In Search of the Optimal Mode of Input for the Acquisition of Formulaic Expressions

Abstract

BRIEF RESEARCH REPORTSTESOL Quarterly welcomes evaluative reviews of publications relevant to TESOL professionals. In addition to textbooks and reference materials, these include computer and video software, testing instruments, and other forums of nonprint materials.

A Longitudinal Study on the Effect of Mode of Reading on Incidental Collocation Learning and Predictors of Learning Gains

“…Vu and Peters (2021b) suggest that the auditory input in reading‐while‐listening might include prosodic cues of collocations (Lin, 2012). Previous research has shown the role of auditory input in formulaic sequence acquisition (e.g., Lin, 2019, 2021). From a psychological perspective, auditory input may have a processing advantage over written input.…”

“…Written input, however, is indirectly processed because it must first be converted into a phonological code by subvocal naming before it is processed in working memory. Lin (2021) highlights the relevance of this working‐memory perspective for formulaic sequence research.…”

Developing an intelligent tool for computer-assisted formulaic language learning from YouTube videos

“…Further improvements in the design and functions of IdiomsTube are needed, particularly in terms of deciding the priority level at which each FE is taught, distinguishing between the metaphorical and literal forms of FEs, and overcoming the problems arising from the lack of uniformity in user-uploaded English captions. These practical decisions should be informed by empirical research evidence, and these gaps are being filled through experiments in the lab as well as analyses of log files showing users’ in-app behaviours and patterns (see, e.g., Lin, 2021, under review, in preparation). Filling the empirical research gaps and tackling these technical challenges are crucial for IdiomsTube as well as all future automatic tools designed to facilitate independent English FE learning from any other video-streaming platforms.…”

“…Although the speaking task and the spelling task are slightly less popular, they are important in terms of providing a variety of tasks through which learners may engage with different aspects of FE knowledge, including their phonological form, orthographic form, and composition. According to research in psycholinguistics on the role of the phonological loop in vocabulary learning (Baddeley, Gathercole & Papagno, 1998; see also Lin, 2021), engaging learners with the phonological form is particularly important for facilitating their memory of new vocabulary items. Some empirical studies found that learners who read new vocabulary aloud or silently in their heads seemed to remember the items more effectively than their counterparts who encountered the same vocabulary but were forbidden from reading the items aloud or silently (Baddeley et al, 1998).…”

“…While Bishop (2004) and Wible (2008) facilitated new possibilities for using computer technology to promote L2 English FE learning, these first-generation tools remain limited. First, they cannot handle spoken language or videos, despite initial evidence showing that spoken input may be more conducive to FE learning than written input (see Lin, 2021, for experimental evidence and Lin, 2012, for a discussion of the theoretical basis for this argument). Second, the tools stop at the point of input enhancement and lack components for the consolidation of FE knowledge.…”