The influence of task repetition type on young EFL learners’ attention to form

Abstract

Task repetition (TR) is a valuable tool to direct learners’ attention from meaning to language form. The first time learners perform a task their focus is on conveying meaning, whereas during the second enactment they tend to focus on the form of their message. Collaborative writing also promotes learners’ focus on form, allowing extra time to pay attention to language use, and providing multiple opportunities for learners to pool their linguistic resources and co-construct meaning. Despite the increasing body of research on young learners’ (YLs) second language acquisition process, few studies have addressed the effect of the repetition of collaborative writing tasks on this population’s output. The present study aims to fill this gap by analysing the impact of TR on YLs’ (age 11–12) attention to form, operationalized as language-related episodes (LREs). Forty ( n = 40) beginner learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) worked with two types of TR: exact TR (ETR), where the participants repeated exactly the same task, and procedural TR (PTR), where the participants repeated task type but with different content. Contrary to most previous research, most LREs were form-focused, and resolved target-like in both groups. The results also revealed a statistically significant decrease in the number of LREs at time 3 in the ETR group, whereas the LREs in the PTR group remained stable. Pedagogical implications of these findings will be discussed.

Task repetition and collaborative writing by EFL children: Beyond CAF measures

“…In addition to the above, most of the LREs identified in our data were correctly solved at the three data collection times, also mirroring previous findings (García Mayo & Azkarai, 2016;Hidalgo & García Mayo, 2019;Payant & Reagan, 2018). This evidence underlines the benefits of collaborative writing tasks, which offer learners the opportunity to pool their knowledge together and solve language problems correctly.…”

“…These learners have worked three times with the exact same content and task procedure, and by the last task performance they are so familiar with both that they may not need to resort to metalinguistic discussions so much. Also, by the third TR, YLs may have already solved most of their doubts and language problems from the first iterations, are able to carry this knowledge to the next performance (Hidalgo & García Mayo, 2019;Payant & Reagan, 2018) and, in line with Sample and Michel's (2014) study with oral data, might also be more able to focus their attention on all three CAF dimensions simultaneously and, therefore, to improve their drafts.…”

“…In a very similar context to that of our study, Hidalgo and García Mayo (2019) examined the effect of TR on the production of LREs by YLs while performing a collaborative writing task. Contrary to most research to date, their participants initiated more form-focused than meaning-focused LREs.…”

“…On the basis of the literature review, our learners' drafts will be expected to improve with repetition, however, it is not clear what specific components might improve more. On the other hand, LREs will be expected to decrease with the repetitions, and will probably be mainly form-focused and correctly solved (Hidalgo & García Mayo, 2019).…”

“…Finally, our study also analyzed the LREs generated in the students' oral interactions during the process of writing their texts. Following previous research in EFL settings (García Mayo & Azkarai, 2016;Hidalgo & García Mayo, 2019;López-Serrano, Roca de Larios, & Manchón, 2019), the LREs were classified according to their linguistic focus, whether they were meaning-focused or form-focused (deliberation over morpho-syntactic aspects, spelling and pronunciation), and to their outcome (resolved or not resolved). Finally, resolved LREs were further classified as target-like, or non-target-like.…”