Blake Turnbull
Otani University, Department of Intercultural Studies, Faculty Member
- University of Otago, Linguistics, Graduate Studentadd
- English As a Second Language (ESL), Bilingual Education, Using L1 In The L2 Classroom, Teaching EFL and Teacher Training, Languages and Linguistics, Translanguaging, and 20 moreTranslanguaging, Billingualism and language learning, Translingualism, Multilingualism, Bilingualism, Bilingualism and Multilingualism, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Teaching EFL, Foreign Language Education, Emergent Bilingualism and Biliteracy, Foreign language teaching and learning, Language Education, English language education, Teaching English as a Second Language, Second Language Acquisition, Language Learning, English language teaching, Teaching of Foreign Languages, Translanguaging in Education, and Multilingual/ Translingual Practicesedit
- I have a Ph.D. in Foreign Language Acquisition and Education from Kyoto University, Japan, and an MA in Linguistics f... moreI have a Ph.D. in Foreign Language Acquisition and Education from Kyoto University, Japan, and an MA in Linguistics from the University of Otago, New Zealand. My research interests include translanguaging, bilingual education, multilingualism, and second/foreign language education.edit
This article attempts to dispel the myths surrounding the raising of bilingual children that been prevalent in many contexts throughout Japan. I first discuss the typical patterns of bilingual family interaction and the effects these have... more
This article attempts to dispel the myths surrounding the raising of bilingual children that been prevalent in many contexts throughout Japan. I first discuss the typical patterns of bilingual family interaction and the effects these have on children's language development. I then examine the extensive research on bilingualism from infancy and the need for parents to familiarize themselves with this literature to ensure the success of their child's bilingual development. Next, I discuss the role of parents' discourse strategies, and explain some of the perceived issues in bilingual development, including language delay, language mixing, and language loss. Finally, I examine the Japanese education system and the stigma and issues that children developing their bilingualism often face within this environment. It is hoped that the points raised in this article will allow parents of bilingual children in Japan to understand the reality of dual language development so that they can dismiss the uninformed, erroneous opinions of those in professional positions that might otherwise damage their child's chance of developing successful bilingualism.
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Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Through use of a written questionnaire, this article examines the personal opinions of tertiary-level Japanese intermediate EFL students regarding the definition and process of becoming... more
Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Through use of a written questionnaire, this article examines the personal opinions of tertiary-level Japanese intermediate EFL students regarding the definition and process of becoming bilingual. Design/methodology/approach: This article takes a critical applied linguistic approach to examining the perspectives of emergent bilingual Japanese EFL learners regarding their own status as bilingual speakers in Japan. Data and analysis: This study employed a questionnaire involving both Likert and open perspective questions. The subsequent data analysis involved quantitative analysis of the Likert questions and qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions, according to emerging themes. Findings/conclusions: The results suggest that most of the Japanese emergent bilingual participants did not view themselves as being bilingual, and instead considered the notion of bilingualism to be an out-of-reach goal at their current level. This article suggests the need to educate foreign language (FL) learners of their emergent bilingual status so they may dismiss the idea of attaining native-like competence and embrace their status as competent emergent bilinguals. Originality: Whereas many studies examine (emergent) bilingualism from the perspective of minorities learning a majority language, this article has expanded upon the current body of bilingualism literature by investigating the perspectives of bilingualism from speakers of a majority language learning a minority language, as is the case in all FL education environments. Significance/implications: This article provides an insight into the issue of FL learners' lack of recognition of their own emergent bilingualism. It brings attention to the need for FL teachers to inform students of their emergent bilingual status to leverage their bilingual languaging strategies so that they can make meaning, express themselves, and learn in their ever-increasing bilingual worlds.
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This chapter discusses the need for FL educators to take a bilingual stance towards the education of FL learners. In considering the overall goal of FL education to be bilingualism, we must look towards the languaging practices of... more
This chapter discusses the need for FL educators to take a bilingual stance towards the education of FL learners. In considering the overall goal of FL education to be bilingualism, we must look towards the languaging practices of bilingual speakers and the principles and pedagogies employed in bilingual education programmes to re-think the way in which we approach FL learners and their education on the whole. In this chapter, I attempt to examine the practices and pedagogies of bilingual education programmes and the way in which these strategies could be effectively implemented in FL classrooms to address the re-framing of FL learning as bilingual education. I start with a brief overview of FL education as it currently stands, and the reasons for which I believe bilingual strategies are yet to have been introduced to FL learning contexts. Next, I outline the different forms of weak and strong bilingual education, before examining the principles, practices and pedagogies that such language programmes afford. Finally, we consider the implications that this knowledge may have for FL education as we work towards its modernisation and a recognition of FL learners as emergent bilinguals in their own right.
