Evaluating the Application of SLA Research to Explicit Grammar Lessons within EFL Textbooks

Andrew D. Schenck,이창인 Chang In Lee 한국현대언어학회 2009 언어연구 Vol.25 No.1

The Journal of Studies in Language 25.1, 1-25. The purpose of this study was to examine inconsistencies between SLA research and EFL textbook design. The study was conducted on three textbooks commonly used for English language classes in South Korea. These textbooks were analyzed, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to ascertain the degree to which grammar topics follow two known models of morphosyntactic acquisition, the Processability Model and the Natural Order Hypothesis. The analysis was conducted in two steps. First, the textbook grammar topic sequences were correlated with these models of language acquisition using the Spearman Rho formula for ordinal data. Second, the overall frequency of grammar topics was compared. Results for both procedures suggest that there is no correlation between textbook grammar sequences and known models of grammar acquisition. These results reflect the textbook designer`s adherence to antiquated designs is based on prescriptive grammar, rather than modern designs that regard grammar as a cognitive concept. This paper cites the need for the adoption of a new tripartite paradigm of grammar acquisition and instruction based upon the development of syntax, semantics, and short-term memory. (PaiChai University)

The Efficacy of Corpus-based Pedagogical Techniques for Academic Writing

( Andrew Schenck ),( Young Woo Cho ) 한국멀티미디어언어교육학회 2012 Multimedia Assisted Language Learning Vol.15 No.2

The utility of corpora as a writing tool has not yet been concretely established due to the emphasis of qualitative methods for data collection and the utilization of designs requiring a great deal of independent learning. The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate corpus-based pedagogical techniques for writing that systematically guide student inquiry. This quasi-experimental study employed a switching-replications design with two classrooms of Korean high and middle school English teachers (N = 21). In the first phase of treatment, only participants of the experimental group were asked to check each noun using the corpus. In the second phase of treatment, the experimental and control groups were swapped and the procedure was repeated. Comparison of scores after each phase revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups. Although follow-up surveys revealed that most participants were able to recognize the potential of the corpus, the participants were unable to provide tangible examples of advantages. Overall, results suggest that a more highly scaffolded framework of training, which guides data collection and the development of a hypothesis, is needed to transition the learner into the role of an independent researcher.

More Than the Sum of Its Parts

Andrew Douglas Schenck 신영어영문학회 2016 신영어영문학 Vol.64 No.-

African American verse differs significantly from poetry composed in either Western or Eastern contexts. It stems, not from a longstanding written tradition, but from a spoken tradition which has consistently evolved over time. Originally, oral stories were used to preserve cultural traditions from the African homeland, providing continuity amid trials and tribulations of forced relocation. To resolve subsequent cultural, linguistic, and social barriers brought about by imposed diversity, a common means to communicate through song and dance was developed. Shared musical compositions allowed slaves to establish familiar linguistic structures, gestures, and thematic content that everyone could understand, thereby facilitating communication and cultural consolidation. Such oral media and content, along with the sociological functions with which they were imbued, were then encoded within African American verse. While the adoption of past cultural traditions has made African American poetry distinctive, it is the synergistic impact of this poetry on American society which makes the art form truly exceptional. Not only has it served to develop the African American community, it has invoked significant responses from white hegemonic institutions of discrimination. In an attempt to further ascertain the sociological impact of African American verse, the following paper investigates how characteristics of form and meaning coalesce to evoke emotion, cultivate ethnic solidarity, and prompt social reform.

The Impact of Form-Focused Instruction on the Accuracy of Korean Learner Production: A Meta-Analysis of Technique and Timing

Andrew Schenck 한국영어교육학회 2019 ENGLISH TEACHING(영어교육) Vol.74 No.2

This study examined how key factors of FFI (degree of explicitness, L1 similarity, proficiency level, and grammar type) influence the accuracy of production. A total of 22 experimental studies, all of which had Korean participants and productive assessments of speech or writing, were selected for analysis. Results revealed that explicit grammar emphasis was more effective for morphology that had a small, binary scope (present or absent). Results further revealed that explicit emphasis of grammatical features dissimilar from the L1 significantly increased accuracy of learner speech and writing. In contrast, implicit emphasis was effective with grammatical features that had a larger scope (e.g., many lexical forms or syntactic arrangements), as well as with grammatical features that were similar to the L1. Findings suggest that explicit emphasis of a smaller scope and implicit emphasis of a larger scope are both useful, since they do not cognitively overload the learner during communication.

