DOCSLIB.ORG

Exploring Factors Influencing the Willingness to Communicate

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Exploring Factors Influencing the Willingness to Communicate The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2018 Exploring Factors Influencing the Willingness to Communicate among English-as-a-Second Language University Students Chi-Fang (Michelle) Chang University of San Francisco, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons Recommended Citation Chang, Chi-Fang (Michelle), "Exploring Factors Influencing the Willingness to Communicate among English-as-a-Second Language University Students" (2018). Doctoral Dissertations. 451. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/451 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of San Francisco EXPLORING FACTORS INFLUENCING THE WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE AMONG ENGLISH-AS-A-SECOND LANGUAGE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education International Multicultural Education Department In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Chi-Fang (Michelle) Chang San Francisco, California May, 2018 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO DISSERTATION ABSTRACT This present study anchored its inquiry in English oral communication and learning English as a second language. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors that influence the willingness to communicate (WTC) of ESL university students from the perspectives of both the students and their oral communication professor. Since the 1980s, WTC among ESL university students has attracted increasing attention because helping them communicate authentically is essential. WTC is correlated with overall English language proficiency because of its equal weight with the other language skills. Therefore, ESL students have targeted WTC as a vital skill. However, research on factors that influence WTC of ESL university students draws largely from the perspective of the students, with little attention to the perspective of the professors. Moreover, no research focuses on the perspectives of the ESL university students and their professor. To fill in the gap, the current study has set out to explore factors influencing the WTC of ESL university students from the perspectives of students and their professor, by means of class observations, one-on-one and focus group interviews with students, as well as a narrative interview with course professor. The data were collected from ESL university students at the low intermediate ii level and their oral communication professor at a Northern California university. Thirteen out of 14 students participated in the one-on-one interviews; 11 out of the 13 students participated in the focus group interviews, along with a narrative interview with the professor. The student participants reported six factors influencing their WTC while the course professor identified four factors influencing his students' WTC. The researcher integrated the factors from the students and professor, and five themes emerged from the study, which mostly centered on the sociocultural theory and social constructivism of Vygotsky. The results of this study have implications for the fields of second language teaching pedagogy, teacher knowledge, second language training, classroom and cultural dynamics, and research methods. More studies on factors influencing the WTC of ESL university students would improve the WTC of ESL university students coupled with an increase in English proficiency. Keywords: English as a second language (ESL), willingness to communicate, factors, challenges, oral communication iii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate's dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Chi-Fang Chang May 17, 2018 Candidate Dissertation Committee Sedique Popal, Ed.D. June 25, 2018 Chairperson Susan Roberta Katz, Ph.D. May 17, 2018 Sarah Capitelli, Ph.D. May 17, 2018 iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my family: Jia-Fu Chang, Yueh-Nu Hung, I-Jui Chang, Tinjung Chen, and Matthew Jeffrey Chen. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am pleased to have this opportunity to thank the faculty members, family, and friends that have supported me during the course of this project. There were many times when it felt like I believed in impossible things. These impossibilities became possible with the assistance of many. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my entire dissertation committee: Drs. Sedique Popal, Susan Roberta Katz, and Sarah Capitelli. I am grateful for the time they invested in my dissertation and the generous supportive feedback they offered. I am especially thankful to my advisor, Dr. Popal, for his conviction that I could embark on this study and make a contribution to second language acquisition research. The door to Dr. Popal's office was always open whenever I ran into a trouble spot or had a question about my research. He consistently allowed this paper to be my own work, but steered me in the right direction whenever he thought I needed it. I sincerely thank him for being an angel in my life holding a candle for me on the long and hard journey to its completion throughout my seven years in the program. I am grateful for his continuous encouragement during the ups and downs