TASK MODALITY, SALIENCE, L2 GRAMMAR NOTICING, AND DEVELOPMENT
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 June 2020
Following calls for more modality-sensitive perspectives of SLA, this study investigated the extent to which (a) producing the second language (L2) in the oral modality impacts learner-generated noticing and L2 development of grammatical structures embedded in subsequent auditory input, and whether (b) engaging in L2 production and input processing in the written modality differentially contributes to learner noticing and L2 outcomes compared to the oral modality. Participants were beginner-level L2 Spanish learners assigned to one of three pedagogic task conditions (No-output, Speaking, Writing). Two target structures differing in their relative intrinsic salience were considered in the study. Learners’ noticing behaviors were gauged using stimulated recall protocols, and L2 grammar development was measured using pre-, post-, and delayed posttests of production and written and aural acceptability judgment. Results revealed that engaging in oral output promoted greater noticing and deeper analysis of auditory input as well as more robust L2 grammar development compared to no output. However, sustained linguistic gains on the lower-salience target structure were only observed among participants who engaged in output and input processing in the written modality.
The experiment in this article earned an Open Materials badge for transparent practices. The materials are available at: https://www.iris-database.org/iris/app/home/detail?id=york%3a937905&ref=search; https://www.iris-database.org/iris/app/home/detail?id=york%3a937906&ref=search; https://www.iris-database.org/iris/app/home/detail?id=york%3a937907&ref=search
I am most grateful to Cristina Sanz, Ronald P. Leow, Lourdes Ortega, and Andrea Révész for their valuable feedback in conducting this research. I also thank Meagan Driver, Linxi Zhang, and Aitor Martínez de la Pera for their support with various aspects of the study, and Nick Pandža for his guidance with statistical analyses. The manuscript benefitted greatly from the helpful comments of the SSLA editors and anonymous reviewers. Any remaining errors are my own.