Examining the Impact of Input and Output-Based Instruction on the Accuracy of Diverse Grammatical Features

Andrew Schenck 담화·인지언어학회 2021 담화·인지언어학회 학술대회 발표논문집 Vol.2021 No.11

Differentiating Grammar Instruction for Diverse Grammatical Features

Andrew Schenck,최원경 중앙대학교 외국학연구소 2014 외국학연구 Vol.- No.29

An intense debate concerning the efficacy of grammar instruction has precluded intensive examination of varied grammar-focused pedagogical techniques. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to holistically examine different types of grammar-based instruction (explicit vs. implicit) and different types of morphosyntactic features. For this quasi-experimental study, three beginner English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes were selected from a small university in South Korea (N = 102). Group 1 (n = 32) was provided with explicit emphasis of semantic concepts (images); Group 2 (n = 29) was provided with implicit emphasis of grammatical form (sentence examples); and Group 3 (n = 41) was provided with explicit emphasis of grammatical form (sentence examples and explanation). Results suggest that the complexity of form/meaning relationships must be matched to learner proficiency levels when designing explicit instruction. Less proficient learners may benefit from conscious investigation of more simplistic features, such as the lexical plural, which have a one-to-one relationship between form and meaning. Implicit enhancement of curricula may be effective for features more cognitively complex than the learner’s proficiency level. Implicit curricula allow learners to form general hypotheses about grammatical features which are cognitively less burdensome.

“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death! Or At Least a Way to Cope?”: Examining Different Perspectives in 18th Century Literature about Slavery

Andrew Schenck 한국영미어문학회 2018 영미어문학 Vol.- No.128

A critical examination of literature from an Anglo-Saxon tradition reveals common themes, whereby protagonists who resist a dominant pressure, whether it be physical or social, receive death or destruction. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of this Anglocentric worldview on slave literature of 18th century England. Research reveals that this literature depicts a need for hegemonic social institutions to recognize the humanity of slaves, promoting benevolence and charity according to the teachings of Christ. While slave narratives reveal an additional, yet subtle, protest against the evils of slavery, these works ultimately reflect a bias designed to target English readers. Although the use of music and dance by slaves is not often used within literature of the period, it has become embedded within later African-American compositions, revealing an individualistic means to escape hardship, share feelings of injustice, and promote a sense of freedom.

Form-Focused Instruction for the English Article: A Meta-Analysis

Andrew Schenck,최원경 중앙대학교 외국학연구소 2015 외국학연구 Vol.- No.33

Factors, such as treatment complexity and duration, language proficiency, and educational context (EFL vs. ESL), can significantly influence language performance in experimental studies. The purpose of the present meta-analysis is to investigate the degree to which these causal factors influence linguistic improvement in studies of the English article. Nineteen experimental studies of the English article were chosen for analysis. After data were collected, the effect sizes of individual causal factors were compared using Spearman rank-order correlation. Next, the combined influence of the causal factors was calculated by performing a multiple regression. The results suggest that each hypothesized influence contributes to the effect size, and together, they account for nearly one fifth of the variance of effect sizes within individual studies. Due to the significance of the results, it appears essential that the determinants examined in this study be considered when assessing the effectiveness of grammar-focused instructional techniques. In the future, more multivariate, holistic studies are needed to understand how systematic differentiation of these multiple causes can improve the acquisition process.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Comparing the Christian “God of War” in Beowulf and Slaughterhouse Five

Andrew Schenck 한국영미어문학회 2018 영미어문학 Vol.- No.131

Characterizations of God and Christianity have changed over the years, yet the political, social, and economic processes impacting such depictions have not. Through the ages, historical contexts continue to shape an author’s perspective, thereby impacting portrayal of religious concepts. Because a writer’s consciousness is molded by the environment, renderings of a sacred deity come to reflect unique characteristics of the time in which they were written. To better examine how depictions of God reflect this interplay between author and contemporary contextual circumstances, two texts from radically different times of war, Beowulf and Slaughterhouse Five, were chosen for study. While the “God of War” in both novels includes pagan and Christian elements, the purpose for simultaneous coverage of these concepts differs. Whereas Beowulf justifies old pagan traditions, as well as the role of Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England, Slaughterhouse Five uses the God of War to exemplify a psychological struggle to comprehend the meaning of war, as well as its deadly aftermath.

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Grammar Type and Efficacy of Form-Focused Instruction

Schenck, Andrew 신영어영문학회 2018 신영어영문학 Vol.69 No.-

Because phonological, semantic, and morphosyntactic characteristics of grammatical features can have a significant impact on form-focused instruction, utilization of different grammatical features to test new language teaching techniques may conflate determinations of efficacy or inefficacy. The purpose of this study was to holistically examine different types of instruction, comparing them with grammatical features to evaluate effectiveness. Forty-six experimental studies of form-focused instruction were selected for study. Comparison of effect sizes suggests that the efficacy of form-focused instruction differs considerably based upon the type of grammatical feature targeted. Input-based instruction (e.g.,input enhancement or explicit rule presentation) appears more useful for features like the plural -s, past -ed, and third person singular -s, which are phonologically insalient, yet morphologically regular. Output-based instruction (e.g., corrective feedback or recasts), in contrast, appears more effective with grammatical features such as questions, phrasal verbs, conditionals, and articles, which are syntactically or semantically complex. Overall, the results suggest that differences in grammar be considered before curricula or pedagogical interventions are designed.