Chapter 6
The effects of recasts versus prompts on immediate uptake and learning of a complex target structure
This study compared the effects of recasts and prompts on learning a complex target structure (English relative clauses). It also examined how these effects were mediated by learners’ level of language proficiency. Fifty-four high- and low-proficiency ESL learners were assigned to three groups: recast (n = 18), prompt (n = 18), and control (n = 18). Both uptake and pretest-posttest measures were used to assess feedback effectiveness. Each learner met with a native-speaker interlocutor outside the classroom four times over a four-week period for the pretest, treatment, and immediate and delayed posttests. Picture-cued oral production tasks were developed and used to elicit the use of relative clauses. The findings revealed an advantage for recasts over prompts, and also showed that the two feedback types varied in their effects on uptake versus learning and also interacted differently with learners’ levels of language proficiency. Although the study was conducted outside the classroom, the pedagogical relevance will be discussed.
Article outline
- Introduction
- The present study
- Research questions
- Participants
- Target structure
- Procedures
- Outcome measures
- Analysis
- Identification of uptake and repair
- Scoring the pretest-posttest oral production measures
- Results
- Learner uptake and repair
- Pretest-posttest results
- Discussion
- Relevance for classroom instruction
- Conclusion
-
Acknowledgement
-
References
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Cited by
Cited by 3 other publications
Alipour, Javad, Maryam Mohebi & Ali Roohani
2023.
The interaction of working memory capacity and engagement with recasts on different L2 outcome measures: A replication of Révész (2012).
Language Teaching 56:3
► pp. 377 ff.
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Ioannou, Sophia & Dina Tsagari
2022.
Effects of Recasts, Metalinguistic Feedback, and Students’ Proficiency on the Acquisition of Greek Perfective Past Tense.
Languages 7:1
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Mackey, Alison
2020.
Interaction, Feedback and Task Research in Second Language Learning,
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