The Effects of Mode and Task Complexity on Second Language Production

Abstract

Taking a psycholinguistic orientation within task‐based language teaching scholarship, this study investigated the effects of mode (oral vs. written) and task complexity on second language (L2) performance. The participants were 78 Catalan/Spanish learners of English as a foreign language. Half of the participants performed the simple and complex versions of an argumentative, instruction‐giving task orally, the other half did it in writing. The comparison of the participants’ oral and written performance revealed that speakers produced more idea units but that writers achieved higher scores for subordination, mean length of analysis‐of‐speech units, lexical diversity, extended idea units, and time on task. As for the effects of task complexity, the participants’ written production showed more variation between the complex and the simple versions of the task. These findings are interpreted in light of task modality effects in L2 learning and discussed in relation to task complexity theory and research.

Should We Listen or Read? Modality Effects in Implicit and Explicit Knowledge

“…In task-based language teaching (TBLT), for instance, researchers ask how the presentation mode of tasks (either written or spoken) mediates L2 learning opportunities and task performance (for reviews, see Gilabert, Manchón, & Vasylets, 2016;Kuiken & Vedder, 2012). Questions of interest include how task modality impacts linguistic output (e.g., Kormos, 2014;Tavakoli, 2014;Vasylets, Gilabert, & Manchón, 2017), perception of task features (e.g., Cho, 2018), and outcomes of language-related episodes and level of engagement (e.g., García Mayo & Azkarai, 2016). Studies suggest that the written mode enables more elaborate (e.g., Vasylets et al, 2017) and more accurate (e.g., Kormos, 2014) production of language than the aural modality and is perceived as less difficult (e.g., Cho, 2018) by learners.…”

“…Questions of interest include how task modality impacts linguistic output (e.g., Kormos, ; Tavakoli, ; Vasylets, Gilabert, & Manchón, ), perception of task features (e.g., Cho, ), and outcomes of language‐related episodes and level of engagement (e.g., García Mayo & Azkarai, ). Studies suggest that the written mode enables more elaborate (e.g., Vasylets et al, ) and more accurate (e.g., Kormos, ) production of language than the aural modality and is perceived as less difficult (e.g., Cho, ) by learners. Contrary to speaking tasks, writing tasks are believed to permit strategic distribution of cognitive resources and provide more opportunity to monitor one's language and deploy explicit knowledge (Polio, ; Williams, ).…”

On the Scope of Output in Sla

“…On the basis of these modality-specific characteristics, oral and written tasks are theorized to have different affordances for learners' engagement in cognitive processes known to be beneficial for L2 development, including noticing (see Gilabert et al, 2016). Specifically, the more self-regulated and visual quality of writing is predicted to facilitate retrieval from long-term memory, promote precision in grammatical encoding and monitoring, and foster the detection of linguistic problems in L2 output to a greater extent than speaking (e.g., Gilabert et al, 2016;Vasylets et al, 2017;Williams, 2012). Furthermore, as argued by Gilabert et al (2016), in terms of L2 processing, the temporary and nonvisual nature of auditory input can pose "considerable attentional demands as new forms stay available for noticing for just a fraction of a second" (p. 123).…”

Effects of Task Complexity and Types of Negotiation on Language-related Episodes in ESL Classrooms

“…A number of studies has manipulated task complexity variables along the resource-directing dimension with different task conditions to investigate their effects on L2 learning. A recent study by [28] investigated levels of complexity, accuracy and time on task when participants performed a task orally and in written form. The participants were seventy-eight Spanish and Catalan ESL students in two universities in Barcelona.…”