of my residence here. My sincere gratitude for his intellectual inspiration in, academic guidance on, and linguistic refinement of this work is beyond words. Besides Dr. Popal, I would also like to thank my committee members: Drs. Susan vi Roberta Katz and Sarah Capitelli, for their invaluable input and inspiring questions which motivated me to widen my study from various perspectives to shape this dissertation to satisfaction, but also their general empathy during my pregnancy and early motherhood. In addition, I am grateful for Dr. Katz, who patiently read and edited my study. Without their detailed insights and constructive comments, I could not move forward to complete my study. In addition to the support provided by my committee members, I would also like to thank all professors in the IME program participating in my qualification presentation for sharing their research expertise and wisdom. My special thanks goes to Dr. Brad Washington for his professional guidance and persistent assistance. I had never taken any courses from Dr. Washington, but he initiated contact after attending my qualification presentation to provide me his meticulous expertise and profound knowledge related to my study. He encouraged me and provided support when I was overwhelmed as a doctoral student. His warmhearted encouragement continued even after he moved to Notre Dame de Namur University. Also, Dr. Benjamin Baab deserves my very profound appreciation for his selfless guidance, insightful instruction in research design, organization, and prompt feedback on my questions. Without their precious support, it would not have been possible to complete this study. vii This dissertation exists in part due to the support of my friends and family whose continuous kind words and encouragement kept me going through challenges. Catherine Wang, Denise Tiffany, Dr. Hideki Goya, Dr. Julie Sullivan, Micaella Colla, Dr. Nancy Ryoo, Regina Tsen, Sarah McGregor, Sarah Quigley, Shao-Yu Kao, Tammy Chen, Dr. Yi Guan, and Dr. Yu-Han Lin have been my rocks during my studies and I am deeply grateful for their solid friendship, their kind care, continuous encouragement, and unfailing support. Dear friends, I will never forget the tears and laughs we shared. Furthermore, I would like to thank Denise Tiffany and Sarah Quigley, whose assistance in proofreading cannot be overestimated. Most importantly, I am indebted to my parents, Jia-Fu Chang and Yueh-Nu Hung, as well as to my brother I-Jui Chang, for their financial support and allowing me to pursue my dream. Although my father passed away in the midst of my doctoral pursuit and cannot witness my completion, I would love to express my utmost gratitude for his love. Additionally, I would like to recognize my husband, Tinjung Chen, who sacrificed much so I could complete my study and dissertation. Without his encouragement, understanding, company, and extra hours parenting, my dream would have remained impossible. I would also like to thank my beloved son, Matthew Jeffrey Chen, who was born midway through my doctoral journey and has grown with me and supported my viii study. And finally, last but by no means least, I would like to thank the director at SJSU and all participants who allowed me to carry out my study. I thank them for their time, their interest, and openness. I have had other supporters, too numerous to name, who are nonetheless appreciated and valued. All in all, without their support, I would never have thought it possible to pursue my doctorate in Education. Thanks for all
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 21 Individual Differences in Second Language Learning
    Individual Differences in Second Language Learning 525 21 Individual Differences in Second Language Learning ROD ELLIS 21.1 Introduction Learners vary enormously in how successful they are in learning a language. This is true for both first language (L1) and second language (L2) acquisition, although there is an important difference. In the case of L1 acquisition, children vary in their rate of acquisition but all, except in cases of severe environmental deprivation, achieve full competence in their mother tongue; in the case of L2 acquisition (SLA), learners vary not only in the speed of acquisition but also in their ultimate level of achievement, with a few achiev- ing native-like competence and others stopping far short. How can we explain these differences in achievement? Broadly speaking, three different sets of explanatory factors have been identified; social, cognitive, and affective. This chapter, however, will consider only those factors that lie inside the learner – the cognitive and affective factors – and will focus on L2 learning. Individual difference research has a considerable history in applied lin- guistics. Horwitz (2000a), reviewing publications in The Modern Language Journal from the 1920s up to the end of the 1970s, documents how interest in L2 learners’ differences evolved over the decades. She notes a marked change in the labels used to refer to individual differences: “The terms good and bad, intelligent and dull, motivated and unmotivated have given way to a myriad of new terms such as integratively and instrumentally motivated, anxious and com- fortable, field independent and field sensitive, auditory and visual” (p. 532, original emphasis).
