María del Pilar García Mayo

Universidad del Páis Vasco (UPV/EHU), Filología Inglesa, Faculty Member

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I am a Full Professor of English Language and Linguistics in the Department of English and German Philology at the University of the Basque Country, of which I have been the Head since February 2016. I hold a B.A. in Germanic Philology from the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela and an M.A. (TESOL and Linguistics) and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Iowa (thesis: On certain null operator constructions in English and Spanish). I have been invited to universities in Canada, China, Germany, Greece, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, the UK and the USA. My publications span the areas of second (L2)/third language (L3) acquisition of English morphosyntax and the study of conversational interaction in EFL. I am also interested in bilingual/multilingual education. I have supervised fifteen Ph.D. dissertations (all of them with the highest distinction and five awarded ‘Extraordinary Ph.D. Prize’) – eleven more are in progress- and numerous MA and undergraduate theses. I have also served in numerous national and international Ph.D., MA and promotion committees both in Spain and overseas (Australia, Canada, India, Israel, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the USA). I have been the Principal Investigator (PI) of several projects awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the current one on balancing interaction and L2 grammar learning by children in an EFL context (2021-2025). Since September 2018, I am co-editor of the journal Language Teaching Research (Sage- Q1).My teaching includes undergraduate courses on English syntax and an MA course on the acquisition of morphosyntax in the MA program in Language Acquisition in Multilingual Settings (LAMS) at the UPV/EHU. I have been awarded the UPV/EHU’s prize for excellence in teaching.Since 2007 I have been the director of the research group Language and Speech (www.laslab.org), noted by the Basque Government for excellence in research in the field (IT311-10, 2010-2015
Address: Dpto. de Filología Inglesa
Facultad de Letras
Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU)
Paseo de la Universidad 5
01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz
SPAIN

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Papers by María del Pilar García Mayo

Learning foreign languages: pedagogical tools, emotional understanding and parents’ discourse

Language Teaching Research, 2022

This issue of Language Teaching Research includes seven articles, all of them focusing on issues ... more This issue of Language Teaching Research includes seven articles, all of them focusing on issues pertaining to the learning of foreign languages (English and Spanish) and providing rich insights into how we can benefit from research findings to improve their teaching. In their contributions Zhang and Gallego consider the importance of collaborative writing (CW) and learners’ engagement within the language-related episodes (LREs) (Swain & Lapkin, 1998) they generate and how CW positively affects L2 morphosyntactic development, respectively. Qin and Zhang explore the importance of pre-task planning on the selection of referential expressions in an oral narrative; Icht and Mama analyze how vocal production is a useful vocabulary learning strategy and Alasmary provides a corpus-driven expert-approved list of lexical bundles useful for language programs for mathematic students. In their contribution, Fernández-García and FonsecaMora establish a connection between emotional understanding and speaking proficiency. The final paper in this issue analyzes the importance of parents’ discourse in the teaching of English to young learners. As just mentioned, the first two contributions focus on different aspects of CW, defined by Storch (2019) as “an activity that requires the coauthors to be involved in all stages of the writing process, sharing the responsibility for and the ownership of the entire text produced” (p.40). In her article Zhang investigates how learners’ collaboration may influence the quantity, quality, focus, and outcome of LREs. As she rightly points out, assigning learners to work on a writing task does not automatically entail that the benefits attributed to CW will occur. One critical factor is the nature of the learners’ collaboration during the task, and, more specifically, the nature of learners’ engagement

9. EFL task-based interaction: Does task modality impact on language-related episodes?

Research on L2 interaction has shown that task modality (written vs. oral) influences language le... more Research on L2 interaction has shown that task modality (written vs. oral) influences language learning opportunities. However, most research has been carried out in ESL settings and few studies have investigated task modality differences in EFL contexts, where both quantity and quality of exposure to the target language differ considerably. In addition, most research has only focused on how task modality impacts on the incidence, nature and outcome of language-related episodes (LREs), but has not considered the relationship between task modality and learners’ level of engagement. This chapter examines the impact of task modality on the LREs and level of engagement in the oral interaction of 44 Spanish-Basque EFL learners while completing four communicative tasks. The findings point to a significant impact of task modality on the incidence, nature and outcome of LREs but a minor impact on learners’ level of engagement.

