Implicit versus explicit learning: Some implications for L2 teaching

Abstract

Recent psychological evidence about "implicit" learning has strong implications for the educational arena. First, it contributes to counterbalance the predominance of "explicit" educational models, based on the transmission of formal rules, by considering informal active/manipulative behavior as the foundation of learning and knowledge-building. Secondly, implicit learning evidence helps build more efficient learning environments by indicating new minimally invasive educational tools to boost learners initial exemplar manipulation. Reflection and intentionality which characterise the explicit deductive thinking mode, when they finally come, may thus be activated after a preliminary implicit exploratory phase has completed at best. Specifically, these possibilities are indicated for designing meaningful L2 learning environments.

Improving second language skills of immigrant students: A field trial study evaluating the effects of a summer learning program

“…Research on second language teaching and learning distinguishes between implicit and explicit approaches to instruction (DeKeyser, 1995(DeKeyser, , 2003Ellis, 2004;Gasparini, 2004;Hulstijn, 2005;Nunan, 1999). Implicit teaching strategies rely on students' ability to acquire language skills without deliberately drawing their attention to rules.…”

South African financial reporting students' reading comprehension of the IASB Conceptual Framework

“…Teaching accounting in English to second-language students should, therefore, be regarded as an area of specialism by accounting instructors. Second language teaching and learning distinguishes between implicit and explicit instruction approaches (DeKeyser, 1995(DeKeyser, , 2003Ellis, 2004;Gasparini, 2004;Hulstijn, 2005;Nunan, 1999). Implicit instruction approaches rely on the student being able to acquire the necessary language skill without deliberately drawing attention to language rules.…”

The Effect of Explicit Teaching and Implicit Learning of Concept and Generalization Structure on The Acquisition of Explicit Knowledge of Concept and Generalization Structure

“…The same order of the content components of concept and generalization was followed with a view to enabling the participants to be exposed to the recurrent pattern which is present in the booklet. In this way, the researcher aimed to help learners guess the concept and generalization structures by exposing them to orders and patterns that were recurrent in the teaching material (Frick & Lee, 1995;Gasparini, 2004;Reber, 1993).…”

“…Explicit learning is a conscious process where the individual makes and tests a hypothesis in a search for structure (Ellis, 2005). In this process, concepts, rules, principles and patterns are directly presented to learners, and learners are asked to search this structure actively (Gasparini, 2004). In the implicit learning process, individuals can acquire complex and abstract relations by exploring the structures and rules underlying the task, without using conscious processes.…”

“…In implicit learning tasks, structures or rules repeat in a regular and invariant way, and the person can abstract a complex structure by being exposed to this recurrent structure (Mathews et al, 1989;Reber, 1993). Review of the related literature shows that implicit learning is defined as unconscious, intuitional, automatic and unconscious learning processes, while explicit learning is defined as conscious (intentional) learning processes, in which learners are aware (Ellis, 2005;Frensch, 1998;Gasparini, 2004;Reber, 1993;Shanks, 2005).…”