The acquisition of formulaic sequences in high-intermediate ESL learners

摘要: This study investigates the relative effectiveness of three types form-focused instruction on acquisition English formulaic sequences (FSs), which learners all proficiency levels seem to struggle with. 40 Mandarin-speaking graduate students were randomly assigned 4 groups: 1 control group and 3 treatment groups. Over 2 weeks groups received reading comprehension lessons based passages with 10 target FSs in each. The no FSs, while groups, after activity, intervention: (i) Input Enhancement combination Explicit Instruction, (ii) Collaborative Gap-fill tasks, (iii) Spot-the-Difference tasks. A Vocabulary Knowledge Scale test an Awareness used as pre-tests, immediate delayed post-tests included a cued gap-fill followed by multiple-choice question same test. Findings obtained from ANOVAs Cohen's d effect size calculations showed that benefited acquiring higher productive receptive knowledge new FSs. Form-focused was particularly successful helping produce newly learnt different context. Results also revealed effective retention FSs' form associated knowledge. Furthermore, learners' engagement understanding meaning their context had durable positive these Direct helped retain most efficiently, explicit strategy teaching tended enhance ability notice L2 input. Correlation analyses suggested complex interaction factors related frequency, n-gram length MI Score separately could not fully account for success receptively productively among learners. Degree Type Dissertation Name Doctor Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Yuko G. Butler Keywords instruction, sequences, second language acquisition, task-based learning Subject Categories dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1385 ii To Quang Anh and Nai (Ha Anh) for the love they bring to my life