My research interests are task-based language teaching, focus-on-form through interaction, negative feedback and computer-mediated communication. Address: Indiana University
Memorial Hall 303
Bloomignton, IN 47405
This study investigated the relative effectiveness of two instructional interventions (implicit a... more This study investigated the relative effectiveness of two instructional interventions (implicit and explicit feedback) as a function of implicit sequence-learning ability. Second language (L2) attainment was measured by means of a self-paced reading task, which shows online sensitivity to language errors. Implicit sequence-learning ability was measured by means of the serial reaction time task from the High-Level Language Aptitude Battery. Two Spanish target structures were investigated (gender agreement and differential object marking). The results showed that neither explicit nor implicit feedback had an effect on L2 learners' grammatical sensitivity to the target structures and, therefore, that feedback was not effective in changing L2 learning outcomes, as measured through an online processing measure. The results also showed a significant relationship between implicit sequence-learning ability and sensitivity to feminine gender agreement on the posttest, after controlling for pretest scores, but only in the implicit feedback group.
This paper reports on a study that investigated the effects of two feedback exposure conditions o... more This paper reports on a study that investigated the effects of two feedback exposure conditions on the acquisition of two Turkish morphemes. The study followed a randomized experimental design with an immediate and a delayed posttest. Forty-two Chinese-speaking learners of Turkish were randomly assigned to one of three groups: receivers, nonreceivers and control. All learners performed three communication games with a Turkish native speaker where their errors on the Turkish plural and locative morphemes were treated according to their group assignment. The receivers’ errors were corrected through explicit correction. The nonreceivers were allowed to hear the feedback provided to the receivers; however, they did not receive feedback on their own errors. The learners in the control group neither received feedback on their own errors nor were allowed to hear the feedback other learners received. Results indicated that feedback exposure condition has an effect on the extent to which learners benefit from feedback, but that this effect might be moderated by linguistic structure.
This study investigated the extent to which cognitive abilities that involve explicit cognitive p... more This study investigated the extent to which cognitive abilities that involve explicit cognitive processes (i.e., explicit language aptitude) are related to second language (L2) learning outcomes under two corrective feedback conditions. The study followed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest experimental design. Forty-eight L2 learners of English carried out three oral production tasks, in which their errors on the indefinite article were treated according to their group assignment (i.e., explicit, implicit, and no-feedback). A set of controlled oral production tests was administered as pretest and posttest. Explicit language aptitude was measured using three subtests from the LLAMA Language Aptitude Test battery (Meara, 2005). Results showed that explicit language aptitude predicted immediate posttest performance only under the explicit feedback condition, suggesting that this type of feedback requires mental processes that are facilitated by explicit cognitive abilities and that its short-term effectiveness is not the same for learners with different aptitude levels.
Previous research on synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) has shown that SCMC inter... more Previous research on synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) has shown that SCMC interaction could draw learners’ attention to form in ways that are similar to face-to-face interaction. However, the role of task type in focusing learners’ attention on form has not been widely researched. In a repeated-measures design, this study investigated if task type had any effect on the number and characteristics of focus-on-form instances of 54 English-as-a-foreign-language learners. Two jigsaw–dictogloss task pairs were designed and matched for content. Following a practice task session, randomly formed dyads performed each of the tasks using MSN Messenger and CoWord software. Language-related episodes (LREs) were identified and categorized according to their focus, outcome, and type. Results showed that the dictogloss task elicited a higher number of LREs than the jigsaw task. Tasks also displayed some differences with respect to the characteristics of LREs. Whereas the dictogloss was characterized by orthographic, solved correctly, and negative feedback LREs, the jigsaw was characterized by unresolved LREs. The results are discussed in light of the arguments about the effects of limited information-processing capacity on task performance (Skehan, 1998).
This dissertation, drawing on Swain's (2000; 2005) notion of collaborative dialogue, aimed t... more This dissertation, drawing on Swain's (2000; 2005) notion of collaborative dialogue, aimed to explore whether learners participating in SCMC based tasks engage in collaborative dialogue and, if so, to investigate the extent and characteristics of this behavior. In order to provide ...