Language learning through interaction: What role does negotiation play among proficient EFL learners?

Rassegna italiana di linguistica applicata, 2001

The importance of interaction and negotiation for the development of L2 knowledge is central to s... more The importance of interaction and negotiation for the development of L2 knowledge is central to second language acquisition (SLA). This study asked to what extent interaction among foreign language learners addresses conditions for L2 learning. The interaction of seven dyads of proficient learners was compared to that of seven dyads of native speakers (NSs) on two communication tasks. Results of the comparison revealed no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the provision of input and feedback and also the lack of negotiation of meaning among proficient EFL learners.

Repair strategies among advanced EFL learners: an argument for focus on form?

Negotiation of meaning: a strategy among proficient efl learners?

AEDEAN. Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference: (León. 16th-18th December 1999) [Electronic resource], 2003, 2003

Learning Foreign Languages in Primary School: Research Insights

System, 2018

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Testing the current models of third language acquisition

John Benjamins eBooks, Jun 1, 2017

In this chapter, we argue that another factor should be brought into the general picture of third... more In this chapter, we argue that another factor should be brought into the general picture of third and additional language acquisition: the comprehensible linguistic input. Predictions of current models have been predominantly based on the cognitive-psychological prominence of the three languages (native or not, adult-onset or not, naturalistic or instructed, proficient of not) as well as on the structural linguistic properties to be acquired, which may overlap or contrast. We argue that even keeping these two factors constant, discrepancies in learning outcomes still arise, which have to be explained by the linguistic experience of the learners. We support our arguments with results from two recently published studies, which document diverging developmental paths for two properties that should have been acquired in a similar manner.

Corrective feedback in CLIL

Routledge eBooks, May 15, 2023

Task repetition and its impact on EFL children’s negotiation of meaning strategies and pair dynamics: an exploratory study

Language Learning Journal, Jul 4, 2016

Little research has been carried out on the effect of task repetition on young learners’ negotiat... more Little research has been carried out on the effect of task repetition on young learners’ negotiation of meaning (NoM) strategies and on pair dynamics. The present study aims to fill this gap by analysing the interaction of 60 dyads of third- and fourth-year primary English as a foreign language learners (8–9, 9–10 years old, respectively) while they perform communicative tasks and assessing whether task repetition has an impact on those constructs. The participants, with a beginner proficiency level established by standardised tests, completed different tasks in dyads at two testing times: at Time 1, all participants completed a spot-the-difference task. At Time 2, 21 dyads repeated exactly the same task, 16 dyads completed a similar task with a different content (procedural repetition group) and the last 23 dyads completed a guessing game. The video-recorded oral production was transcribed and codified for NoM strategies (clarification requests, confirmation and comprehension checks, self- and other-repe...

The effects of classroom feedbac on adult L2 acquisition

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Model Texts on Efl Children's Written Production

Social Science Research Network, 2023

Contemporary Approaches to Second Language Acquisition

AILA applied linguistics series, Feb 1, 2013

This chapter presents a psycholinguistic account of the developmental sequences found in second l... more This chapter presents a psycholinguistic account of the developmental sequences found in second language acquisition (SLA). Building on Levelt’s (1989) model of speech production, Processability Theory (PT: Pienemann 1998, 2005) proposes that the order in which morpho-syntactic structures are acquired will be controlled by the processing requirements of those structures. The cross- linguistic validity of PT will be illustrated by the analysis of learner data in some typologically diverse languages. The findings show that the hierarchical sequence of processing procedures is similar across languages, if the emergence criterion is used, and also that the influence of any previously acquired language is constrained by the processability of the structures. The implications of these findings for SLA research and profiling will be discussed. (Less)

The impact of textual enhancement on the acquisition of third person possessive pronouns by child EFL learners

