Input Processing And Processing Instruction

Input Processing is a theoretical framework on which the pedagogical paradigm called Processing Instruction is predicated. In this book, new data on the acquisition of Italian and Modern Standard Arabic are presented and analyzed within this framework. Each study in the book explores how input processing strategies affect the acquisition of a particular linguistic feature and/or structure in the two languages. The studies use both offline (e.g., sentence and discourse-level tasks) and online tests (e.g., eye-tracking) to measure the effects of this instructional training.

This new book, Processing Instruction: Theory, Research, and Commentary, edited by Bill VanPatten--a pioneer in processing instruction (PI)--is a refreshing presentation of 10 related and not widely available articles that illustrate the role of processing instruction in second language acquisition. The articles provide both historical and current context, as well as describe the influence of the input processing model on PI. The contents include empirical papers presenting new data that demonstrate both the theoretical and pedagogical threads of research. Aside from simply establishing where PI stands in the field of instructed SLA, the book addresses issues, such as processing instruction versus other types of instruction; the impact of processing instruction on various linguistic structures; the role of explicit information in instructional intervention; and the long-term effects of processing instruction. Each section of the book is highlighted by commentaries from noted researchers in instructed SLA. An attempt was made to include voices that offer critical perspectives on various issues of PI research. The book achieves an unusually balanced approach to a subject that has stirred debate in the field. Processing Instruction: Theory, Research, and Commentary will serve as an important source of information regarding research methodology and replication in second language acquisition. It will also be useful in graduate courses where students need exposure to research design and is especially useful for illustrating the usefulness of replication in SLA research.

This book provides an alternative to the grammar debate in second language acquisition theory and teaching. Accepting that language acquisition is at least partially input dependent, the author asks how grammatical form is processed in the input by second language learners and is it possible to assist this in ways that help the learner to create richer grammatical intake. He answers these questions and explains why traditional paradigms are not psycholinguistically motivated. Drawing on research from both first and second language acquisition, he outlines a model for input processing in second language acquisition that helps to account for how learners construct grammatical systems. He then uses this model to motivate processing instruction, a type of grammar instruction in which learners are engaged in making form-meaning connections during particular input activities.

Preface and acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Input processing in second language acquisition : The pioneering work of Bill VanPatten / Michael J. Leeser, Gregory D. Keating and Wynne WongPart -- Research on sentence processing -- The processing of case in intermediate L2 Spanish / Jill Jegerski -- The processing of subject shifts in L2 Spanish : an examination of L2 learners' use of inflectional morphology and reliance on overt subject pronouns / Suzanne Johnston -- When more is better : higher L1/L2 similarity, L2 proficiency, and working memory facilitate L2 morphosyntactic processing / Nuria Sagarra -- Research and perspectives on VanPatten's model of input processing -- VanPatten (1990)'s long and winding story and the nature of replication studies / Cristina Sanz and Timothy J. McCormick -- Research on second language processing and processing instruction -- Contextual effects in processing OVS constructions in Spanish : a partial replication of VanPatten and Houston (1998) and Malovrh (2006) / Casilde A. Isabelli -- Multilevel input processing : emerging developments and future challenges / Joe Barcroft -- Research and perspectives on processing instruction -- Trials-to-criterion as a methodological option to measure language processing in processing instruction / Claudia Fernández -- PI and the French causative and passive constructions : examining transfer-of-training effects using eye tracking / Wynne Wong, Kiwako Ito and Laurene Glimois -- Why does processing instruction work? The role of PI within a framework of language and second language development / Michael J. Leeser -- Conclusion -- Online methods in research on input processing and processing instruction / Gregory D. Keating.

The research we present in this book establishes a unique line of research within the Processing Instruction model by assessing the transfer-of-training effects of this approach to grammar instruction on how learners make form-meaning connections. In this book we present the results of three experimental studies investigating secondary and cumulative effects in French, Italian and English.

This book focuses on theory, research, and practice related to lexical input processing (lex-IP), an exciting field exploring how learners allocate their limited processing resources when exposed to words and lexical phrases in the input. Unit 1 specifies parameters of lex-IP research among other levels of input processing as well as key components (form, meaning, mapping) and contexts (incidental/intentional) of vocabulary learning. Unit 2 highlights theoretical advances, such as the type of processing – resource allocation (TOPRA) model, consistent with research on tasks (sentence writing, word copying, word retrieval) that learners may perform during vocabulary learning. Unit 3 highlights patterns in partial word form learning and input-based effects, including the value of increased exposure, drawbacks of presenting vocabulary in semantic sets, and advantages of input enhancement, particularly with regard to increasing talker, speaking-style, and speaking-rate variability in spoken input. The book unifies a range of research pertinent to lex-IP, summarizes theoretical and instructional implications, and proposes intriguing new directions for future research.

This volume consists of a well-integrated collection of original research articles and theoretical/overview papers on second language (L2) input processing. The primary contributors are former students of Bill VanPatten from the past three decades, and the collection of articles is intended as a tribute to his career and contribution of bringing processing issues to the center stage of research in second language acquisition (SLA) and instructed SLA. The research and theorizing presented in this volume are the most recent in the field and represent innovations in approaches to L2 processing research, including the use of online methodologies (self-paced reading and eye tracking) in the experimental papers. In addition, the editors are recognized authors and researchers who have published on sentence processing, input processing, and processing instruction, and all three editors are either on editorial boards or are associate editors of major L2 journals.

Recent SLA research recognizes the necessity of attention to grammar and demonstrates that form-focused instruction is especially effective when it is incorporated into a meaningful communicative context. Designed specifically for second-language teachers, this text identifies and explores the various options for integrating a focus on grammar and a focus on communication in classroom contexts and offers concrete examples of teaching activities for each option. Each chapter includes a description of the option, its theoretical and empirical background, examples of activities illustrating in a non-technical manner how it can be implemented in the classroom, questions for reflection, and a list of useful resources that teachers can consult for further information.

This volume tracks the impact Processing Instruction has made since its conception. The authors explain Processing Instruction, both its main theoretical underpinnings as well as the guidelines for developing structured input practices. They review the empirical research conducted to date, so that readers have an overview of new research carried out on the effects of Processing Instruction. The work concludes with reflections on the generalizability and limits of the research on Processing Instruction and offers future directions for Processing Instruction research.

Processing Instruction (PI) is an approach to grammar instruction for second language learning. It derives its name from the fact that the instruction (both the explicit explanation as well as the practices) attempt to influence, alter, and/or improve the way learners process input. PI contrasts with traditional grammar instruction in many ways, principally in its focus on the learner's input rather than their output. This book focuses on a new issue for PI, the role of technology in language learning. The authors compare empirically the differential effects of delivering PI in classrooms with an instructor and students interacting (with each other and with the instructor) with students working individually on computers. This book makes a valuable contribution to the growing body of research on the effects of PI on different languages, as well as different linguistic items: preterite/imperfect aspectual contrast and negative informal commands in Spanish, the subjunctive of doubt and opinion in Italian, and the subjunctive of doubt in French.