ABSTRACT

The study investigates to what extent English as a second language (ESL) learners develop explicit and automatised explicit knowledge of two target-forms (third person singular ‘s’ and future conditional if-clause) after input and output based instruction and whether learning effects differ depending on the target forms. The study follows a pre-test–post-test design. Seventy-two intermediate level ESL learners from three intact classes were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (input and output) and one control group. The experimental groups completed a pre-test and received relevant instructional treatment: the input group received processing instruction that did not involve any production of output, whereas the output group received output based instruction. Immediately after the instructional treatment, the experimental groups took a post-test and after two weeks, a delayed post-test. The control group took the same tests without receiving any instructional treatment. An error correction test and an oral narrative production test were used to measure explicit and automatised explicit knowledge, respectively. The results showed that both the input and output groups outperformed the control group in developing explicit knowledge of the target forms, and the output group outperformed the input group in developing automatised explicit knowledge of both target forms.

摘要

这项研究调查了英语作为第二语言（ESL）的学习者在基于输入和输出的教学后，对两种目标形式（第三人称单数和未来条件if子句）的显式知识和自动显式知识的了解程度以及学习效果是否取决于目标形式。该研究遵循测试前-测试后的设计。来自三个完整类别的72名中级ESL学习者被随机分配到两个实验组（输入和输出）和一个对照组。实验组完成了预测试并接受了相关的指导性处理：输入组接受了不涉及任何输出结果的处理指令，而输出组则接受了基于输出的指令。接受指导治疗后，实验组进行了后期测试，两周后进行了延迟的后期测试。对照组接受了相同的测试，未接受任何指导性治疗。分别使用错误纠正测试和口头叙述性生产测试来衡量显性知识和自动化显性知识。结果表明，在开发目标形式的显式知识方面，输入组和输出组均优于对照组，而在发展两种目标形式的自动化显式知识方面，输出组均优于输入组。