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of Chinese Second-Year English Majors' Code Switching
    ISSN 1799-2591 Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 364-369, February 2015 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0502.17 A Study of Chinese Second-year English Majors’ Code Switching Phenomenon in Comprehensive English Course from the Perspective of Interlanguage Lili Cui Department of English, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong Province, China Xianchun Xie Department of English, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong Province, China Abstract—The paper analyzes functions and influencing factors of second-year English majors’ code switching in Comprehensive English Course on the basis of the interlanguage theory and other SLA (second language acquisition) models, i.e. Krashen’s Comprehensible Input Hypothesis and Affective Filter Hypothesis, Long’s Interaction Hypothesis and Swain’s Comprehensible Output Hypothesis. Index Terms—interlanguage, SLA, learners’ code switching in EFL classroom, functions, influencing factors I. INTRODUCTION Code is a neutral form, and it refers to the linguistic sign of any type. As Hudson states, code switching is to switch lingual varieties in bilingual or multilingual contexts. And learners’ code switching in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) class is the phenomenon that learners insert phonetic forms, vocabulary, phrases, sentences of MT (Mother Tongue) into English-dominated expressions or the activity that learners consciously or unconsciously inlay speech segments of MT into the grammatical system of English in the conversion between the two languages. There are many features of previous learners’ code switching in EFL class. Firstly, current classroom code switching studies are mostly conducted in primary schools, middle schools and non-English majors’ EFL classes in universities.
    [Show full text]
  • Input, Interaction, and Second Language Development
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Lancaster E-Prints SSLA, 21, 557±587. Printed in the United States of America. INPUT, INTERACTION, AND SECOND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT An Empirical Study of Question Formation in ESL Alison Mackey Georgetown University This study examines the relationship between different types of con- versational interaction and SLA. Long's (1996) updated version of the interactionist hypothesis claims that implicit negative feedback, which can be obtained through negotiated interaction, facilitates SLA. Similar claims for the benefits of negotiation have been made by Pica (1994) and Gass (1997). Some support for the interaction hypothesis has been provided by studies that have explored the effects of interaction on production (Gass & Varonis, 1994), on lexical acquisition (Ellis, Tanaka, & Yamazaki, 1994), on the short-term outcomes of pushed output (see Swain, 1995), and for specific interactional features such as recasts (Long, Inagaki, & Ortega, 1998; Mackey & Philp, 1998). However, other studies have not found effects for interaction on gram- matical development (Loschky, 1994). The central question ad- dressed by the current study was: Can conversational interaction facilitate second language development? The study employed a pre- test-posttest design. Adult ESL learners (N = 34) of varying L1 back- grounds were divided into four experimental groups and one control I am grateful to Susan M. Gass and Charlene Polio for insightful suggestions and help with this paper. I also want to thank Patsy Lightbown, Michael H. Long, Teresa Pica, and Merrill Swain for many helpful comments on the doctoral dissertation from which this paper arose. I am much indebted to Ian Thornton for assistance with the statistical analysis and discussions of many of the issues in- volved in this study.
    [Show full text]
  • Jezik U Upotrebi / Language in Use
    PRIMENJENA LINGVISTIKA U ČAST RANKU BUGARSKOM APPLIED LINGUISTICS IN HONOUR OF RANKO BUGARSKI JEZIK U UPOTREBI / LANGUAGE IN USE urednica Vera Vasić Novi Sad, 2011 1 Društvo za primenjenu lingvistiku Srbije Filozofski fakultet Univerziteta u Novom Sadu Filološki fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu Redakcija Mihаl Tir, Verа Vаsić, Snežаnа Gudurić Uređivаčki odbor Primenjene lingvistike: Svenkа Sаvić (Srbijа), Violetа Gerikovа (Bugаrskа), Ivon Vrhovаc (Hrvаtskа), Dаvide Astori (Itаlijа), Adrijаnа Ikim (Rumunijа), Tjаšа Miklič (Slovenijа) Recenzenti Tvrtko Prćić, Duška Klikovac, Katarina Rasulić Za izdavača Snežana Gudurić, predsednica DPLS Štampa KriMel, Budisava Tiraž: 300 ISBN 978-86-6065-068-1 2 NOVA SERIJA IZ PRIMENJENE LINGVISTIKE Pred čitaocima je prva knjiga edicije koju pod naslovom Primenjena ling- vistika u čast pokreće Društvo za primenjenu lingvistiku Srbije (DPLS) u znak zahvalnosti svima onima koji su uložili napore da se jedno ovakvo društvo rodi na prostorima bivše SFR Jugoslavije, ali i onima koji su uspeli da ga očuvaju u teškim vremenima. Društvo za primenjenu lingvistiku Jugoslavije osnovano je daleke 1973. godine u Novom Sadu. Osnovala ga je grupa lingvista entuzijasta, danas doaje- na naše lingvističke nauke, na čelu sa Melanijom Mikeš, Rankom Bugarskim, Vladimirom Ivirom, Olgom Mišeskom Tomić i drugima. Kako su godine prola- zile, Društvo je raslo u raznim oblicima, ali je sa raspadom zajedničke države i ono, neminovno, pretrpelo suštinske organizacione promene. Iz jednog zajedni- čkog nastalo je više samostalnih društava, a među njima i Društvo za primenjenu lingvistiku Srbije i Crne Gore (2003), odnosno Društvo za primenjenu lingvistiku Srbije (2006). DPLS organizuje naučne skupove iz oblasti primenjene lingvistike, u saradnji sa Filozofskim fakultetom u Novom Sadu i Filološkim fakultetom u Beogradu, publikuje časopis Primenjena lingvistika i kolektivni je član svet- ske krovne organizacije, Međunarodnog udruženja za primenjenu lingvistiku (Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée – AILA).
