Input and output grammar instruction in tutorial CALL with a complex grammatical structure

Authors

  • Joseph Collentine Northern Arizona University
  • Karina Collentine Northern Arizona University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v32i2.24548

Keywords:

3D environment, conceptual replication, emerging technologies, second language acquisition, subjunctive, tutorial CALL

Abstract

Conceptual replication within a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) environment provides an understanding of the generalizability of second language acquisition (SLA) research (Porte, 2013; Smith & Schulze, 2013). The present study replicates Collentine (1998a), a classroom-based experiment framed within a larger discussion on the relative benefits of input- and output based instruction. Collentine (1998a) compared the benefits of Processing Instruction (VanPatten, 2004) and output-based instruction, both of which elevated the Spanish subjunctive’s communicative value. The results showed that input- or output-oriented instruction informed by how learners process grammatical information can affect the acquisition of complex grammatical phenomena. This conceptual replication not only seeks to corroborate the original study’s findings in a new learning context. It also tests the finding’s generalizability to a tutorial CALL environment built on 3D simulations and emerging web-app technologies. The participants were foreign-language learners of Spanish in a classroom-based curriculum (N = 50). The results indicate that, in the classroom and in a CALL environment, both input- and output-oriented approaches can promote the acquisition of a complex grammatical structure if practice is meaningful (informed by psycholinguistic processing principles) and deliberate, and if feedback is provided.

Author Biographies

  • Joseph Collentine, Northern Arizona University
    Dr. Joseph Collentine is Professor of Spanish at Northern Arizona University. He researches computer assisted language learning, corpus linguistics, and the acquisition of the subjunctive.
  • Karina Collentine, Northern Arizona University
    Dr. Karina Collentine is Associate Professor of Spanish and Secondary Spanish Education at Northern Arizona University. Her current research interests include foreign language learning in 3D worlds and task-based computer-mediated communication.

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Published

2015-04-23

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How to Cite

Collentine, J., & Collentine, K. (2015). Input and output grammar instruction in tutorial CALL with a complex grammatical structure. CALICO Journal, 32(2), 273-298. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v32i2.24548