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Japan has traditionally been thought of as a linguistically homogenous and therefore monolingual society. Consequently, very few Japanese people consider themselves bilingual; however, the reality of Japanese society would suggest... more
Japan has traditionally been thought of as a linguistically homogenous and therefore monolingual society. Consequently, very few Japanese people consider themselves bilingual; however, the reality of Japanese society would suggest otherwise. The vast majority of Japanese people living in cities throughout the country are (perhaps unknowingly) subjected to an array of bi-/translingual activity on a regular basis, and function in said contexts with few comprehension difficulties. Different to simple translations aimed at tourists, translingual practices run rife in marketing campaigns, product branding, and common advertising targeted at a specifically Japanese audience, although this is rarely acknowledged in most cases. Against this backdrop, this paper examines an assortment of concrete photographic materials collected by the researcher of the largely unnoticed translingual practices evident in various facets of Japanese society. The findings provide evidence of intersentential, intrasentential, interlexical, intralexical, and semiotic-inclusive translingual practices working together to create a linguistically-rich Japanese society that is undeniably deserving of a bilingual accreditation. This paper aims to contribute towards an epistemological shift away from the erroneous notion that Japan is a monolingual nation, and to bring about awareness to celebrate the underlying translingual practices that run prevalent throughout the modern Japanese society.
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Foreign language (FL) writing has undergone a number of key evolutions over the past 50 years. But despite attempts toward a reframing of FL learners as emergent bilinguals, bilingual languaging strategies such as translanguaging are... more
Foreign language (FL) writing has undergone a number of key evolutions over the past 50 years. But despite attempts toward a reframing of FL learners as emergent bilinguals, bilingual languaging strategies such as translanguaging are still rarely seen in most FL education contexts, and bilingual composition strategies are yet to become integrated into main- stream FL writing education as a result. The goal of the present study was thus to investigate the effects of weak and strong forms of translanguaging on the production of Japanese EFL students’ academic and creative com- position pieces. The findings suggest that by allowing FL learners to engage in strong translanguaging practices, removing the “barriers” between named languages, during the planning stage of their English composition, learners are able to score higher than those who were forced to use one language over the other (either the target language or their native lan- guage). They were also able to produce more concise, well-formed essays with fewer misused lexical items from a lack of relevant language knowl- edge or experiences.
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The multilingual turn refers to a recent series of shifts in the core philosophical underpinnings in traditional foreign and second language classroom practice. These changes promote the normalization of processes and practices... more
The multilingual turn refers to a recent series of shifts in the core philosophical underpinnings in traditional foreign and second language classroom practice. These changes promote the normalization of processes and practices characteristic of bi-/multilingual speakers. This, in turn, has stimulated new ways of teaching and learning in the classroom. The goal of this article is twofold: first to chart the central developments that have led to the emergence of the multilingual turn thus far, and second to provide an account of how classroom translanguaging is fundamental to present and future developments. We present the conceptual framework undergirding the multilingual turn, before providing an overview of traditional tenets of foreign and second language education. We then examine translanguaging and its implications for language education, and end with a presentation of strategies that may facilitate the implementation of the multilingual turn in the additional language classroom.
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In many environments in which foreign languages (FL) are taught, the emergent bilingual status of FL learners is often overlooked. The dominant monolingual language pedagogies of conventional FL classrooms do not fundamentally recognise... more
In many environments in which foreign languages (FL) are taught, the emergent bilingual status of FL learners is often overlooked. The dominant monolingual language pedagogies of conventional FL classrooms do not fundamentally recognise the natural interaction of the first language (L1) and second language (L2) in the learners’ minds. Although the L1 and L2 are both often employed in the FL classroom, their use is kept separate with erroneous connotations that L1 use can have negative impacts on FL learning. Consequently, very rarely is FL learning considered within the realms of bilingual education, nor has the emergent bilingual status of FL learners been recognised as a result. This paper attempts to redefine the parameters of emergent bilingualism to include FL learners in their own right. Grounded in the frameworks of multi-competence and translanguaging, this paper provides further insights into the importance of acknowledging learners of an FL as the emergent bilinguals that they are, and brings awareness about the need for an epistemological change in this mindset surrounding FL education.
