Based on evidence that listeners may favor certain foreign accents over others (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Major, Fitzmaurice, Bunta, & Balasubramanian, 2002; Tauroza & Luk, 1997) and that language-test raters may better comprehend and/or rate the speech of test takers whose native languages (L1s) are more familiar on some level (Carey, Mannell, & Dunn, 2011; Fayer & Krasinski, 1987; Scales, Wennerstrom, Richard, & Wu, 2006), we investigated whether accent familiarity (defined as having learned the test takers’ L1) leads to rater bias. We examined 107 raters’ ratings on 432 TOEFL iBTTM speech samples from 72 test takers. The raters of interest were L2 speakers of Spanish, Chinese, or Korean, while the test takers comprised three native-speaker groups (24 each) of Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. We analyzed the ratings using a multifaceted Rasch measurement approach. Results indicated that L2 Spanish raters were significantly more lenient with L1 Spanish test takers, as were L2 Chinese raters with L1 Chinese test takers. We conclude by concurring with Xi and Mollaun (2009, 2011) and Carey et al. that rater training should address raters’ linguistic background as a potential rater effect. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of recognizing rater L2 as a possible source of bias.
This study investigates caption‐reading behavior by foreign language (L2) learners and, through eye‐tracking methodology, explores the extent to which the relationship between the native and target language affects that behavior. Second‐year (4th semester) English‐speaking learners of Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish watched 2 videos differing in content familiarity, each dubbed and captioned in the target language. Results indicated that time spent on captions differed significantly by language: Arabic learners spent more time on captions than learners of Spanish and Russian. A significant interaction between language and content familiarity occurred: Chinese learners spent less time on captions in the unfamiliar content video than the familiar, while others spent comparable times on each. Based on dual‐processing and cognitive load theories, we posit that the Chinese learners experienced a split‐attention effect when verbal processing was difficult and that, overall, captioning benefits during the 4th semester of language learning are constrained by L2 differences, including differences in script, vocabulary knowledge, concomitant L2 proficiency, and instructional methods. Results are triangulated with qualitative findings from interviews.
This study examines the relationship between learners' production of modified output and their working memory (WM) capacity. The task-based interactions of 42 collegelevel, native English-speaking learners of Spanish as a foreign language were examined. A relationship was found between learners' WM test scores and their tendency to modify output. Specifically, greater processing capacity was related to greater production of modified output during interaction.Keywords second language acquisition (SLA); modified output; working memory capacity; interaction; task-based research; corrective feedback Participation in conversational interaction has been argued to facilitate second language (L2) learning in a number of ways Mackey et al.
Modified Output and Working Memory Capacitywork, carried out with both children and adults in classroom and laboratory settings, has demonstrated the benefits not only of interaction as a whole but also of a variety of specific interactional processes (Braidi, 2002;de la Fuente,
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE LANGUAGE LEARNER: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN
SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION. Zoltán Dörnyei. Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum, 2005. Pp. 270. $69.95 cloth, $29.95 paper.This concise book on individual differences (IDs) in SLA presents
research on topics such as language aptitude, motivation, cognitive
styles, student self-regulation, and personality traits. Its in-depth
treatment of the field will make it valuable to researchers in applied
linguistics and second language (L2) studies. At the same time, its
straightforward presentation and conversational tone should make it
accessible to language teachers and students of L2 pedagogy interested in
understanding more about what individual learners bring to the
classroom.
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