Chapter 8. Task complexity, uptake of recasts, and L2 development

2011 ◽  
pp. 203-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Révész ◽  
Rebecca Sachs ◽  
Alison Mackey
Keyword(s):  
Task Complexity ◽  
L2 Development

De Relatie Tussen Cognitieve Taakcomplexiteit En Linguïstische Performance Bij Het Schrijven In T1 En T2

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Folkert Kuiken ◽  
Ineke Vedder
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Linguistic Performance ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
L1 And L2 Writing ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
The Relationship

According to Robinson's Cognition Hypothesis of task-based L2 development, cognitively more demanding tasks will lead to the use of lexically and syntactically more complex language (Robinson 2001a, 2001b, in press). A different viewpoint is held by Skehan (1998) and Skehan & Foster (1999, 2001), who hypothesize that the more attention is required for a task because of its cognitive complexity, the less complex will be the linguistic output. The present research focuses on the relationship between taskcomplexity and linguistic performance in L1 and L2 writing. We report on an experiment carried out among 51 Dutch university students of Italian as a second language. The test included two writing tasks, in which cognitive task complexity was manipulated by varying the number of elements to be described and the required reasoning demands. Pre-existing knowledge of Italian was established by means of a pre-test. In the article, the results and theoretical and pedagogical implications of the study are discussed.

scholarly journals Interaction and instructed second language acquisition

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn Loewen ◽  
Masatoshi Sato
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Instructed Second Language Acquisition ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
Negotiation For Meaning ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Task Goals ◽  
Interaction Research

Interaction is an indispensable component in second language acquisition (SLA). This review surveys the instructed SLA research, both classroom and laboratory-based, that has been conducted primarily within the interactionist approach, beginning with the core constructs of interaction, namely input, negotiation for meaning, and output. The review continues with an overview of specific areas of interaction research. The first investigates interlocutor characteristics, including (a) first language (L1) status, (b) peer interaction, (c) participation structure, (d) second language (L2) proficiency, and (e) individual differences. The second topic is task characteristics, such as task conditions (e.g. information distribution, task goals), task complexity (i.e. simple or complex), and task participation structure (i.e. whole class, small groups or dyads). Next, the review considers various linguistic features that have been researched in relation to interaction and L2 learning. The review then continues with interactional contexts, focusing especially on research into computer-mediated interaction. The review ends with a consideration of methodological issues in interaction research, such as the merits of classroom and lab-based studies, and the various methods for measuring the noticing of linguistic forms during interaction. In sum, research has found interaction to be effective in promoting L2 development; however, there are numerous factors that impact its efficacy.

TASK COMPLEXITY, LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, AND KOREAN EFL LEARNERS’ QUESTION DEVELOPMENT

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
YouJin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Simple Complex ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Classes ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
Question Development ◽  
Korean Efl Learners

Building on the cognitive and interactive perspectives of task research, the cognition hypothesis states that increasing task complexity promotes greater interaction and feedback and thus facilitates second language (L2) development (Robinson, 2001b, 2007a). To date, very little research has explored this claim during learner-learner interactions in English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom contexts in which a task-based syllabus is implemented. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task complexity on the occurrence of interaction-driven learning opportunities and question development in such a classroom context. Korean university students (N= 191) from four intact English classes were randomly assigned to one comparison group and three experimental groups with various task-complexity levels (i.e., simple, +complex, and ++complex) based on Robinson’s framework. Their interactions were audiorecorded, and occurrences of learning opportunities, operationalized as language-related episodes (LREs), were identified. Question development was identified between pretest and posttests on the basis of the learners’ stage advancement using Pienemann and Johnston’s (1987) developmental sequence. Results indicated that more complex tasks promoted a greater number of LREs and particularly led to LREs targeting developmentally advanced question structures, which result in question development.

Variability and variation of L2 grammar: A cross-sectional analysis of German learners’ performance on two tasks

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna Abrams ◽  
Susanne Rott
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Learner Performance ◽  
Complex Sentences ◽  
Present Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Grammatical Accuracy ◽  
L2 Development ◽  
The Usa

Research on second language (L2) grammar in task-based language learning has yielded inconsistent results regarding the effects of task-complexity, prompting calls for more nuanced analyses of L2 development and task performance. The present cross-sectional study contributes to this discussion by comparing the performance of 245 learners of German at two universities in the USA on two types of assessment tasks using multidimensional analyses of grammatical accuracy, fluency and complexity. Results show that: (1) grammatical accuracy in learner performance did not improve linearly across two years of instruction in either task condition; (2) participants tended to perform more accurately in the integrative task than on discrete-point items; (3) second-year learners wrote more fluently than first-year learners; and (4) fourth-semester learners wrote more complex sentences than other groups. The results yield important research, pedagogical and curricular insights.

Gender Differences in the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) Are Not Due to Task Complexity

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna Titze ◽  
Martin Heil ◽  
Petra Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Time Constraints ◽  
Medium Effects ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Mental Rotations ◽  
Sufficient Power ◽  
Forced Choice Tasks ◽  
Choice Tasks

Gender differences are one of the main topics in mental rotation research. This paper focuses on the influence of the performance factor task complexity by using two versions of the Mental Rotations Test (MRT). Some 300 participants completed the test without time constraints, either in the regular version or with a complexity reducing template creating successive two-alternative forced-choice tasks. Results showed that the complexity manipulation did not affect the gender differences at all. These results were supported by a sufficient power to detect medium effects. Although performance factors seem to play a role in solving mental rotation problems, we conclude that the variation of task complexity as realized in the present study did not.

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