The Influence of Planning and Task Type on Second Language Performance

2018 ◽  
pp. 129-153
Author(s):  
Peter Skehan
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Second Language Performance ◽  
And Task

scholarly journals The Influence of Planning and Task Type on Second Language Performance

1996 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Foster ◽  
Peter Skehan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Task Based Instruction ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Language Performance

This study focuses on the impact of different variables on the nature of language performance in the context of task-based instruction. Characteristics of tasks are discussed, and then a framework is offered that can organize the nature of task-based instruction and relevant research. The framework is used to generate predictions regarding the effects of three different tasks (Personal Information Exchange, Narrative, and Decision-Making) and three different implementation conditions for each task (unplanned, planned but without detail, detailed planning) on the variables of fluency, complexity, and accuracy. The study reports strong effects of planning on fluency and clear effects also on complexity, with a linear relationship between degree of planning and degree of complexity. However, a more complex relationship was discovered between planning and accuracy, with the most accurate performance produced by the less detailed planners. In addition, interactions were found between task type and planning conditions, such that the effects of planning were greater with the Narrative and Decision-Making tasks than with the Personal Information Exchange task. The results are discussed in terms of an attentional model of learning and performance and highlight the importance of tradeoff effects between the goals of complexity and accuracy in the context of the use of limited capacity attentional resources. The study contributes to the development of cognitive models of second language performance and addresses a number of pedagogic issues.

scholarly journals Examinee abilities and task difficulty in task-based second language performance assessment

2002 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Norris ◽  
James D. Brown ◽  
Thom D. Hudson ◽  
William Bonk
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Second Language Performance ◽  
And Task

scholarly journals Circadian rhythms and second language performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-60
Author(s):  
Kees De Bot ◽  
Fang Fang
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Lexical Access ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Intraindividual Variation ◽  
The Hours ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Language Performance

Human behavior is not constant over the hours of the day, and there are considerable individual differences. Some people raise early and go to bed early and have their peek performance early in the day (“larks”) while others tend to go to bed late and get up late and have their best performance later in the day (“owls”). In this contribution we report on three projects on the role of chronotype (CT) in language processing and learning. The first study (de Bot, 2013) reports on the impact of CT on language learning aptitude and word learning. The second project was reported in Fang (2015) and looks at CT and executive functions, in particular inhibition as measured by variants of the Stroop test. The third project aimed at assessing lexical access in L1 and L2 at preferred and non-preferred times of the day. The data suggest that there are effects of CT on language learning and processing. There is a small effect of CT on language aptitude and a stronger effect of CT on lexical access in the first and second language. The lack of significance for other tasks is mainly caused by the large interindividual and intraindividual variation.

Developing rating scales for the assessment of second language performance

1996 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 55-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn E. Turner ◽  
John A. Upshur
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Rating Scales ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Binary Choices ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Second Language Performance

Abstract The two most common approaches to rating second language performance pose problems of reliability and validity. An alternative method utilizes rating scales that are empirically derived from samples of learner performance; these scales define boundaries between adjacent score levels rather than provide normative descriptions of ideal performances; the rating process requires making two or three binary choices about a language performance being rated. A procedure, that consists of a series of five explicit tasks, is used to construct a rating scale. The scale is designed for use with a specific population and a specific test task. A group of primary school ESL teachers used this procedure to make two speaking tests, including elicitation tasks and rating scales, for use in their school district. The tests were administered to 255 sixth grade learners. The scales were found to be highly accurate for scoring short speech samples, and were quite efficient in time required for scale development and rater training. Scales exhibit content relevance in the instructional setting. Development of this type of scale is recommended for use in high-stakes assessment.

THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF TIME FOR PLANNING ON SECOND LANGUAGE PERFORMANCE

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uta Mehnert
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Time Complexity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Planning Time ◽  
Speech Performance ◽  
Planning Condition ◽  
Lexical Density ◽  
Time Accuracy ◽  
Second Language Performance

This article reports on a study that investigated the effect of different amounts of planning time on the speech performance of L2 speakers. Subjects were 4 groups of learners of German (31 in total) performing 2 tasks each. The tasks varied in the degree of structure they contained and the familiarity of information they tapped. The control group had no planning time available; the 3 experimental groups had 1, 5, and 10 minutes of planning time, respectively, before they started speaking. Results show fluency and lexical density of speech increase as a function of planning time. Accuracy of speech improved with only 1 minute planning but did not increase with more planning time. Complexity of speech was significantly higher for the 10-minute planning condition only. No significant differences were found for the effect of planning on the different tasks. This study employed various general and specific constructs for measuring fluency, complexity, and accuracy of speech. The interrelationships and qualities of these measures are also investigated and discussed.

Effect of modality and task type on interlanguage variation

ReCALL ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye Yeong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Task Type ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Oral Interaction ◽  
Task Types ◽  
And Task

AbstractAn essential component for assessing the accuracy and fluency of language learners is understanding how mode of communication and task type affect performance in second-language (L2) acquisition. This study investigates how text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) and face-to-face (F2F) oral interaction can influence the performance of language learners in producing grammatical forms accurately when learners of English as a second language complete different tasks in their L2. Findings show a systematic variability in learner interlanguage that depends on mode of communication and task type. L2 learners used articles more correctly and produced advanced-stage questions more frequently in text-based SCMC than in F2F. These findings suggest that task types and the mode of communication in which a task is completed need careful selection based on pedagogical purposes in order to maximize L2 learning and better evaluate L2 performance.

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