Open Access
The impact of textual enhancement on the acquisition of third person possessive pronouns by child EFL learners
(De Gruyter, 2023) Luquin Urtasun, María; García Mayo, María del Pilar; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
A key concern in L2 research and pedagogy is how learner attention can be directed to linguistic forms. Research has shown that textual enhancement (TE) facilitates the noticing of targeted L2 features, leading to cognitive processes beneficial for L2 learning. However, very few studies on TE have had children as participants. This longitudinal study investigated the extent to which TE in model texts could have an effect on the development of third person possessive pronouns (his/her) among young EFL learners. The participants, 30 dyads of 11- to 12-year-old Spanish children from three EFL classes, were randomly assigned to a control group (CG), a treatment group (TG) and a long-term treatment group (LTG). The groups were engaged in two four-stage collaborative writing cycles of 3 weeks each separated by four months. The CG, which self-corrected their own texts, was not exposed to TE, the TG was only exposed to it during the two cycles and the LTG benefitted from this technique during the two writing cycles and the period in-between. The findings revealed statistically significant differences between the LTG and the other two groups after a sustained exposure to TE, which seems to be a useful pedagogical tool to facilitate the children¿s noticing of third person possessives.
Open Access
Collaborative writing and feedback: an exploratory study of the potential of models in primary EFL students' writing performance
(John Benjamins Publishing, 2020) Luquin Urtasun, María; García Mayo, María del Pilar; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
Research on collaborative writing and models as a form of written corrective feedback has been conducted with adult participants but research with children is scarce despite the growth of early EFL learning in school settings in the past twenty years. The aim of the present exploratory study was to analyze what EFL primary school children noticed and incorporated during a three-stage task and completed in collaboration. The participants were 12 children (11¿12 years old) divided into a treatment group, which received a model, and a control group, which self-edited their texts. The findings showed that what children noticed at Stage 1 were mostly grammar LREs, whereas at Stage 2 both groups focused most of their attention on content and lexical LREs, with statistically significant differences between the treatment group and the control group. Significant differences were also found between Stage 1 and 3 regarding lexical LREs in the treatment group. Pedagogical recommendations will also be discussed in light of these findings.
Embargo
A longitudinal study of the effects of model texts on EFL children's written production
(Elsevier, 2024-02-01) Luquin Urtasun, María; García Mayo, María del Pilar; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
As written corrective feedback tools, it has been claimed that model texts improve language learners' subsequent production, but almost exclusively in terms of lexical gains. However, little research has been carried out with EFL children, an underrepresented population in the literature, and much less from a longitudinal perspective. The main aim of this study was to determine the extent to which sustained exposure to models can have an impact on the written production of child EFL learners. Thirty pairs of 11–12-year-old Spanish EFL children were randomly assigned to a control group, a treatment group, and a long-term treatment group, who engaged in two four-stage collaborative writing cycles of three weeks each. The children's collaborative texts were transcribed and analyzed considering different measures (types of clause, syntactic complexity, lexical diversity, accuracy, fluency, and holistic assessment). Our findings reveal that model texts led to a reduction in the number of pre-clauses and an increase in the syntactic complexity of the texts in the short run. Sustained exposure to models showed that the children were able to produce fewer proto-clauses and more clauses, feature higher lexical diversity in their texts, and make fewer errors.
Open Access
Does repeated pre-task planning have an impact on form-focused LREs? Evidence from EFL children
(John Benjamins Publishing, 2023) Luquin Urtasun, María; García Mayo, María del Pilar; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
Pre-task planning has been shown to improve fluency and complexity in adult learners’ speech in monologic tasks. Previous work considered pretask planning in interactive tasks with young children in an ESL setting and reported that, in general, it had an impact on the amount of talk. However, no study so far has considered the impact of planning on the production of language-related episodes (LREs) by young children. This study examined the relationship between planning time and the accurate production of three target form-focused LREs (FFLREs) by thirty-three dyads of 11–12-year-old EFL learners who took part in a longitudinal experiment in which they narrated picture-prompted stories four times under one of three conditions: unguided planning (12 dyads), guided planning (12 dyads), or no-planning (9 dyads). Results showed that no significant improvement in target feature production was observed across weeks or conditions. Regarding accuracy, a notable difference emerged between the pre-test and delayed post-test in the unguided planning condition. Regarding betweengroup comparisons, although the guided planning group initially demonstrated higher accuracy than their counterparts, this distinction was not maintained. Thus, planning had limited benefits when considering FFLREs. Methodological and pedagogical implications will be discussed.
Open Access
Exploring the use of models as a written corrective feedback technique among EFL children
(Elsevier, 2021) Luquin Urtasun, María; García Mayo, María del Pilar; Ciencias Humanas y de la Educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
The language learning potential of models, ea form of written feedback consisting of native-like texts that students compare with their original composition, has been under-represented in studies on EFL child SLA. In particular, there is a need to gather data from larger samples of participants and to use delayed post-tests to assess whether potential positive effects of models are sustained over time. The aim of the present study is to analyze what EFL primary school children notice and incorporate during a four-stage collaborative writing task. The participants in the study were 38 11-12-year-old children divided into a treatment group (TG, n = 18), which received a model, and a control group (CG, n = 20), which self-edited their texts. The children¿s pair talk was analyzed for evidence of any content and linguistic problems they noticed during the composition or comparison stages. The findings show that children in the TG noticed significantly more lexical and content-related features at the comparison stage. Moreover, the TG incorporated significantly more mechanics- and discourse-related features than the CG into the rewriting stage, and also a significantly higher number of formal and discursive aspects into the post-test. Our findings point to the apparent benefits of models with this population.
Open Access
Investigating EFL children's task motivation concerning the use of models as written corrective feedback
(Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, 2024-12-23) García Mayo, María del Pilar; Luquin Urtasun, María; Ciencias humanas y de la educación; Giza eta Hezkuntza Zientziak
This study investigated how the inclusion of model texts as a feedback technique affected students' task motivation and engagement in writing tasks. Adopting a longitudinal design, 60 English as a foreign language (EFL) children (aged 11-12) were divided into three groups: a treatment group, a long-term treatment group, and a control group. The treatment groups received feedback that incorporated model texts as examples of proficient writing, while the control group self-corrected their texts. Task motivation was assessed through self-report questionnaires and focus group interviews. The findings showed that the children responded positively to the use of model texts, particularly those children who had been exposed to this type of feedback over a longer period. While some expressed a preference for more explicit error correction, their overall enjoyment, improvement, as well as enthusiasm for collaborative work highlight the value of integrating model texts into the EFL classroom. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications will be discussed.