An attempt to elaborate a construct to measure the degree of explicitness and implicitness in ELT materials

The concepts of explicit and implicit (knowledge) are at the core of SLA studies. We take explicit as conscious and declarative (knowledge); implicit as unconscious, automatic and procedural (knowledge) (DeKeyser, 2003; R. Ellis, 2005a, 2005b, 2009; Hulstjin, 2005; Robinson, 1996; Schmidt, 1990, 199...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pascual Cantos Gómez, Aquilino Sánchez Pérez, Raquel Criado Sánchez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de Murcia 2010-06-01
Series:International Journal of English Studies (IJES)
Online Access:http://revistas.um.es/ijes/article/view/114001
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Summary:The concepts of explicit and implicit (knowledge) are at the core of SLA studies. We take explicit as conscious and declarative (knowledge); implicit as unconscious, automatic and procedural (knowledge) (DeKeyser, 2003; R. Ellis, 2005a, 2005b, 2009; Hulstjin, 2005; Robinson, 1996; Schmidt, 1990, 1994). The importance of those concepts and components, we believe, must also be acknowledged in language teaching, and consequently in language teaching materials. However, explicitness and implicitness are rather complex constructs; such complexity allows for multiple nuances and perspectives in their analysis, and this fact poses a real challenge for their identification in the learning and teaching process and materials. We focus here on ELT materials and aim at the building of a reliable construct which may help in the identification of their potential for promoting implicit and explicit components. We first determined the features to identify the construct for implicitness and explicitness; next, we validated it and then we applied it to the analysis of the activities included in three sample units of three textbooks. The results were computed along a continuum ranging from 0 to 10 in each activity. The systematization and computation of results will hopefully offer a reliable figure regarding the identification of the degree of explicitness and/or implicitness in the materials analysed.<br>Los conceptos de (conocimiento) expl&amp;iacute;cito e impl&amp;iacute;cito constituyen uno de los puntos centrales en los estudios sobre la adquisici&amp;oacute;n de lenguas extranjeras. Por expl&amp;iacute;cito se entiende (conocimiento) consciente o declarativo; por impl&amp;iacute;cito, (conocimiento) no consciente, autom&amp;aacute;tico y procedimentalizado (DeKeyser, 2003; R. Ellis, 2005a, 2005b, 2009; Hulstjin, 2005; Robinson, 1996; Schmidt, 1990, 1994). La importancia de ambos conceptos debe trasladarse tambi&amp;eacute;n al campo de la ense&amp;ntilde;anza de idiomas y por lo tanto a los materiales docentes. Sin embargo, lo expl&amp;iacute;cito e impl&amp;iacute;cito son constructos complejos, y esta complejidad permite muchos matices y perspectivas en su an&amp;aacute;lisis. Este hecho implica que su identificaci&amp;oacute;n en los materiales docentes y discentes constituya un verdadero reto. Este trabajo se centra en materiales para la ense&amp;ntilde;anza del ingl&amp;eacute;s como lengua extranjera. Se pretende elaborar un constructo fiable que pueda ayudar a identificar el componente expl&amp;iacute;cito e impl&amp;iacute;cito que dichos materiales promueven. A tal fin, se determinaron primero los rasgos definitorios del constructo impl&amp;iacute;cito y expl&amp;iacute;cito, y se procedi&amp;oacute; a su validaci&amp;oacute;n. Posteriormente se analizaron con &amp;eacute;l las actividades de tres unidades completas en tres manuales diferentes de ingl&amp;eacute;s como lengua extranjera. Los resultados se computan dentro de un continuo entre 0 y 10 para cada actividad. La sistematizaci&amp;oacute;n y c&amp;oacute;mputo de los resultados confiamos que nos ofrezcan un &amp;iacute;ndice fiable respecto al potencial de explicitud e implicitud que conllevan los materiales analizados.
ISSN:1578-7044