    [Show full text]
  • Social Networking and Second Language Acquisition: Exploiting
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2011 Social networking and second language acquisition: Exploiting Skype™ Chat for the purpose of investigating interaction in L2 English learning Mallory Leigh Dalton Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Rhetoric and Composition Commons Recommended Citation Dalton, Mallory Leigh, "Social networking and second language acquisition: Exploiting Skype™ Chat for the purpose of investigating interaction in L2 English learning" (2011). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 10221. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/10221 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Social networking and second language acquisition: Exploiting Skype Chat for the purpose of investigating interaction in L2 English learning by Mallory Leigh Dalton A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: Teaching English as a Second Language/Applied Linguistics Program of Study Committee: Volker Hegelheimer, Major Professor Tammy Slater Michelle Tremmel Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2011 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES iii LIST OF TABLES iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v ABSTRACT vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Research Questions 3 Organization of the Study 4 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 5 SLA Using an Interactionist Framework 6 Strengths of Using Synchronous CMC 11 Interlocutor Native Language 20 CHAPTER 3.
    [Show full text]
  • The Interaction Hypothesis: a Literature Review
    The interaction hypothesis: A literature review Tran-Hoang-Thu Alliant International University [email protected] November 17th 2009 Abstract This paper will examine the interaction hypothesis (IH) in second language acquisition (SLA). To begin with a short discussion of the confusing terms in SLA such as theory, model, hypothesis, and construct will be done so as to help readers easily understand theories in the field of SLA and related concepts. Next, what the IH is, and who proposed it will be discussed in detail. How the IH has evolved and has been modified since its inception will then be pointed out. The origins of the IH will also be discussed. In addition, the role of the IH in the field of SLA will be presented together with its positive contributions as well as its caveats. Research studies that support the hypothesis and those that do not support it will both be listed. Moreover, all the constructs in the IH will be delineated. The implications that the hypothesis has for SLA pedagogical research will also be mentioned. Overall, the hypothesis can probably be considered as one of the most persuasive in current SLA literature. 1 To understand the literature in the field of SLA, a good understanding of certain commonly used terms in the field is needed and such terms as theory, model, hypothesis, and construct may appear confusing to some people. Therefore, a brief overview of these terms will be addressed. To begin with a theory, as VanPatten and Williams (2007) pointed out, at its most fundamental level, is a set of statements about natural phenomena which explains why these phenomena happen the way they do.
    [Show full text]
  • Linguistic Strategies and the Construction of Identity in My Name Is Salma by Fadia Faqir
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Journal of King Saud University – Languages and Translation (2012) 24, 43–49 King Saud University Journal of King Saud University – Languages and Translation www.ksu.edu.sa www.sciencedirect.com ORIGINAL ARTICLE Linguistic strategies and the construction of identity in My Name is Salma by Fadia Faqir Fatima Felemban Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia Received 10 March 2011; accepted 14 June 2011 Available online 30 October 2011 KEYWORDS Abstract Contemporary Arab-English writers (American or British) share with other ethnic writ- ers many features of post-colonial literary texts, most prominent among which is the appropriation Linguistic strategy; of language. This paper investigates the ways in which language is appropriated by Fadia Faqir Identity; Construction; through the main character of her novel My Name is Salma. In her ongoing search for identity, Code-switch; Salma (the narrator) uses certain linguistic strategies for self-definition. These strategies can be Interlanguage divided into two major types: interlanguage and code-switching. Interlanguage is expressed syntac- tically, semantically, and phonologically. Code-switching, on the other hand, includes loan words, untranslated words, terms of address, items of clothing, food, reference to religion and reference to proverbs, wise sayings and songs. However, these linguistic strategies often interact and overlap. ª 2011 King Saud University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction how they relate to the social world’’ (Norton: 409). Accord- ingly, this paper investigates Faqir’s use of language in her no- Apart from the various definitions of language in various fields vel, My Name is Salma, to construct and represent her identity of study, language may be defined as a cognitive means of as an Arab Bedouin Muslim through her major character, Sal- communication that represents the individual identity as a ma.