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Despite a global increase in the number and importance of assistant language teachers (ALTs) in English language classrooms, very few studies have looked specifically at how ALTs view their own contribution to students' English learning.... more
Despite a global increase in the number and importance of assistant language teachers (ALTs) in English language classrooms, very few studies have looked specifically at how ALTs view their own contribution to students' English learning. Based on the results of a questionnaire survey, this study investigates the self-reflections of 426 ALTs on the JET Programme in Japan regarding their own sense of purpose and value. A combination of quantitative statistical analysis and qualitative interpretation was used to analyse the data. The results suggest that, whilst ALTs did feel a sense of contribution, they also felt as though they lacked chances to implement communicative teaching methods over the dominant grammar-based pedagogy. This article suggests the need for team-learning between ALTs and Japanese English teachers so that ALTs may both come to have a fulfilled sense of value and contribution to the development of students' communicative skills in the Japanese English classroom.
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Despite recent policy reforms by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) emphasising a change towards a predominately target language (TL)-based EFL classroom environment, studies have suggested... more
Despite recent policy reforms by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) emphasising a change towards a predominately target language (TL)-based EFL classroom environment, studies have suggested that desire for L1 use by both English learners and many teachers remains prevalent in Japan. The question, then, becomes whether a resolution exists to balance the rising conflict between government policy and actual classroom practice in Japanese EFL education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the opinions of both Japanese EFL students (n = 373) and teachers (n = 261) regarding the use of the L1 (Japanese) in the L2 (English) learning process and the ensuing potential to introduce a bilingual translanguaging approach to Japanese EFL education on the whole. The findings suggest that, although there appears to be a space for a translanguaging approach to EFL education in Japan, the success would depend largely on how willing both teachers and students are to take it up and by the level of training and education provided to both sides.
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Despite having two official languages (te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language), with English as the de facto dominant language, New Zealand is rarely considered to be a multilingual, or even bilingual, society. Research on... more
Despite having two official languages (te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language), with English as the de facto dominant language, New Zealand is rarely considered to be a multilingual, or even bilingual, society. Research on bilingualism in New Zealand has traditionally focused on speakers of English and te reo Māori (see, for example, Durie, 1997; Hill, 2017; May, 2005). In a special issue of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (2005, volume 8, issue 5), which focused specifically on bilingual education in New Zealand, two thirds of the articles centered on bilingual speakers of Māori and English. But what of the other diverse levels of bilingualism, multilingualism, and multiculturalism that exist widespread throughout the country? What of the 1,001,787 foreign-born residents, making up a quarter (25.2%) of the country’s population (up from 22.9% in 2006 and 19.5% in 2001) according to the 2013 national census (Stats NZ, 2013a), many of whom bring with them unique sets of language experiences that only add to the culture and diversity of New Zealand’s society? What of the emergent bi- and multi- lingual speakers who function as a result of New Zealand’s changing migration patterns and associated increasing ‘superdiversity’, or “the substantial increase in the diversity of ethnic, minority and immigrant groups in a city or country” (Chen, 2015, p. 53). This all bears some important questions: exactly how bilingual is New Zealand? How many bilingual speakers are there? What languages or language varieties do bilinguals in New Zealand speak? And what does it mean to be bilingual in New Zealand? This paper aims to address the main question, How bilingual is New Zealand? It will begin with an overview of what it means to be bilingual, before addressing the past and current state of bilingualism and multilingualism in a specifically New Zealand context as a result of recent trends towards an increasingly superdiverse society.
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Naoko Nunomura's (2017) article provides three tips about how best to improve one's English speaking skills through what she calls the essence of an 'English-only' classroom. Throughout the paper, the author advocates for a... more
Naoko Nunomura's (2017) article provides three tips about how best to improve one's English speaking skills through what she calls the essence of an 'English-only' classroom. Throughout the paper, the author advocates for a communicative-language classroom which excludes all use of the first language (L1). However, I believe that the L1 has an incredibly beneficial role to play in the English classroom when employed in a strategic and purposeful manner; one that can even help improve on the pieces of advice that Nunomura has to offer. This paper is a brief response to Nunomura's article. It begins with an overview of the article's main arguments, before examining why an English-only policy is not necessarily as beneficial as some may believe, and concludes with my own point of view on the matter that may help to further strengthen the ideas which Nunomura outlines.
