Schematic Diagrams in Second Language Learning of English Prepositions

Abstract

In the current study of applied cognitive linguistics (CL), schematic diagrams that represent generalizations of physical-spatial experience were applied in a computer-based tutor that trained English prepositions for second language (L2) learners. Behavioral and electrophysiological (ERP) measures were used to examine whether schematic-diagram feedback provided by the tutor had an instructional advantage over the minimally informed correctness feedback. Behavioral results confirmed this prediction and further revealed that the treatment difference was more striking when the participants had a lower L2 proficiency. The ERP results also supported the prediction. Violation uses of prepositions yielded an N270 and an N400. Schematic-diagram feedback motivated significant changes in brain potentials, whereas correctness feedback failed to do so. Overall, our findings suggest that CL-inspired instruction of a relatively short duration led to significant improvements in learners’ behavioral productive performance and in their sensitivity to semantic violation of preposition use during online sentence processing. The study provided strong neurolinguistic evidence for CL-inspired pedagogy in supporting L2 learning.

Fostering Conceptual Understanding Through Computer‐Based Animated Schematic Diagrams and Cue Contrast

“…The notion of image schema has frequently been applied to L2 pedagogy (Wong, Zhao, & MacWhinney, 2018; Kissling, Tyler, Warren, & Negrete, 2018; Tyler, 2012; Tyler et al., 2011). Recently, Zhao, Huang, Zhou, and Wang (2020) confirmed the neurocognitive advantages of using schematic diagram instruction for the acquisition of English prepositions. That said, it is important to note that schematic diagrams are not simply visual aids to provide additional contextual information.…”

Are schematic diagrams valid visual representations of concepts? Evidence from mental imagery in online processing of English prepositions

“…Recently, diagrams have become increasingly prevalent in CL-inspired L2 pedagogy for teaching abstract concepts, grammar and vocabulary (Wong et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2020). It was believed that diagrams assist learners in establishing conceptual mappings between physical and non-physical domains of human experience, encouraging deep processing and dual coding of language and images to enhance the mnemonic benefits for learning outcomes (Boers et al, 2008).…”

“…Despite the abundance of diagrams in the CL literature, the present study focused on over and in as target prepositions. These diagrams have previously demonstrated efficacy as L2 instructional aids in classroom settings (Wong et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2020), making them intriguing candidates for further exploration of their psychological underpinnings. To investigate the extent to which L2 learners' mental imagery patterns resemble those of NSs, we have collected data from adult English NSs to establish a baseline.…”

“…A schematic diagram is what cognitive linguists often use to visually illustrate the underlying spatiotemporal relationships of these schemas and externalized linguistic representations. Recently, schematic diagrams have been increasingly used in cognitive linguistics (CL)-inspired L2 pedagogy, but have produced very mixed findings (Boers et al, 2008(Boers et al, , 2009Takimoto, 2021;Wong et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2020). Despite these growing applications of schematic diagrams, whether diagrams are appropriate visual representations of linguistic concepts and whether the schematic meanings conveyed by diagrams are comprehensible to L2 learners are often not empirically validated.…”

PASTRIE: A Corpus of Prepositions Annotated with Supersense Tags in Reddit International English

“…The difficulty of acquiring prepositions when learning a new language is also addressed in cognitive studies. Lowie and Verspoor (2004) offered a cognitive discussion of the progression of preposition acquisition in Dutch learners of English; Hung et al (2018) found a cognitive approach that focuses on both spatial and metaphorical meanings to be effective for teaching English prepositions; and Tyler (2012); Bratož (2014); Wong et al (2018); Zhao et al (2020) all advocate for a cognitively driven approach to teaching prepositions as well. Pedagogical approaches for teaching English prepositions are also compared in Mueller (2011Mueller ( , 2012.…”