Early adolescent learners’ noticing of language structures through the accumulation of formulaic sequences: Focusing on Title increasing the procedural knowledge of verb phrases( Dissertation_全文 ) Author(s) Kashiwagi, Kazuko Citation 京都大学 Issue Date 2019-03-25 URL https://doi.org/10.14989/doctor.k21866 Right Type Thesis or Dissertation Textversion ETD Kyoto University Early adolescent learners’ noticing of language structures through the accumulation of formulaic sequences： Focusing on increasing the procedural knowledge of verb phrases Kazuko KASHIWAGI Early adolescent learners’ noticing of language structures through the accumulation of formulaic sequences㸸 Focusing on increasing the procedural knowledge of verb phrases ᛮ᫓ᮇ๓ᮇᏛ⩦⪅ࡢ formulaic sequences ࡢ ⵳✚ࢆ࡜࠾ࡋࡓⱥㄒࡢᩥᵓ㐀࡬ࡢẼ࡙ࡁ 㸫ືモࣇ࣮ࣞࢬ࡬ࡢᡭ⥆ࡁⓗ▱㆑ࡢ㐍ᤖ࡟↔Ⅼࢆ࠶࡚࡚㸫 Kazuko KASHIWAGI B.E., Nara University of Education, 1983 M.A., Nara University of Teacher Education, 2005 Ph.D Candidate, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, 2011 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Human and Environmental Study, 2019 Kyoto University ABSTRACT This study examines how to effectively introduce verbs and verb phrases and the early adolescent learner’s exemplar-based learning, in which the learner is immersed in formulaic chunks and attempts to use them in social interactive contexts. The usage- based model (UBM) (Bybee, 1995; Tomasello,1998) emphasizes that language is learned from the participatory experience of processing an input and then producing language by imitating and repeating the multi-word units provided by the caregivers of the learner (such as parents or teachers). The process is called formulaic sequence (FS) such as form- meaning connections (FMCs) and the proceduralization of these connections. Leaners may have many opportunities to analyze the chunks of language and their linguistic patterns to form the schema formation of verbs while storing exemplars of these schemas during interactions. This categorization and analogy-forming of an input might determine the degree of productivity of language construction and facilitate the learner’s second language (English) development, especially in the case of the program called English Education in Japan that links elementary school English Activities with introductory English lessons in junior high school. Therefore, the current research embraces a theoretical framework of exemplar- based learning and formulaic sequences, focusing on form (FonF) and noticing linguistic ii patterns, along with analyzing the effectiveness of the frequency of input in which learners are immersed. Based on the rationales, the main purpose of the research is to investigate the effectiveness of the UBM focusing on FS that the early adolescent learners accumulated in EFL learning taking their gradual change of way of learning in consideration. The procedures used for finding linguistic patterns might help the learners encounter the new language’s properties in a meaningful context, which differs from the rule-based rote learning style commonly used. The current study might indicate that FS enables the learners to acquire the foreign language not only by relying on the rules, but also by discovering categorical patterns. However, most of UBM research have not focused on the EFL learners (ages 9-14) even though the learning process instance to rule might be essential for the age range. Two possible reason could be as follows: 1) the EFL classrooms are considered to be at a place the outcomes of scientific research of UBM being in progress doesn’t reach, 2) the period of ages lies in hiding in the introductory learning in both public elementary and junior high schools in which many of teachers are concerned with formalities such as grammar-translation method. Regarding the link between elementary school English Education and junior high school, the current research focused on fifth and sixth graders (ages 11–12, where, here, we define them as children) who accumulated exemplars as iii formulaic chunks by imitating and repeating them. From this exemplar-based learning that is based on the UBM, the present study analyzes how children and students successfully establish the FMCs in verb phrases. Verbs and verb phrases may play an important role in language communication. In his L1 verb acquisition research for the UBM, Tomasello (2003) stated that children learn verbs item by item in word units. Tomasello’s (2003) later research investigated and analyzed how specific examples that children use in an imitative way lead to language construction. Given that children’s cognitive skills for acquiring verbs is fertile, the item-by-item schema formation of verbs (e.g., get X, throw X) and procedularization in this schema formation process produce abstract constructions across new language patterns that can be used in the next processing stage. Continuously, the present research also focused on first and second graders in junior high school (ages 13–14, where, here, we define them as the students), have listened to