    [Show full text]
  • The Construct of Willingness to Communicate and Its Relationship with EFL Learners’ Perceived Verbal and Nonverbal Teacher Immediacy
    Issues in Language Teaching (ILT), Vol. 3, No. 1, 135-160, June 2014 The Construct of Willingness to Communicate and Its Relationship with EFL Learners’ Perceived Verbal and Nonverbal Teacher Immediacy Maryam Gol M.A. in TEFL, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas Branch, Iran Amir Zand-Moghadam Assistant Professor of TEFL, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Iran Mohsen Karrabi Assistant Professor of TEFL, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran Received: February 25, 2014; Accepted: May 20, 2014 Abstract Given the fact that developing an intimate relationship between teacher and students creates a safe learning environment (Harran, 2006), and because teacher immediacy is proved to increase students’ motivation for learning (Velez & Cano, 2008), this study was an attempt to explore the relationship between Iranian EFL learners’ perceived teacher immediacy and their willingness to communicate (WTC). To this end, first, a new WTC questionnaire, specific to EFL settings, was developed, piloted, factor analyzed, and then administered on 90 intermediate EFL learners. In the second phase, the participants were required to complete Gorham’s (1988) Verbal Immediacy Measure (VIM) and McCroskey et al.’s (1996) Revised Nonverbal Immediacy Measure (RNIM). The findings revealed that there are 7 factors underlying EFL learners’ WTC, one of which is teacher immediacy. Further analyses showed that there is a positive relationship between both verbal and nonverbal teacher immediacy behaviors and EFL learners’ WTC in EFL classes. It can be concluded that teacher immediacy is one of the constituents of EFL learners’ WTC and that their WTC is likely to increase when teachers demonstrate immediacy behaviors while teaching. The present study has implications for language practitioners as well as teacher trainers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Readability of Reading Passages in Prescribed English Textbooks and Thai National English Tests
    THE READABILITY OF READING PASSAGES IN PRESCRIBED ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS AND THAI NATIONAL ENGLISH TESTS BY MISS THANAPORN SRISUNAKRUA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING LANGUAGE INSTITUTE THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY Ref. code: 25615621320109NCD THE READABILITY OF READING PASSAGES IN PRESCRIBED ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS AND THAI NATIONAL ENGLISH TESTS BY MISS THANAPORN SRISUNAKRUA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING LANGUAGE INSTITUTE THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR 2018 COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY Ref. code: 25615621320109NCD (1) Thesis Title THE READABILITY OF READING PASSAGES IN PRESCRIBED ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS AND THAI NATIONAL ENGLISH TESTS Author Ms. Thanaporn Srisunakrua Degree Doctor of Philosophy Major Field/Faculty/University English Language Teaching Language institute Thammasat University Thesis Advisor Associate Professor Tipamas Chumworatayee, Ph. D. Academic Year 2018 ABSTRACT Readability has long been regarded as a significant aspect in English language teaching as it provides the overall picture of a text’s difficulty level, especially in the context of teaching and testing. Readability is a practical consideration when making decisions on materials to match a text with target readers’ proficiency. A suitable difficulty level will ensure that students receive the most benefit from the materials. However, few studies have compared the readability levels of teaching and testing materials in terms of the difficulty of passages. The present study, therefore, aims to explore the readability of reading passages in English textbooks and Thai national English tests based on three aspects: readability level, linguistic characteristics, and topic areas.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Input in Second Language Acquisition: an Overview of Four Theories
