other hand, the potential to predict learner’s skills in the target language over time based on the many different indicators is investigated using machine learning algorithms. The results provide new insights into the stability of the individual dispositions, on the impact of contextual variables, and on empirically robust dimensions within the array of variables tested
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