The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of self-generated elaboration (learners generate elaborations themselves rather than these being provided by the instructors) and self-memorization activities using an L2-L1 vocabulary list for the acquisition of new vocabulary items. The list group was asked to memorize 20 target words and the elaboration group was presented with example sentences in L2 that included the target vocabulary items and asked to provide reasons using their L1. Both a meaning recall post-test and a reading post-test were conducted at three different intervals after the initial activities (immediately after, one week after, and three weeks after) in order to examine how well the participants had memorized the target items. The results showed that the list group performed significantly better than the elaboration group in the meaning recall test that was administered immediately following the activity These findings indicate that self-generated elaboration using Li is not as effective as list learning at least for the lower-intermediate learners in this study. The effects of the two vocabulary learning activities on long-term retention and on reading comprehension should be discussed further.

View full abstract

As usage-based theories of language have attracted more and more attention in applied linguistic fields, formulaic language, i.e., multiword units has become a central focus. Within this backdrop, a body of research shows that formulaic language is learned implicitly through chunking; the development of associative connections between objects in the long-term memory. While previous findings suggest that exposure is one way to learn explicit knowledge of formulaic language, the process of developing implicit knowledge of formulaic language, i.e., chunking in second language acquisition is unclear. This paper approaches this issue using a connectionist psycholinguistic paradigm and investigates whether implicit knowledge of unknown collocations is formed through two exposures. Extending previous work by Durrant and Schmitt (2010), a priming paradigm (stem completion task) was used to test second language learners' implicit knowledge of the collocations as measured by the number of target and control nouns uttered and their response times. Results of a paired samples t-test and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test suggested, however, that implicit memory of the collocations was not formed through two exposures. Based on these findings, the paper concludes by discussing possible differences in the mechanisms of chunking in first language (L1) versus second language (L2) acquisition.

View full abstract

This paper reports the effect of a blending learning experience on college freshmen's receptive vocabulary (RV) uses along with their collocations. 101 English language learners (ELLs) responded to an online 5-category vocabulary survey. From the survey's results, we selected 45 target RV items to be activated by all ELLs. The ELLs participated in a blending learning experience consisting of in-class collocation instruction, online writing tasks, and in-class conversation practice. The data were analyzed using mixed methods. RV activation was quantitatively measured by a Productive Vocabulary Level Test (Laufer & Nation, 1999) taken by ELLs before and after the blended learning experience. Observations were adapted to examine ELLs' written texts. Paired-difference tests showed statistically significant increases in mean scores for weeks two through nine. RV activation had faded for week one, suggesting that RV should be reactivated approximately nine weeks after initial activation. ELLs exhibited semantic ambiguity when collocations were not used, that is, collocations improved the correct interpretation of RV items. The performance and competence errors found in ELLs' vocabulary production suggests that vocabulary knowledge deepened specifically in the development of word meaning.

View full abstract

By revision of the 2011 the Course of Study (MEXT, 2008), elementary school English education became compulsory, and it is now held weekly for students in higher grades. This study aims to reveal what kinds of changes can be seen in the teachers engaged in primary English education after the implementation of the Course of Study revised in 2011. To answer the research questions posed, we examined the changes seen in the teachers over the past five years by comparing data obtained using the same questionnaire study conducted in both 2012 and 2017. The results showed that: (a) there was an increase in teacher's own intrinsic motivation in foreign language learning; (b) there was no change in teacher beliefs over the five years; and (c) there was a tendency that teacher-led class practice different from teacher's belief was increasing.

View full abstract

Understanding how intensive motivational drives support long-term behavior has been the center of attention in recent second language (L2) motivation research (Dörnyei, in press). In particular, Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) (Dörnyei, Henry, & Muir, 2016), which integrate the concept of vision and motivated behavior, are a useful construct to explain the underlying mechanism of perseverance for personal development. The aim of the present study was to explore Japanese English teachers' experiences of perseverance through the lens of DMCs. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three Japanese high school English teachers capable of sustaining motivated behavior. These qualitative data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Four main categories emerged from the analyses: the language teacher's ideal possible self, triggering stimulus, salient facilitative structure, and positive emotions. An interpretation of the results using these categories identified the language teachers' capacity for nonconscious self-regulation via regularly accessing their vision and positive teaching/learning experiences for retriggering goal-directed motivated behavior.

View full abstract

Currently English is mainly taught by homeroom teachers in elementary schools. In August 2019, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) introduced a policy to increase the number of specialized English teachers(senka) in order for the realization of desirable elementary school English education. Meanwhile, English license certification courses for elementary school teachers are also being enhanced and teachers with various backgrounds and experiences in addition to class teachers who are not specialists in teaching English are expected to teach elementary school English in the future. The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of teachers' views on English classes by teachers in different backgrounds and experiences. Participants in the survey were three teachers: 1. A specialized English teachers (senka), 2. A homeroom teacher who had previously been in charge of teaching English and 3. A homeroom teacher who had experience teaching English only as an assistant After watching a video showing an English class, the three teachers were asked to give their notice and impressions about what they saw. We extracted the viewpoints and interpretations from their utterances, of each teacher's class, and compared and analyzed what the teacher focused on and how to interpret it As a resu1t, it was suggested that a specialized teacher are looking at the class from a broader and multifaceted perspective, while homeroom teachers also have different perspectives due to differences in experience as leaders and learners

View full abstract

It is considered that there are two components of grammatical knowledge: implicit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Ever since Krashen (1981) distinguished acquired knowledge (i.e. implicit knowledge) from learnt knowledge (i.e. explicit knowledge), to what extent learners can command the two kinds of knowledge has been one of the main focuses of second language acquisition research. The present study has its focus on Japanese junior high school students' grammatical knowledge of English. A total of 466 first and third grade students answered two kinds of grammaticality judgement tests: test with hints and test without hints. The results revealed that (a) most students have acquired both of the two knowledge or explicit knowledge only, and only a few have developed implicit knowledge alone, (b) the pattern of grammar acquisition differs among grammatical items, (c) though the third grade students have developed more grammatical knowledge than the first grade students, the patterns of grammar acquisition differ between the groups.

View full abstract

Peer review is thought to be a way to improve students' English writing skills in daily English classes in school. Some researchers have shown that peer review can be useful in improving students' writing skills and many students tend to feel that peer review is an effective tool when revising what they have written (Jacobs et al., 1998; Storch, 2005). In Japan, the new Courses of Study of English (MEXT, 2017) states that it is important for students to ask questions and make some commentsi n pairs ori n groups about what they have written. Moreover, in the same Course of Study it is required to revise the texts based on the contents of preceding communication among the students. When revising a writing through peer review, it is expected that the students can focus on not only their contents or meaning but their forms and structures of the essays. Previous researches have examined the effects of peer review in essays written by high school students and college students. This paper investigated the differences in accuracy, fluency, and complexity between revised essays with and without peer review. The results showed that students tended to focus on the accuracy of the writings when using peer review rather than their contents and the fluency.

View full abstract