International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Feb 15, 2023

A key concern in L2 research and pedagogy is how learner attention can be directed to linguistic ... more A key concern in L2 research and pedagogy is how learner attention can be directed to linguistic forms. Research has shown that textual enhancement (TE) facilitates the noticing of targeted L2 features, leading to cognitive processes beneficial for L2 learning. However, very few studies on TE have had children as participants. This longitudinal study investigated the extent to which TE in model texts could have an effect on the development of third person possessive pronouns (his/her) among young EFL learners. The participants, 30 dyads of 11- to 12-year-old Spanish children from three EFL classes, were randomly assigned to a control group (CG), a treatment group (TG) and a long-term treatment group (LTG). The groups were engaged in two four-stage collaborative writing cycles of 3 weeks each separated by four months. The CG, which self-corrected their own texts, was not exposed to TE, the TG was only exposed to it during the two cycles and the LTG benefitted from this technique during the two writing cycles and the period in-between. The findings revealed statistically significant differences between the LTG and the other two groups after a sustained exposure to TE, which seems to be a useful pedagogical tool to facilitate the children’s noticing of third person possessives.

Comprehension of English articles by Korean learners of L2 English and L3 Spanish

International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Feb 13, 2023

This study aimed to compare the comprehension of second language (L2) English articles by native ... more This study aimed to compare the comprehension of second language (L2) English articles by native speakers of Korean, an article-less language, and by Korean learners of English as an L2 and Spanish as a third language (L3). The participants were 22 adult learners with advanced overall proficiency in L2 English and L3 Spanish. They completed two tasks, an online self-paced reading task and an offline acceptability rating task. The findings showed that both the trilingual and the bilingual groups relied on definiteness in distinguishing English articles as native speakers do. The findings related to the trilingual group were predicted by the morphological congruency hypothesis, but those related to the bilingual group were against the predictions of the fluctuation hypothesis. A comparison between the two non-native groups showed that the trilingual group had a higher sensitivity to distinguish English articles than the bilingual group, which provides evidence for positive backward transfer from the L3 to the L2 in article comprehension by learners of English whose L1 is article-less, such as Korean.

9. Tense and Agreement Morphology in the Interlanguage of Basque/Spanish Bilinguals: CLIL versus non-CLIL

Multilingual Matters eBooks, Dec 31, 2009

Second Language Acquisition of ArticlesEmpirical findings and theoretical implications

Chapter 8. Investigating L2 spoken syntax

AILA applied linguistics series, 2013

This chapter explores the implications and applications of research into native spoken language i... more This chapter explores the implications and applications of research into native spoken language in the context of second language learning and use. Spoken language structures differ in fundamental ways from those of written language and require to be analysed on their own terms. The chapter outlines the principles underlying qualitative research into native spoken syntax, including a discussion of methodological and analytic challenges, and suggests that this research is aligned with usage-based and related cognitive language models. Methodological and analytic issues are then illustrated in the area of subordination and clause complexes in native speaker and English as a second language (L2). The chapter concludes with a summary of core issues in the study of L2 spoken syntax and grammar.

Showing children how: the impact of pre-task modelling and task modality on language-learning opportunities

Chapter 4. Do task repetition and pretask focus on form instruction impact collaborative writing performance?

Language learning and language teaching, Aug 15, 2023

Telicity judgments in L2 English by L1 Slovak speakers

Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism

The study investigates the acquisition of telicity in L2 English by L1 Slovak speakers as a funct... more The study investigates the acquisition of telicity in L2 English by L1 Slovak speakers as a function of L2 proficiency (measured by a cloze test score), exposure (operationalized as length of stay in an English-speaking country) and instruction type (monolingual vs. bilingual). Telicity judgments were collected from Slovak learners of L2 English (n = 50) and a control group of American English native speakers (n = 15) in two offline acceptability judgment tasks. Two types of telicity encoding were examined: (1) the contribution of the [±quantized] feature of the object argument to predicate telicity, which involves processes in narrow syntax; and (2) the contribution of adverbial modifiers to telicity interpretations, including coercion contexts, which involve processes of aspectual reinterpretation. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that the contribution of the [±quantized] feature of the object argument to predicate telicity, which is a syntactic phenomenon, will be ...

