Input enhancement in classroom second language acquisition of Japanese

Sayuri Kubota, Purdue University

Abstract

The study investigated the effects of input enhancement on classroom L2 acquisition using university-level beginning learners of Japanese. Two types of input enhancement—explicit explanation of target structures and textual enhancement (reading text which contained highlighted target structures)—were studied for their effect on student learning of two target structures with different levels of grammatical complexity (the gerund of adjectives and the gerund of verbs). The major part of the instruction was presented to subjects in the context of computer-assisted reading lessons. There were two experimental groups—the Explicit Grammar Group (GRAMMAR) and the Textual Enhancement Group (ENHANCE)—and one control group (CONTROL). The G subjects were given the opportunity to receive form-focused instruction (rule explanation) before the meaning-focused one (the reading lessons), but both the ENHANCE and the CONTROL subjects participated in the meaning-focused session (the reading lessons) only. However, during the reading for in-depth understanding session, only the ENHANCE subjects were exposed to text which contained highlighted target structures. The posttest was given to the subjects twice, one day after the last instruction and approximately two weeks after the last instruction. The measurement instruments used were grammaticality judgment and sentence completion. The result of data analysis revealed that in the both target structure conditions (the gerund of adjectives and the gerund of verbs), the GRAS Group did significantly better than the ENHANCE Group and the CONTROL Group on the sentence completion test, but there was no significant difference between the ONCE Group and the CONTROL Group. Also no significant difference was found among three groups on the grammaticality judgment test.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Hatasa, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Language arts

COinS