基于注意理论的英语阅读中语法强化效果研究

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Present Study
Currently many researchers have realized the role of attention and have mademany studies to explore the role of attention from the aspect of psychology,psycholinguistics and cognitive psycholinguistics. Just as Gass’s and Van Pattern’slearning models pointed out, attention or noticing is a key factor leading to theoccurrence of learning.When it comes to the question whether grammar is taught and how to teach, itis being discussed and researched all the way. With the advent of those methodsfocusing on the communication and considering the language accuracy andproduction skills, scholars become to rethink and concern about the grammar. Theidea of attention theory offers a brand new perspective. To be specific, students notonly achieve language fluency, but enhance their attention to language forms, whenperforming communicative tasks.Current empirical studies basically are conducted to explore the relationship between attention and language learning. Most consider that noticing in input andoutput based on attention theory, especially Schmidt’s noticing hypothesis, inputenhancement and Swain’s comprehensible output hypothesis. Gradually, a series ofresearches focus on this topic and capitalize on the related theories from psychologyand cognitive psycholinguistics. It is not doubt that they shed profound invaluableinsights on language learning and teaching. Although some terms are puzzled andeven overlap, it is possible to identify in the real situation to ensure the validity andrationalization.In view of this, attention theory and enhancement devices arouse my interest,especially the impact on the formal language learning and teaching.
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1.2 Purpose of the Present Study
The present circumstance for foreign language learners on language learningand teaching is broadly clear presented in the last section. That is, heated topics ofattention and grammar knowledge. Based on attention theory including Schmidt’snoticing hypothesis, input enhancement and Swain’s output hypothesis, it isconcluded that it is possible to make specific language items more salient by means ofenhancements in input and output, which contributes to boost learners’ attention tothese specific language forms. In addition, there are mixed results of the previousstudies relatedThe present paper is interested in attention in the classroom learning andteaching. It is intended to find and investigate whether these driving-attention devicesare effective based on the attention theory. Meanwhile, other underlying factors that cause learners’ awareness in the process of learning and teaching may be furtherexplored. All these aspects will be beneficial to language learners and teachers.Therefore, the study is carried out in order to explore the role of attention in thesecond language grammar learning and to get certain pedagogical implications.
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Chapter 2 Literature Review

2.1 Attention
In recent years, a majority of scholars and educators gradually notice theeffective role of attention in the field of second language acquisition and develop therelevant theories. Referring to attention, some relevant terms mentioned like detection, alertness,consciousness, intention and noticing are introduced and applied in many fieldstheoretically or empirically, although the distinctions between each other arecontroversial issues all the way.The notion of attention derives from psychology. In psychology, it iswell-accepted that attention is an internal psychological state, centrally aiming to aspecific object. Psychologists like James give much emphasis on the nature of itsorientation and concentration. Several cognitive models of attention are pointed out incognitive psychology like Filter Model and Attenuation Model, where attention isregarded as a limited capability. Willem Levelt (1989) described how speech could beproduced by attention in his majestic book Speaking: Form intention to articulation,which is a fresh viewpoint for further study.Moreover, in terms of cognitive-linguistics, attention is considered as animportant part in the process of language learning and acquisition. Talmy has done aseries of studies and gains great achievements in language attention. He puts the figure-ground separation theory into the study of attention distribution. Meanwhile,many linguists like Richard Schmidt, Rod Ellis, Gass and Van Patten apply the notionof attention into the language learning system to explain the learning process in SLAstudies and specifically define this notion in their papers. In Van Patten’s Model ofInput Processing, a limited capability for processing mechanism drives learners toselectively attend to the input and then become intake. Schmidt (1990, 2010) restatedthose issues with regard to consciousness as awareness, as intention, as attention onthe different conditions.
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2.2 Attention and Grammar Learning and Teaching
There is always a controversial discussion on the issue of grammar learning andteaching. With the advent of communicative approach, traditional grammarstranslation was criticized and opposed. Many scholars turn to languagecommunication and language use in context. However, the real situation is notsatisfied, even existing grammar error fossilization. Recently a majority of educatorsgradually concern about attention theory and draw on this idea into their teaching like the application of input enhancement and output activities so that learners can attainthe real accurate communicative capability. Sharwood Smith draws on input enhancement as a process that the inputmaterial gets much more salience to the learners, which maybe the result of intendedinstructions. Moreover, smith stresses that the input is a modified one instead of thenatural one in order to make input with specific features more salient. At the sametime, he discusses the factors of input in degrees of explicitness and elaboration.Smith advocates that learners should pay attention to a certain grammar andinternalize its forms in their own with the help of given input enhancement devicerather than a mass of explicit, lengthy explanations (Wong, 2007, p.10).
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Chapter 3 Methodology...... 24
3.1 Research Questions.......... 24
3.2 Subjects ...... 24
3.3 Instruments........ 26
3.3.1 Experiment.......... 26
3.3.2 Questionnaire ...... 27
3.3.3 Interview ...... 29
3.4 Research Procedures ........ 29
3.5 Data Collection and Analysis......... 34
Chapter 4 Results and Discussion .......... 37
4.1 Results......... 37
4.2 Discussion .......... 45
Chapter 5 Conclusion ......... 53
5.1 Major Findings.......... 53
5.2 Pedagogical Implications ........ 54
5.3 Limitations of the Present Study.... 55
5.4 Suggestions for Further Study ....... 55

Chapter 4 Results and Discussion

4.1 Results
The results of the study are turned out and analyzed accordingly to deal withtwo research questions. To make this study accurate and scientific, the SPSS software(Version 16.0) is employed to collect the statistic data and analyze them. Firstly, the scores of effective question items in the grammar pretest in threeclasses are collected to ensure the premise of the experiment. That is whether thesethree groups are at the same level of proficiency in attributive clause before theexperiment.Table 4.1 presents some basic descriptive statistics. As it shows, each group has40 students participating in the present study. Meanwhile, the values of the meanscore are all about 50. In a way, it seems to say that three groups meet the requirementof the pre-experiment. Considering the preciseness of the study, differences amongthree groups are also collected and presented in Table 4.2. Based on Table 4.2, the value of Sig. equals 0.932>0.05, which indicates theproficiency of this grammar knowledge in three groups have no obvious difference.Therefore, there is a general conclusion that the mastery degree of attributive clauseknowledge are roughly the same among three classes, which is the starting point ofthe experiment.

Conclusion

As was discussed in the last chapter, a few significant findings can be drawn.Firstly, the current study indicates that enhancement device plays an activeplace in the process of grammar learning. On the one hand, more grammar formsembedded in the input materials through input enhancement can be changed intointake, which facilitates grammar acquisition. On the other hand, due to the noticingfunction of output, through reconstruction tasks grammar knowledge are noticed anddeepened.Secondly, the results show that output tasks or reconstruction tasks are moreeffective than input enhancement on acquisition of the grammar, in that this processmay involve the cognitive processing. Through cognitive comparison, learnersinternalize the grammar knowledge and develop their inner interlanguage system.Thirdly, the study also demonstrates that output tasks or reconstruction tasks aremore effective than input enhancement on noticing of the grammar. Because of the complexity of the grammar-attributive clause, the output production or promoteslearners to notice matching the gap between the target language and interlanguage.Which is role of pushed output.In addition, these two enhancement devices more or less have an inference withthe meaning concerning the limited attention.
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References (omitted)