and used language chunking in communicative language teaching before starting English lessons in junior high school. The research on the subsequent period (ages 13–14) investigated how successfully the students were able to establish FMCs and find language patterns in verb phrases (e.g., I am throwing X; X is cooked by Y) from the sounds they heard. The data obtained at the junior high school level were collected without instructing an explicit grammar explanation beforehand. iv In Chapter 1, we discuss the theory of exemplar-based learning and predict how it would relate to the EFL classroom in Japan. In Chapter 2, we introduce the concept of FMCs in exemplar-based learning of verb phrases based on mother language acquisition (Tomasello, 2003) and discuss how we would be able to apply the item-by-item learning process to learning verb–object combinations (V-O combination). We also define the important role that FonF has on early adolescent learners and their ability to notice language patterns. As far as how well the learners accumulated exemplars in an interactive context, the approach of instant to rule rather than rule to instance might have a great effect on elevating the students’ procedural knowledge. This was tested by conducting several experiments for each age group and among the various age groups in this study. In Chapter 3, we refer to the essential roles of verb construction on language learning. Children’s verb acquisition in L1 and how the theory could be applied for L2 learning in the classroom are analyzed. The process of acquiring the verb phrases and formulating constructions of these phrases are discussed in the following order: 1) imitating whole constructions, 2) formulating slots in the constructions, and 3) categorization of patterns. From Chapters 4 to 11, we propose the instructional approach of formulaic sequences, such as “instance to rule,” by providing exemplars with lexical richness and v meaningful context in an EFL classroom. Several experiments were conducted for each age group and among the various age groups to prove the effectiveness of a FS. As for observing the early adolescent learners’ FMCs and proceduralization of it, respectively, the following representative experiments were conducted. First, some experiments using elementary school English lessons were conducted. In Chapter 4, we investigated the possibility of the children being exposed to the input frequency of verb phrases by using “English Notebook 1 and 2” (2008a), which is distributed to all elementary schools by the Ministry of Education and Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Japan (MEXT). To what extent the children might encounter the verbs and verb phrases during fifth and sixth grades, per the descriptions of each lesson unit, including teachers’ input and classifying the verbs that are frequently used into “basic verbs 50,” is analyzed in this study. The study revealed that some verbs were frequently used and ranked higher (such as like, say, make, play, and want), as well as in language corpora; however, some verbs were indispensable for conveying messages while others were not. The research also revealed the scarcity of verb variations in the teaching materials. This suggests that the teachers’ structured input relating to the children’s everyday life is far more expected to compensate for it. We also proposed the way of conducting the lessons to have the children find language patterns (such as take vi X, get X, give XY) while they are immersed in the meaningful context. In Chapter 5, because of the insufficiency of verb phrases, we developed ATM-V (audio-visual teaching materials of verb phrases) to help children understand the verb phrases, which might also serve as a tool for evaluating the children’s FMCs. The screen shots from ATM-V were also made for the succeeding listening tests. We conducted the experiment by teaching the EFL children the verb phrases and then giving a pre-test and post-test design to two groups, where one used the ATM-V tool and the others did not (age 12, EX group, N=55; Non-EX group, N=56). We found that not only did the EX group (teachers’ input gestures being driven by the use ATM-V) but also the Non-EX group (teacher’s input-driven gesture) showed the successful use of the FMCs of verb phrases (such as smell X ); however, it was more difficult for the Non-EX group to establish the FMCs of an abstract verb phrase (need X). This indicates that successfully using the FMCs of abstract verbs might need a certain trigger that considers the input factors (perceptual salience). In Chapter 6, we classified the verb phrases by using the children’s word familiarity; here, we selected seven or eight categories of verb phrases as the target (such as “drink juice”: the easiest one; “give a flower for”: the most difficult one). We also conducted the experiment by teaching verb phrases on the topic of “My busy day” and used a pre-post-test design with one group (age 11, Elementary School A, N=72, vii experienced 25 hours of English lessons).