The effects of explain-to-others in a second language on tutorʼs comprehension

Abstract

Recent studies of explanation have shown that,to achieve an effective explanation,it is necessary to consider the tutorsʼload of cognitive resources. The present study explored that,with the cognitive load which is caused by using a second language, whether the explanation can improve tutorsʼcomprehension or not. Participants (44 Chinese international university students in Japan)were asked to read a text concerning measures of statistical dispersion. Four conditions were compared:(a)reading the text written in the mother tongue(Chinese)and studying the material alone

(n＝11),(b)reading the text written in the mother tongue and explaining the material to a peer(n＝12),(c)reading the text written in the second language(Japanese)and studying the material alone(n＝11),and(d)reading the text written in the second language and explaining the material to a peer(n＝10). The results showed that explanation improved comprehension in the mother tongue condition,while decreased comprehension in the second language condition. In the second language condition,it was also found that written test obtained higher score than oral test. It was suggested that explaining in second language might result in tutorsʼcognitive overloading,so that it become difficult to understand the text at same time.