Learning foreign languages: pedagogical tools, emotional understanding and parents’ discourse

Language Teaching Research, 2022

9. EFL task-based interaction: Does task modality impact on language-related episodes?

Language learning through interaction: What role does negotiation play among proficient EFL learners?

Rassegna italiana di linguistica applicata, 2001

Repair strategies among advanced EFL learners: an argument for focus on form?

Negotiation of meaning: a strategy among proficient efl learners?

AEDEAN. Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference: (León. 16th-18th December 1999) [Electronic resource], 2003, 2003

Learning Foreign Languages in Primary School: Research Insights

System, 2018

Download

Testing the current models of third language acquisition

John Benjamins eBooks, Jun 1, 2017

Corrective feedback in CLIL

Routledge eBooks, May 15, 2023

Task repetition and its impact on EFL children’s negotiation of meaning strategies and pair dynamics: an exploratory study

Language Learning Journal, Jul 4, 2016

The effects of classroom feedbac on adult L2 acquisition

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Model Texts on Efl Children's Written Production

Social Science Research Network, 2023

Contemporary Approaches to Second Language Acquisition

AILA applied linguistics series, Feb 1, 2013

The impact of textual enhancement on the acquisition of third person possessive pronouns by child EFL learners

International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Feb 15, 2023

Comprehension of English articles by Korean learners of L2 English and L3 Spanish

International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Feb 13, 2023

9. Tense and Agreement Morphology in the Interlanguage of Basque/Spanish Bilinguals: CLIL versus non-CLIL

Multilingual Matters eBooks, Dec 31, 2009

Second Language Acquisition of ArticlesEmpirical findings and theoretical implications

Chapter 8. Investigating L2 spoken syntax

AILA applied linguistics series, 2013

Showing children how: the impact of pre-task modelling and task modality on language-learning opportunities

Chapter 4. Do task repetition and pretask focus on form instruction impact collaborative writing performance?

Language learning and language teaching, Aug 15, 2023

Telicity judgments in L2 English by L1 Slovak speakers

Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism

Cognitive approaches to L3 acquisition

by International Journal of English Studies (IJES) and María del Pilar García Mayo

International Journal of English Studies, 2012

Multilingualism has established itself as an area of systematic research in linguistic studies ov... more Multilingualism has established itself as an area of systematic research in linguistic studies over the last two decades. The multilingual phenomenon can be approached from different perspectives: educational, formal linguistic, neurolinguistic, psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic, among others. This article presents an overview of cognitive (psychological and formal linguistic) approaches to third language (L3) acquisition where the assumption is that language acquisition is a complex multi-faceted process. After identifying what is meant by L3, the article briefly reviews the major issues addressed from both the psycholinguistic strand and the emerging L3 linguistic strand and concentrates on those aspects that are in need of further research in both.

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Corrective feedback episodes in oral interaction: A comparison of a CLIL and an EFL classroom

by International Journal of English Studies (IJES), Ruth Milla Melero, and María del Pilar García Mayo

International Journal of English Studies, 2014

This paper addresses the issue of corrective feedback (CF), a topic widely investigated in the la... more This paper addresses the issue of corrective feedback (CF), a topic widely investigated in the last few decades (Sheen, 2011), and instructional context. We observed and recorded the oral interaction of an intact class of thirty Spanish intermediate-level high-school learners and two teachers in two settings: a traditional form-oriented English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom and a meaning-oriented Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classroom (Dalton-Puffer, 2011). Corrective feedback episodes (CFE; Lyster, 1994) were used as the unit of analysis. The findings of the study indicate that there are differences in the type, quantity and manner of CFE between the two learning contexts. Although no significant difference in the proportion of learners’ uptake was found between the EFL and CLIL contexts, a qualitative analysis of the data indicated that the teachers’ attitude toward CF influenced subsequent learner uptake. Implications for further research on CF, learner uptake and instructional context are suggested.

