Abstract

The present study investigated the interface between explicit instruction and computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in an effort to reduce plural marking errors among Japanese EFL learners. The instruction involved raising contrastive awareness of cross-linguistic and conceptual features, and was delivered via an online medium. A total of 180 students from a university in Western Japan participated in the study, in which two points of enquiry were examined: (1) the extent to which such an instructional composite would affect Japanese learners’ ability to (a) recognize plural omission errors in L2 reading, and (b) produce obligatory plural forms in L2 writing; and (2) the extent to which online instruction would be sufficient to facilitate change in subsequent performance related to plural accuracy. In contrast with the control condition, the findings from the experimental condition indicated that positive learning outcomes had taken place with regard to both error recognition and plural production, and that web-based instruction was therefore effective in this instance. Theoretical reflections, practical implications, and future avenues of research are discussed.

摘要

本研究调查了显式指令和计算机辅助语言学习（CALL）之间的接口，以减少日本EFL学习者中的多个标记错误。该指令涉及提高跨语言和概念特征的对比意识，并通过在线媒体进行了传递。来自日本西部一所大学的180名学生参加了这项研究，其中考察了两点：（1）这种教学组合将在多大程度上影响日本学习者的能力（a）认识到多个遗漏错误在二语阅读中，和（b）在二语写作中产生强制性复数形式；（2）在线教学足以在多大程度上促进与复数准确性有关的后续表现的变化。与控制条件相比，实验条件的发现表明，在错误识别和复数生成方面都取得了积极的学习成果，因此在这种情况下基于网络的教学是有效的。讨论了理论反思，实践意义和未来的研究途径。