Native Language Interference in Learning - Book Report/Review Example

1. Bhela, B., (1999). Native Language Interference in Learning A Second Language: Exploratory Case Studies of Native Language Interference with Target Language Usage, International Education Journal, 1 (1), 22 – 32 The basic aim of this study was to identify and assess the impact / influence of similarities and / or differences between the L1 and L2 language structures on the target language. This case study focuses on the impact of all areas of difficulty (identified through previous research) on a native speaker’s interpretation of the written text and the significance of the learner’s knowledge regarding the syntactic structures of L1 which leads to difficulty in L2 learning. The rationale of this study was L1 has a significant impact on L2 learning and the L2 learners usually rely on their L1 knowledge in grasping, learning and interpreting the syntactic structures of L2. The scope of this study was restricted to the analysis of writing samples of four adult L2 learners (one Spanish; one Vietnamese; One Cambodian; and one Italian) within a language classroom setting, where the main focus was on understanding the syntactic structures and observations were made related to the errors made by these four participants in semantics and spelling. The duration of the study – including the written tests and the interview was one hour. The interviews conducted as a part of this study were designed to generate appropriate responses with regard to the respondents linguistic knowledge and were mainly exploratory in nature. The objective of this study was to establish a relevant hypothesis and proposals applicable for further research. The result of the case study helped in proving the hypothesis and paved way for future research in L2 teaching and learning and contributed significantly to the existing knowledge base, as it observed participants from diverse backgrounds. 2. Howard, J., Millar, S., (2009). The Applicability of Principles for Instructed Second Language Learning: A South Korean Perspective, Asian EFL Journal, 11 (4), 31 – 50 This study examines South Korean teachers‘ perceptions of the applicability to their contexts of the general principles for effective instructed second language learning proposed by Ellis (2005). The findings indicate that contextual constraints would impede the application of some of the principles, but that an awareness of them may give EFL teachers a sense of agency, despite wider socio-cultural constraints. The authors suggest that an understanding of research-informed principles, such as those proposed by Ellis, will assist teachers to engage in self-reflection and praxis, and provide common points of reference for language teachers and researchers in the international community. The case study reported in this paper was motivated by feedback from several groups of Asian EFL teachers undertaking professional development programs in New Zealand, who expressed frustration at their inability to implement CLT. The study explores South Korean EFL teachers‘perceptions of the applicability of Ellis‘s (2005) principles for effective instructed second language learning in their specific EFL contexts. The findings of this exploratory investigation should be regarded as indicative rather than definitive, as the study has a number of limitations. The first of these relates to the size and demographics of the participant group. However, while the perceptions of the 15 participants in this study are unlikely to be representative of all teachers, it is not unreasonable, given the alignment of the findings with earlier studies, to consider that they represent the views of a large number of comparable South Korean EFL teachers. 3. Li, J., Cumming, A., (2001). Word Processing and Second Language Writing: A Longitudinal Case Study, International Journal of English Studies, 1 (2), 127 – 152 The basic objective of this study was to ascertain whether the word processing might influence a second language learners writing processes and enhance the quality of their written texts (essays) over a relatively long period of time. Prior to the study, it was assumed that the writing skills of L2 learners through word processing as opposed to pen and paper composing generates better results in case of studies which comprises of lengthy terms of data collection and in cases where the instruction and training provided is appropriate and adequate. For the purpose of this study, one participant - a 29 year old Mandarin ESL learner with intermediate proficiency in English was selected. The study was conducted over duration of 8 months which included 14 written compositions which were categorized into groups of 7 comparable topics each set written alternatively by using a laptop computer and pen and paper. The results indicated that compositions generated digitally were far more superior as compared to pen and paper compositions, which ultimately proved the basic research hypothesis. The rationale of this study was that computer generated written texts allows the L2 learner to manipulate the texts to produce a better quality printed document. Although the study offered an interesting dimension to the L2 writing research, the only limitation of the study was the sample size, which was too small and hardly allowed for comparison and development of a broader and more viable observation. 