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Dictogloss and the production of the English third person '–s' by CLIL and mainstream EFL learners: A comparative study

by International Journal of English Studies (IJES) and María del Pilar García Mayo

International Journal of English Studies, 2014

This study compares focus on form in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and mainstre... more This study compares focus on form in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and mainstream English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts in the production of a specific morphological feature, the English 3rd person singular present tense marker –s. Research conducted in CLIL contexts to date examining morphosyntactic features has yielded disparate results. Thus, little is known about how this methodology affects learners’ attention to form while completing a dictogloss task (Wajnryb, 1990). In the study 116 adolescent learners (CLIL, n = 54; mainstream EFL, n= 62) in the Basque Autonomous Community completed a dictogloss collaboratively and individually. Results showed that CLIL learners noticed and produced more instances of the 3rd person singular -s than mainstream learners, but not in a significant manner, and that those working in pairs in the CLIL group obtained significantly better results.

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Double object constructions in L3 English: An exploratory study of morphological and semantic constraints

by International Journal of English Studies (IJES), María del Pilar García Mayo, and Ainara Imaz Agirre

International Journal of English Studies, 2014

The present study examines the acquisition of double object constructions (DOCs) (Susan gave Pete... more The present study examines the acquisition of double object constructions (DOCs) (Susan gave Peter an apple) by 90 Basque/Spanish learners of English as a third language (L3). The aim of this study was to explore whether (i) learners established a distinction when accepting DOCs vs. prepositional phrase constructions (PPCs) (Susan gave an apple to Peter), (ii) they were sensitive to the morphological and semantic constraints found in English DOCs and (iii) proficiency effects could be observed. Results from a self-paced reading task and an auto-paced reading task showed that Basque/Spanish learners were more accurate in morphosyntactic properties than in semantic ones. Even though learners showed difficulties in both morphological and semantic constraints, these seem to be overcome by increasing proficiency.

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English for Specific Purposes: Discourse analysis and course design

Successful and efficient communication in English -the lingua franca of the sciences- is a critic... more Successful and efficient communication in English -the lingua franca of the sciences- is a critical element nowadays. Since the 1960’s there has been an increasing demand for the teaching of English for specific or specialized purposes (ESP) and that need has been, and still is, a major concern in both the English and non-English speaking world.

The purpose of this book is first and foremost to present readers with an overview of the underlying framework of ESP and to provide original ideas about the structure of an English for Science and Technology course. Issues such as the different stages in the development of ESP research and their influence on teaching materials, the main linguistic features of scientific prose, genre analysis and future avenues for interdisciplinary research are dealt with. The book includes an updated bibliography and a selection of ESP textbooks. This book will be of interest not only to Philology students but also to ESP practitioners and researchers already working in the field. By bridging the gap between the purely theoretical and the strictly applied, it will also be of great value to high school teachers who teach English in vocational and technological institutes.

EUROSLA Yearbook

Second Language Acquisition of Articles

Investigating Tasks in Formal Language Learning

Age and the acquisition of English as a Foreign Language

Contemporary Approaches to Second Language Acquisition

Recent Perspectives on Task-based Language Learning and Teaching (co-editors: Mohammad Ahmadian & Maria del Pilar Garcia Mayo)

by María del Pilar García Mayo and Mohammad Javad Ahmadian

De Gruyter Mouton, 2017

Contributors (no particular order): • María del Pilar García Mayo, Agurzane Azkarai and Ainara ... more Contributors (no particular order):
• María del Pilar García Mayo, Agurzane Azkarai and Ainara Imaz Agirre
• Peter Robinson
• Martin Bygate
• Hoa Nguyen and Diane Larsen-Freeman
• Claire Kramsch & Jean-Paul Narcy-Combs
• Andreas Muller-Hartman and Marita Schocker
• Jonathan Newton
• Edward Wen
• Martin East
• Laura Gurzynski-Weiss
• Remi A van Compernolle
• Lawrence Williams
• Caroline Payant

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