    Available online at www.refaad.com BAES, 3(2)2019, 70-78 Research Article Bulletin of Advanced English Studies (BAES) Journal Homepage: https://www.refaad.com/views/BAES/home.aspx ISSN: 2617-6459 (Online) 2617-6440 (Print) The Role of Input in Second Language Acquisition: An Overview of Four Theories Nesreen Saud Alahmadi a* a Faculty of Art and Humanities, English Language Centre, Taibha University, Saudi Arabia Abstract Various theories of second language acquisition (SLA) attribute significant importance to the role of input in second language (L2) learning. The current paper attempts to explore the role of input through an overview of four theories of SLA. These theories highlight different views on the value of second language input to learners’ linguistic abilities. These theories are: the Input Hypothesis (Ellis, 1994, Krashen, 1985, 1989, Doughty & Long, 2003; Mackey & Gass 2015), the Input-Interaction-Output Hypothesis (Gass, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997), the Input and Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1980, 1985, Brown, 2007, Long, 2016) and the Autonomous Induction Theory (Carroll, 1999, 2001, 2007, Loewen & Sato 2017). Also, the role of interaction for L2 input will be discussed. In fact, learners’ acquisition of L2 depends on different factors, either external or internal as well as on learners’ experience of the language. Therefore, accounts of successful SLA have emphasised the influence of the quality of the input provided to learners, as it counts as one of these external factors. However, input alone cannot facilitate L2 learning, as learners cannot develop full linguistic ability in the target language without processing and practicing the transmitted information through interaction.
    [Show full text]
  • THE INPUT HYPOTHESIS and SECOND-LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORY Gülay ER
    THE INPUT HYPOTHESIS AND SECOND-LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORY Gülay ER* ABSTRACT Among the language teaching methods and approaches is the Natur­ al Approach, which claims that the SL learner acquires the language as in first language acquisition if necessary conditions are provided. The Input Hypothesis , which has been developed based on the prin­ ciples of the Natural Approach, relates to acquisition, not learning. This hypothesis, which claims that acquisition is realized if the learner under­ stands the input given to him, makes it essential that the teacher, the source of the input in a classroom setting, should not be dependent on a method based on mechanical drills. Otherwise, there would not be an acquisition environment for the learner in the classroom. Providing that the classroom activities are natural, appropriate for the learners’ interest and comprehen­ sible, the learners’s natural acquisition mechanism will operate. Therefore, this hypothesis suggests that the main goal of the teacher be to provide the learners with comprehensible input. ÖZET Dil öğretim yöntemleri ve yaklaşımları arasında, ikinci dil Öğren­ cisinin dili, gerekli koşullar sağlandığı takdirde, anadil edinimindeki gibi edindiğini iddia eden yaklaşım, Doğal Yaklaşım diye adlandırılır. Doğa! yaklaşım ilkelerine dayalı olarak geliştirilen Girdi Varsayımı, öğrenme değil, edinim kavramı ile ilgilidir. Edinimin ancak öğrenciye ver­ ilen girdinin anlaşılmasıyla gerçekleşeceğini iddia eden bu varsayım, sınıf ortamında girdi kaynağının öğretmen olduğu düşünülürse, öğretmenin mekanik alıştırmalara dayalı bir yönteme bağlı kalmamasını gerekli kılar. Aks i halde, sınıf içinde öğrenci için dil edinme ortamı oluşmayacaktır. Sınıf içi etkinliklerin doğal, öğrencilerin ilgi alanına uygun ve anlaşılır olması halinde, öğrencinin doğal edinim mekanizması çalışmaya başlayacaktır.
    [Show full text]
  • Facilitative Effects of Learner-Directed Codeswitching : Evidence from Chinese Learners of English
    This is a repository copy of Facilitative effects of learner-directed codeswitching : Evidence from Chinese learners of English. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/105055/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Zhu, Xiye and Vanek, Norbert orcid.org/0000-0002-7805-184X (2015) Facilitative effects of learner-directed codeswitching : Evidence from Chinese learners of English. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. pp. 1-16. ISSN 1367-0050 https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2015.1087962 Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ This is the authors’ copy of Zhu, X., & Vanek, N. (2015). Facilitative effects of learner-directed codeswitching: Evidence from Chinese learners of English. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2015.1087962 Please contact
    [Show full text]