Article published in:
ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 170:1 (2019) ► pp. 111–135

Explicitness of deductive instruction and L2 development

A study on the Spanish imperfect subjunctive

| Fairfield University
This study investigated the effects that different types of instruction varying in explicitness had on 88 intermediate-level Spanish learners’ development of the imperfect subjunctive on a reading task. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 experimental conditions that differed in their degree of instructional explicitness (+/− deductive). One condition (+Deductive) received a detailed grammar explanation prior to task; a second condition (−Deductive) received a hint about a new target form present in the reading task, and the third condition (Baseline) was not presented with any grammar information or hint. The study consisted of 3 sessions, following a pre/post/delayed computerized test design with 2 weeks between sessions. Results showed that the −Deductive condition performed as well as the +Deductive condition immediately and 2 weeks after treatment for both Interpretation and Controlled production tests.
Keywords: adult second language acquisition, instructional conditions, L2 development, Spanish subjunctive, explicitness
Published online: 05 April 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/itl.17027.adr
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