Input,Interaction, and Language Learning

• Main Authors: Pei-Yi OuYang, 歐陽貝怡
• Other Authors: Chaochang Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8p3gnp

碩士 === 銘傳大學 === 應用英語學系碩士班 === 95 === Interaction plays a significant role in second language (L2) acquisition mainly because learners can obtain comprehensible input, a prerequisite for L2 learning. According to Krashen’ (1985) Input Hypothesis, learners must access to comprehensible input, and the input (i) should go slightly beyond their current competence (i+1) in order to make acquisition take place. Long (1980, 1983, 1996) particularly emphasizes the importance of interactional modifications, arguing that negotiated interaction not only promotes comprehension but also assists acquisition. Having recognized the significance of interaction in L2 learning, the researcher in this study employed a quantitative approach investigating the effects of baseline (B) input and interactionally modified (IM) input on listening comprehension of directions and acquisition of words embedded in the directions. Two intact classes: one served as an experimental group (n=60) and the other (n=66) as a control group were involved in the study. The subjects were 126 freshmen from the Department of Digital Media Design at Ming Chuan University. The results of this study revealed that the students in the IM group significantly outscored (p<.05) those in the B group on listening comprehension tasks, supporting Long’s (1980) claims that negotiation promotes comprehension. Also, the subjects in the IM group outperformed those in the B group on vocabulary tests (p<.05), indicating the positive effect of negotiation of meaning. The findings of this study have implications to L2 teaching and learning.