Hauptseminar/Forschungsseminar
Sommersemester 2012

Noticing and Awareness in Second Language Acquisition

Sessions:

Abstract:

How do people acquire a second language? Second language acquisition research since the 90s has emphasized that language input and functional language use alone is not sufficient, at least for adult learners (cf., e.g. Lightbown & Spada 2006). Research has emphasized the importance of supporting the awareness of language categories and forms, and input enhancement techniques have been proposed to make the target language features to be learned more salient for the learner.

This provides an interesting opportunity for computational linguistic applications to automatically identify and enhance the relevant language features in texts selected by the learners (Meurers et al. 2010).

But what exactly does it mean to enhance the salience of language features? For which language features is this possible and how is this related to what is known about the mental representation of language? How can one operationalize notions such as awareness and noticing, and how does the idea of input enhancement relate to what is known about implicit and explicit learning?

In this interdisciplinary seminar, we want to explore these questions by connecting research on second language acquisition, computational linguistics, and cognitive psychology.

Instructors:

Course meets: Mondays, 16ct-18 in Hörsaal 1.3, Forum Scientiarum (Doblerstr. 33)

Language: The course language is English, but may be switched to German if desired by all participants.

Credits:

Syllabus (this file):

Moodle page: https://moodle02.zdv.uni-tuebingen.de/course/view.php?id=123

Nature of course and our expectations: This Hauptseminar/Forschungsseminar intends to provide an overview of the concepts and issues involved in research on input enhancement and awareness in second language acquisition. Students from any of the interdisciplinary areas involved are welcome. No particular background is required, but participants are expected to

  1. regularly and actively participate in class, read the papers assigned by any of the presenters and post a question on Moodle to the“Reading Discussion Forum” on each reading at the latest on the day before it is discussed in class. (20% of grade)
  2. explore and present a topic (40% of grade):
  3. submit a term paper (40% of grade); contact us for final exam as an option For ISCL students:

Academic conduct and misconduct: Research is driven by discussion and free exchange of ideas, motivations, and perspectives. So you are encouraged to work in groups, discuss, and exchange ideas. At the same time, the foundation of the free exchange of ideas is that everyone is open about where they obtained which information. Concretely, this means you are expected to always make explicit when you’ve worked on something as a team – and keep in mind that being part of a team always means sharing the work.

For text you write, you always have to provide explicit references for any ideas or passages you reuse from somewhere else. Note that this includes text “found” on the web, where you should cite the url of the web site in case no more official publication is available.

References

   Ackerley, K., F. Dalziel & F. Helm (2008). Raising language awareness through investigation of a learner corpus of online communication. In Proceedings of ICALL: 8th Teaching and Language Corpora Conference. Instituto Superior de Línguas e Administração, Lisbon, Portugal.

   Alanen, R. (1995). Input enhancement and rule presentation in second language acquisition. In Schmidt (1995a), pp. 259–302.

   Bolitho, R., R. Carter, R. Hughes, R. Ivanič, H. Masuhara & B. Tomlinson (2003). Ten questions about language awareness. ELT Journal 57(3), 251–259.

   Carter, R. (2003). Language Awareness. ELT Journal 57(1), 64–65.

   Doughty, C. & J. Williams (eds.) (1998a). Focus on form in classroom second language acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

   Doughty, C. & J. Williams (1998b). Pedagogical choices in focus on form. In Doughty & Williams (1998a), chap. 10, pp. 197–261.

   Ellis, N. C. & N. Sagarra (2010a). The Bounds of Adult Language Acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 32(04), 553–580.

   Ellis, N. C. & N. Sagarra (2010b). Learned Attention Effects in L2 Temporal Reference: The First Hour and the Next Eight Semesters. Language Learning 60, 85–108. URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2010.00602.x.

   Ellis, N. C. & N. Sagarra (2011). Learned Attention in Adult Language Acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 33(04), 589–624.

   Hama, M. & R. P. Leow (2010). Learning without Awareness Revisited. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 32(03), 465–491.

   Han, Z., E. S. Park & C. Combs (2008). Textual Enhancement of Input: Issues and Possibilities. Applied Linguistics 29(4), 597–618. URL http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/4/597.abstract.

   Hawkins, E. (1987). Awareness of language: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

   Hulstijn, J. (1989). Implicit and incidental language learning: Experiments in the processing natural and partly artificial input. In H. Dechert & M. Raupach (eds.), Interlingual processing, Tübingen: Gunter Narr, pp. 49–73.

   Izumi, S. (2002). Output, input enhancement, and the noticing hypothesis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 24(04), 541–577.

   Jourdenais, R., M. Ota, S. Stauffer, B. Boyson & C. Doughty (1995). Does textual enhancement promote noticing? A think aloud protocol analysis. In Schmidt (1995a).

   Kempen, G. (2004). Interactive visualization of syntactic structure assembly for grammar-intensive first- and second-language instruction. In R. Delmonte (ed.), InSTIL/ICALL 2004 Symposium on Computer Assisted Learning, NLP and speech technologies in advanced language learning systems. Venice, Italy: International Speech Communication Association (ISCA). URL http://www.gerardkempen.nl/publicationfiles/KempenVanBreugel2004.pdf.

   Lee, S.-K. (2007). Effects of Textual Enhancement and Topic Familiarity on Korean EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension and Learning of Passive Form. Language Learning 57(1), 87–118.

   Lee, S.-K. & H.-T. Huang (2008). Visual Input Enhancement and Grammar Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 30, 307–331.

   Leow, R. (1997). The effects of input enhancement and text length on adult L2 learners’ comprehension and intake in second language acquisition. Applied Language Learning 8, 151–182.