4. Armstrong, K., Retterer, O., (2008). Blogging as L2 Writing: A Case Study, AACE Journal, 16(3), 233 – 251 This study aimed at examining the use of blogs in L2 learning, in an intermediate Spanish class, and the resultant impact on the learners. The study was focused on assessing whether such methodology adopted in L2 learning can enhance the students’ target language and whether or not it can improve their confidence levels while writing in a foreign language. The study comprised of weekly writing assignments whereby the students were required to post regularly. The participants comprised of a total of 16 students enrolled in a fourth semester Intermediate college-level Spanish course, of which 2 were senior year students, 2 – sophomores, and 12 were first year students. It was found that the students displayed positive response to such learning, and posted regularly on the blogs stating that they felt more comfortable in writing on blogs as opposed to writing texts within a classroom setting as a part of writing assignments thereby further proving the hypothesis that technology has a positive impact on L2 learning. This research helped in further substantiating the fact that use of technology in L2 learning results in positive outcomes in terms of language writing and learning, as observed in this study. The students displayed enthusiasm in participating in blog writing and discussed on a wide variety of subjects ranging from personal weblogs to general issues. This study offers substantial scope for further research in terms of use of internet and other technological means as a viable alternative to the conventional classroom learning. 5. Kim, Y., Petraki, E., (2009). Students and Teachers Use of and Attitudes to L1 in the EFL Classroom, Asian EFL Journal, 11 (4), 58 - 89 This study aims to observe the attitudes of the students as well as the teachers with regard to L1 in EFL classrooms. The study was conducted at a Korean School in Vietnam and involved the use of tools such as questionnaires, interviews and observations to obtain credible evidence to support the hypothesis. The participants selected for the purpose of this study were broadly classified into three distinct categories – beginners, intermediate and advanced students. For questionnaires – 6 Native English speaking teachers; 6 native Korean speakers and a total of 30 secondary students from 3 different levels were selected, whereby each level contained 10 students each. For the interviews – 6 teachers and 9 students were selected randomly. This research basically investigated the attitudes and usage of L1 in a secondary minority school context divided in accordance with their proficiency levels and macro-skills. The outcomes of the study suggest that L1 plays a supportive role in the early stages of learning and a more significant role in terms of reading and writing. The study affords estimation of valuable recommendations which suggest that the successful use of L1 within a classroom setting is essential to estimate and gauge the impact of its use in multilingual classrooms. 6. Dabaghi, A., Tavakoli, M., (2009). A Comparison of the Effects of Corrections on Definite / Indefinite Articles and Regular / Irregular Past Tense Forms: A Case of Iranian EFL Learners, 11(4), 90 – The basic aim of this study was to scrutinize the impact and influence of error correction on EFL learners particularly with regard to acquisition of grammatical skills. For the purpose of this study, data was collected from a total of 56 students belonging to an intermediate level English as a Foreign Language class and the study was conducted in an Iranian private language school. These participants were selected from 7 different language institutes with 12 upper-intermediate classes. The research was conducted at these 7 select private language institutes in Iran. The purpose behind such a selection of location was to ensure that the participants had no formal training in English in an environment where the language is spoken as a first language. The study was conducted in the form of oral interviews whereby each participant was required to read and later on retell the written text in their own words. The research findings carry crucial implications for further studies for researchers in the field of language pedagogy. However, the basic limitation of this study was that it was a cross sectional study and hence was not dynamic in nature with regard to observations in L2 learning. Besides the research topic was too broad and complex and requires to be explained more comprehensively since the implications of the study cannot be summed up within such a short study. Thus it is recommended to conduct a longitudinal study to further investigate the research hypothesis presented therein and offer alternative explanations for the occurrence of the same. 7. Fan-yu In, (2008). Basic English Writing: A Classroom Experiment In Student-Oriented Design and Textbook, 4(9), 43 - 52 The rationale of this study was to conduct an experiment with a class design in accordance with a student-orient textbook and investigate the impact of learning on beginning writers. The participants comprised of native Chinese seniors enrolled in Basic English Writing classes all of whom where intermediate level students in terms of their English language proficiency. The study was spread over duration of 18 weeks in total whereby the groups, which were divided into two categories, were evaluated on the basis of a final writing test. The analysis was based on four key variables, as observed in the final writing tests of the participants which included an in-text analysis and an untried variable testing included in grammar. The outcome suggested that the class design has a positive impact on the basic writing skills of the participants and the respondents were observed to apply the same more frequently by the end of this study. The study was, on the most part, a controlled experiment whereby the participants were mainly tested in groups each of which comprised of 40 senior students. In all, the experiment comprised of 80 participants selected from the Basic English Writing class. The experiment lasted for duration of 18 weeks whereby the learners acquired various critical writing skills in terms of English writing, through specially designed student-oriented textbooks. The results generated offered logical conclusions to the research problem posed, however, since it was a controlled experiment the results could be varied, also, the sample size was restrictive in nature. This study holds immense possibilities for future research. 