This study investigated the relative effectiveness of two instructional interventions (implicit a... more This study investigated the relative effectiveness of two instructional interventions (implicit and explicit feedback) as a function of implicit sequence-learning ability. Second language (L2) attainment was measured by means of a self-paced reading task, which shows online sensitivity to language errors. Implicit sequence-learning ability was measured by means of the serial reaction time task from the High-Level Language Aptitude Battery. Two Spanish target structures were investigated (gender agreement and differential object marking). The results showed that neither explicit nor implicit feedback had an effect on L2 learners' grammatical sensitivity to the target structures and, therefore, that feedback was not effective in changing L2 learning outcomes, as measured through an online processing measure. The results also showed a significant relationship between implicit sequence-learning ability and sensitivity to feminine gender agreement on the posttest, after controlling for pretest scores, but only in the implicit feedback group.
This paper reports on a study that investigated the effects of two feedback exposure conditions o... more This paper reports on a study that investigated the effects of two feedback exposure conditions on the acquisition of two Turkish morphemes. The study followed a randomized experimental design with an immediate and a delayed posttest. Forty-two Chinese-speaking learners of Turkish were randomly assigned to one of three groups: receivers, nonreceivers and control. All learners performed three communication games with a Turkish native speaker where their errors on the Turkish plural and locative morphemes were treated according to their group assignment. The receivers’ errors were corrected through explicit correction. The nonreceivers were allowed to hear the feedback provided to the receivers; however, they did not receive feedback on their own errors. The learners in the control group neither received feedback on their own errors nor were allowed to hear the feedback other learners received. Results indicated that feedback exposure condition has an effect on the extent to which learners benefit from feedback, but that this effect might be moderated by linguistic structure.
This study investigated the extent to which cognitive abilities that involve explicit cognitive p... more This study investigated the extent to which cognitive abilities that involve explicit cognitive processes (i.e., explicit language aptitude) are related to second language (L2) learning outcomes under two corrective feedback conditions. The study followed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest experimental design. Forty-eight L2 learners of English carried out three oral production tasks, in which their errors on the indefinite article were treated according to their group assignment (i.e., explicit, implicit, and no-feedback). A set of controlled oral production tests was administered as pretest and posttest. Explicit language aptitude was measured using three subtests from the LLAMA Language Aptitude Test battery (Meara, 2005). Results showed that explicit language aptitude predicted immediate posttest performance only under the explicit feedback condition, suggesting that this type of feedback requires mental processes that are facilitated by explicit cognitive abilities and that its short-term effectiveness is not the same for learners with different aptitude levels.
Previous research on synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) has shown that SCMC inter... more Previous research on synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) has shown that SCMC interaction could draw learners’ attention to form in ways that are similar to face-to-face interaction. However, the role of task type in focusing learners’ attention on form has not been widely researched. In a repeated-measures design, this study investigated if task type had any effect on the number and characteristics of focus-on-form instances of 54 English-as-a-foreign-language learners. Two jigsaw–dictogloss task pairs were designed and matched for content. Following a practice task session, randomly formed dyads performed each of the tasks using MSN Messenger and CoWord software. Language-related episodes (LREs) were identified and categorized according to their focus, outcome, and type. Results showed that the dictogloss task elicited a higher number of LREs than the jigsaw task. Tasks also displayed some differences with respect to the characteristics of LREs. Whereas the dictogloss was characterized by orthographic, solved correctly, and negative feedback LREs, the jigsaw was characterized by unresolved LREs. The results are discussed in light of the arguments about the effects of limited information-processing capacity on task performance (Skehan, 1998).
This dissertation, drawing on Swain's (2000; 2005) notion of collaborative dialogue, aimed t... more This dissertation, drawing on Swain's (2000; 2005) notion of collaborative dialogue, aimed to explore whether learners participating in SCMC based tasks engage in collaborative dialogue and, if so, to investigate the extent and characteristics of this behavior. In order to provide ...
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Papers by Yucel Yilmaz