   Leow, R. P. (2009). Input Enhancement and L2 Grammatical Development: What the Research Reveals. In S. L. Katz & J. Watzinger-Tharp (eds.), Conceptions of L2 Grammar: Theoretical Approaches and their Applications in the L2 Classroom, Heinle Cengage Learning, AAUSC 2008 Volume, pp. 16–34.

   Leow, R. P., H.-C. Hsieh & N. Moreno (2008). Attention to Form and Meaning Revisited. Language Learning 58(3), 665–695.

   Lightbown, P. M. & N. Spada (2006). How languages are learned. Oxford: Oxford University Press, third ed.

   Loewen, S., S. Inceoglu & P. Winke (2010). Using eye-tracking to investigate input enhancement. Conference Abstract, Second Language Research Forum (SLRF), University of Maryland at College Park, USA. URL http://www.webspace.umd.edu/SLRF2010/LoewenInceogluWinke.pdf.

   Lynch, P. J. & S. Horton (1999). Web style guide: Basic design principles for creating web sites. Yale University Press.

   Meurers, D., R. Ziai, L. Amaral, A. Boyd, A. Dimitrov, V. Metcalf & N. Ott (2010). Enhancing Authentic Web Pages for Language Learners. In Proceedings of the 5th Workshop on Innovative Use of NLP for Building Educational Applications (BEA-5) at NAACL-HLT 2010. Los Angeles: Association for Computational Linguistics. URL http://purl.org/dm/papers/meurers-ziai-et-al-10.html.

   Petersen, K. (2005). Input Enhancement in Second Language Acquisition Research: A Critical Review. URL http://purl.org/dm/08/ss/lit/petersen-input-enhancement-in-SLA.pdf. Second Qualifying Paper, presented to The Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University.

   Pietrzykowska, A. (2012). The Influence of Visual Input Enhancement on the Acquisition of English Embedded Questions. In M. Pawlak (ed.), Extending the Boundaries of Research on Second Language Learning and Teaching, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Second Language Learning and Teaching, pp. 3–13.

   Radwan, A. A. (2005). The effectiveness of explicit attention to form in language learning. System 33(1), 69–87.

   Rebuschat, P. & J. N. Williams (2012). Implicit Learning in Second Language Acquisition. In C. A. Chapelle (ed.), Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, vol. 20. To appear.

   Robinson, P. (2007). Attention and Awareness. In J. Cenoz & N. Hornberger (eds.), Encyclopedia of Language and Education, New York/Berlin: Springer Academic, vol. 6: Knowledge about Language, pp. 120–131.

   Sachs, R. & B.-R. Suh (2007). Textually enhanced recasts, learner awareness, and L2 outcomes in synchronous computer-mediated interaction. In Oxford applied linguistics, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

   Schmidt, R. (1992). Awareness and second language acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 13, 206–226.

   Schmidt, R. (ed.) (1995a). Attention and awareness in foreign language learning. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii.

   Schmidt, R. (1995b). Consciousness and foreign language learning: A tutorial on the role of attention and awareness in learning. In Schmidt (1995a), pp. 1–63.

   Schmidt, R. (2001). Attention. In P. Robinson (ed.), Cognition and second language instruction, Cambridge University Press, pp. 3–32. URL http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/PDFs/SCHMIDT%20attention.pdf.

   Schmidt, R. (2010). Attention, awareness, and individual differences in language learning. In W. M. Chan, S. Chi, K. N. Cin, J. Istanto, M. Nagami, J. W. Sew, T. Suthiwan & I. Walker (eds.), Proceedings of CLaSIC 2010, Singapore, December 2-4. Singapore: National University of Singapore, Centre for Language Studies, pp. 721–737. URL http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/PDFs/SCHMIDT%20Attention,%20awareness,%20and%20individual%20differences.pdf.

   Shahrour, G. & S. Bull (2008). Does ’Notice’ Prompt Noticing? Raising Awareness in Language Learning with an Open Learner Model.

   Sharwood Smith, M. (1993). Input enhancement in instructed SLA: Theoretical bases. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 15, 165–179.

   Simard, D. (2009). Differential effects of textual enhancement formats on intake. System 37(1), 124–135.

   Skehan, P. (2003). Focus on Form, Tasks, and Technology. Computer Assisted Language Learning 16(5), 391–411.

   Song, H. & N. Schwarz (2008). Fluency and the Detection of Misleading Questions: Low Processing Fluency Attenuates the Moses Illusion. Social Cognition 26(6), 791 – 799.

   Urano, K. (2000). Typographical input enhancement on the web: Its potential in L2 research and pedagogy. URL http://www.urano-ken.com/research/hawaii/esl680p/. Unpublished manuscript, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu.

   White, J. (1998). Getting the learners’ attention: A typographical input enhancement study. In Doughty & Williams (1998a), pp. 85–113.

   White, L., N. Spada, P. M. Lightbown & L. Ranta (1991). Input Enhancement and L2 Question Formation. Applied Linguistics 12(4), 416–432.

   Williams, J. N. (1999). Memory, Attention, and Inductive Learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 21, 1–48.

   Williams, J. N. (2005). Learning without Awareness. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 27(02), 269–304.

   Wong, W. (2008). Enhancing L2 French Learners’ Attention to Prepositions: An ONLINE Study of Textual Enhancement. Slides for Presentation at “Bilingualism in a Plurilingual Canada: Research and Implications”. June 19-20, 2008. University of Ottawa. URL http://www.langcanada.ca/pdf/PowerPoints_CERRBALColloquium2008/CERRBAL_WynneWong.pdf.

   Zyzik, E. & C. Azevedo (2009). Word Class Distinctions in Second Language Acquisition. SSLA 31(31), 1–29.

Last update: June 11, 2012