8. Hong, F., (2006). Students Perceptions of Peer Response Activity in English Writing Instruction, CELEA Journal, 29(4), 48 – 52 This study was designed to investigate the perceptions of peer response activity in English writing instruction. The study was conducted among a group of 22 junior graduate advanced English major students from the Kun Ming University of Science and Technology. The data was collected for duration of one semester by using research analysis tools such as observations, interviews and questionnaires since it provided valuable insights in terms of the reactions of the participants with regard to peer response. The rationale of this study was to investigate the impact, and effectiveness of pedagogical advantages of peer response in English Writing instruction. The outcome of this study indicated that training provided to the students to give peer response is extremely vital in enhancing the effectiveness of English Writing instruction. For the purpose of this study, the respondents were divided into groups of four, involving three students each who then participated in surveys conducted by the researcher in order to gauge their writing apprehension. Students with high writing apprehension were selected for this study. These students were then exposed to a 16 week extensive English course which was conducted twice a week for duration of total 100 minutes. The observations made were collected using interviews, classroom observations and questionnaires. Analysis of the data revealed that the respondents had negative perceptions of peer response. 9. Kurt, G., Atay, D., (2007). The Effects of Peer Feedback on the Writing Anxiety of Prospective Turkish Teachers of EFL, Journal of Theory and Practice in Education, 3(1), 12 - 23 The key objective of this study was to investigate the impact of peer feedback on writing anxiety of prospective Turkish Teachers of EFL. The rationale of this study was to understand the manner in which peer feedback influences the teachers and whether it has a positive or negative response. For the purpose of this study, a total of 86 prospective teachers of English were selected who were divided into two distinct groups. The respondents were all native speakers of Turkish, enrolled in the English Language Teaching Department of a highly competitive state university in Istanbul. The study was conducted over a period of 8 weeks during which the respondents in the experimental group were offered appropriate training on peer feedback and were required to work in pairs as well as groups in their writing class where they were asked to provide feedback to their peers on their essays and later on discuss the feedback given, amongst each other prior to handing it to their respective instructors. On the other hand, the respondents in the control group were required to submit their writing tests directly to their instructors and were not given any peer feedback. Both sets of data were collected through the Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory which was provided to them at the beginning as well as at the end of the study through interviews conducted on 20 experimental groups at the end of the term. The outcome of this study indicated that the group which had the opportunity to give and receive peer feedback displayed significantly lower writing anxieties as opposed to the other group which received only the teacher feedback. The basic limitation of this study was the number of respondents selected which was relatively lower as compared to the length and scope of the study. Drawing generalizations based on such small sample size is difficult. Furthermore, the respondents need to be chosen from diverse fields with regard to their language proficiency, as this would give a broader perspective regarding the impact of peer feedback. A longitudinal study focused on observing the English composition of students during the year must be conducted to examine the effect of peer feedback in reducing writing anxiety. 10. Widati, U., (2003). Training EFL Student in the Use of Strategies for Peer Response, Monash University Press The main objective of this study was to investigate and understand the impact and / or influence of peer response on performance of L2 learners. For the purpose of this study 20 students from the Department of English enrolled in Writing- III course were selected. They were further divided into six groups and were examined through surveys and questionnaires. All the participants were observed in a classroom action research project which involved the writing instructor and the researcher working close co-ordination for one cycle. The study was conducted for a total duration of 14 weeks in the 16 week long semester, and the data was collected through surveys to measure the response of the participants with regard to peer feedback, both before and after the training provided to them. These responses were then collected through questionnaires. Unlike in the previous studies on similar topics, the researchers in this study offered comprehensive training to the respondents regarding the effectiveness of peer response. This helped in forming positive attitudes among the students regarding the same. The sample size, was restricted to a few students and must be increased to generate appropriate generalizations regarding the outcome of this study. This study holds immense significance in the field of L2 writing and can be further reproduced by including a larger and more diverse group of respondents from various EFL backgrounds since this would allow for a logical and viable confirmation or refutation of the research findings presented in this study. It would also help in expanding the current knowledge base with regard to the EFL settings. Lastly follow up studies in this regard can help in further examining the impact of the classroom practices of the respondents on teachers thereby paving way for further research. Read More