The Effect of Task Complexity and Task Conditions on Foreign Language Development and Performance. Three Empirical Studies.

Sercu, Lies; Wachter, Lieve De; Peters, Elke; Kuiken, Folkert; Vedder, Ineke

doi:10.2143/itl.152.0.2017863

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…However, the announcement of a postreading vocabulary test did not affect word retention. This finding was corroborated by Sercu and Dewachter (Sercu, Dewachter, Peters, Kuiken, & Vedder, 2006). Thus, in the aforementioned studies, the presence or absence of a postreading vocabulary test announcement created situations for, respectively, intentional and incidental learning.…”

Section: Previous Empirical Researchsupporting

confidence: 79%

Learning L2 German Vocabulary Through Reading: The Effect of Three Enhancement Techniques Compared

Peters¹,

Hulstijn²,

Sercu³

et al. 2009

Language Learning

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This study investigated three techniques designed to increase the chances that second language (L2) readers look up and learn unfamiliar words during and after reading an L2 text. Participants in the study, 137 college students in Belgium (L1 = Dutch, L2 = German), were randomly assigned to one of four conditions, forming combinations of two between-subject factors: ± prereading test announcement and ± postreading vocabulary task. Comprehension questions were used to direct participants' attention to half of the 16 target words in this study, creating the within-subject factor (word relevance). Participants accomplished the experimental tasks at computers. They could look up the meaning of unfamiliar words in an online dictionary. The dependent variables are the following: use of online dictionary during reading, performance on a word-form recognition test, and performance on two word-meaning recall tests (immediate and

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Section: Previous Empirical Researchsupporting

confidence: 79%

Learning L2 German Vocabulary Through Reading: The Effect of Three Enhancement Techniques Compared

Peters¹,

Hulstijn²,

Sercu³

et al. 2009

Language Learning

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“…They appeared to focus on meaning rather than the target linguistic items. This finding is in line with Sercu, De Wachter, and Kuiken’s (2006) study that it is not always effective to remind the students of the target linguistic item. In addition, it is possible that with the interpretation of the tasks as an activity of sharing personal experiences instead of practicing the linguistic feature, the learners eventually focused on meaning.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Learner attention to form in ACCESS task-based interaction

Dao

Iwashita

Gatbonton

2016

Language Teaching Research

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This study explored the potential effects of communicative tasks developed using a reformulation of a task-based language teaching called Automatization in Communicative Contexts of Essential Speech Sequences (ACCESS) that includes automatization of language elements as one of its goals on learner attention to form in task-based interaction. The interaction data collected from a class for English as a second language (ESL) over a four-week period was analysed for incidence, outcome and characteristics (i.e. focus, initiation, response, and turn length) of language-related episodes (LREs) operationalized as evidence of learner attention to form. The results showed that during ACCESS task-based interactions, learners attended to form as reflected in a large number of LREs. Despite being brief, a majority of these LREs were correctly resolved, self-initiated, self- and other-responded, and focused on the target linguistic item: past-tense verbs. These results are discussed in terms of the potential effects of ACCESS task principles, different task features (i.e. task complexity, pre-task modeling, speaker role and group size), and learners’ approach to tasks on the incidence and characteristics of LREs.

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“…There are some studies which have investigated the effect of manipulating task complexity along different resource-directing dimensions on different aspects of writing performance (Choong, 2014;Frear, 2014;Frear & Bitchener, 2015;Ishikawa, 2006;Kuiken & Vedder, 2007;Masrom et al, 2015;Rahimpour &Hosseini, 2010, andSercu et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Baralt, 2010;Choong, 2011;Kim, 2009;Lee, 2002;Nuevo, 2006;Révész, 2011;Robinson, 2000, as cited in Robinson, 2005. However, of the small group of studies on cognitive task complexity and writing, the work of Choong (2014), Frear (2014, Kuiken, Mos, and Vedder (2005), Kuiken and Vedder (2007, 2008, 2012, Masrom, Alwi, and Daud (2015), and Sercu, De Wachter, Peters, Kuiken, and Vedder (2006) manipulated task complexity along reasoning demands dimension; in fact, some of these studies manipulated task complexity along both reasoning demands and number of elements.…”

Section: Reasoning Demands As a Variable Of Task Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Second Language Task Grading and Syntactic Complexity in Writing

Faruji

Kharaghani

2019

BRAIN

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This study is motivated by Robinson's Cognition Hypothesis and aims to investigate the impact of task grading along reasoning demands dimension on syntactic complexity in English as foreign language writing. The participants of the study were 90 intermediate EFL learners from three intact classes at, and a Control group. At first, the students in all groups took part in the writing pre-test which was a picture story description task. Next, the treatment sessions including 8 sessions of picture description task performance began, during which the first experimental group received a series of picture description tasks in a randomized order of cognitive complexity. The second experimental group received the same tasks, but ordered from simple to complex based on their required reasoning demands. The control group, however, did not receive any picture description tasks; rather they received some typical writing activities and performed extra writing tasks from the course book. Finally, during the last session, the post-test was administered to all participants. The results of the data analysis through Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) using the SPSS software showed a significant positive impact for sequencing tasks from simple to complex on syntactic complexity of Iranian intermediate EFL learners.

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The Effect of Task Complexity and Task Conditions on Foreign Language Development and Performance. Three Empirical Studies.

Abstract: The effect of task complexity and task conditions on foreign language development and performance: three empirical studies Sercu, L.; de Wachter, L.; Peters, E.; Kuiken, F.; Vedder, S.C.

Cited by 14 publications

References 25 publications

Learning L2 German Vocabulary Through Reading: The Effect of Three Enhancement Techniques Compared

Learning L2 German Vocabulary Through Reading: The Effect of Three Enhancement Techniques Compared

Learner attention to form in ACCESS task-based interaction

Second Language Task Grading and Syntactic Complexity in Writing

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