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Despite the growing interest surrounding the use and role of the first language in the second language classroom, the vast majority of research in the field has been conducted in classrooms where English is taught as a second language in... more
Despite the growing interest surrounding the use and role of the first language in the second language classroom, the vast majority of research in the field has been conducted in classrooms where English is taught as a second language in English-speaking countries. Very little research has investigated the role of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in other language learning environments , such as those in which Japanese is learnt as a second language (JSL) in Japan. This paper investigates the purposes for which ELF is employed, and the perspectives of learners from multilingual and multicultural backgrounds on the use of ELF, in the JSL classroom. The findings show that English is employed to varying degrees in relation to proficiency level, and that learners themselves are generally welcoming of this use. The author suggests that learners seek security and comfort in what they already know, with ELF easing the gap between their L1 and their developing Japanese skills. Keywords: Japanese as a second language, English in JSL, English as a lingua franca, multilingualism in JSL, translanguaging
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Although research into the use of the first language (L1) in second language (L2) learning has grown in strength in recent years, the majority of ESL teacher-training courses still provide little to no information regarding L1 use in L2... more
Although research into the use of the first language (L1) in second language (L2) learning has grown in strength in recent years, the majority of ESL teacher-training courses still provide little to no information regarding L1 use in L2 teaching. This paper investigates the perspectives of pre-service ESL teachers regarding the use of the L1 in L2 learning, the potential reasons underpinning these views, and what, if any, further education is needed in ESL teacher training courses regarding L1 use in the L2 classroom. The results of this study suggest that, although the pre-service teacher participants were accepting of L1 use at times, their acceptance was limited, implying a lack of a complete understanding overall. The author recommends ESL teacher-training courses equip future teachers with more information regarding L1 use in L2 learning so that they can to make their own informed decisions on effective L1 use in their classrooms.
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The majority of research on second language (L2) classroom code-switching has aimed to identify the functions for which teachers choose to employ the first language (L1) and L2 in their classroom, with little research investigating the... more
The majority of research on second language (L2) classroom code-switching has aimed to identify the functions for which teachers choose to employ the first language (L1) and L2 in their classroom, with little research investigating the underlying factors regulating these language choices. This study employs classroom observations and semi-structured interviews to examine teachers’ use of their students’ L1 in five multileveled tertiary foreign language (FL) classrooms (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish). It aims to determine the extent to which teachers employ the L1, the reasons underpinning this usage, and what implications, if any, this knowledge could have for L1 use in FL education in the future. The results suggest that the cultural and educational backgrounds in which FL teachers were themselves educated may have an influential effect on their teacher code-switching practices and pedagogical approach. The author suggests the need for FL teachers to also consider their students’ needs and adjust their practices accordingly as opposed to teaching based solely on their own L2 learning experiences.
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Assessment is one of the most important, purposeful and yet, at times, contentious aspects of language education. Although new strategies of foreign language (FL) assessment have moved away from the traditional summative forms of... more
Assessment is one of the most important, purposeful and yet, at times, contentious aspects of language education. Although new strategies of foreign language (FL) assessment have moved away from the traditional summative forms of grammar-based testing to a formative evaluation of learners’ communicative competence in the target language, they are yet to acknowledge the bilingual status of FL learners in their own right. This paper argues in favour of FL assessment moving to evaluate learners’ complete linguistic repertoires and how they engage in bilingual languaging strategies to make meaning, express themselves as whole individuals, and to learn. It begins with an overview of the assessment trends in both FL and bilingual educational contexts, before examining specific elements of the new standards set down by scholars for holistic language assessment in bilingual classrooms that may be of use to the FL classroom.
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Although the Japanese discourse of nihonjinron argues that the increasing hegemony of the English language will have negative effects on the Japanese identity, some scholars have suggested the opposite, that English in Japan plays a... more
Although the Japanese discourse of nihonjinron argues that the increasing hegemony of the English language will have negative effects on the Japanese identity, some scholars have suggested the opposite, that English in Japan plays a significant role in strengthening and maintaining the ideologies of the Japanese national identity. This paper investigates the potential for both positive and/or negative impacts of English education in Japan by analysing the attitudes and perspectives of 97 Japanese tertiary-level EFL students towards the study of English on Japan's national and cultural identity. The findings suggest that support for the theories of the nihonjinron discourse are not as strong amongst the younger generation in Japan as what they once were. Participants identified the Japanese language as a constituent element of national identity, and it is therefore suggested that removing Japanese from the EFL classroom entirely, as has been advocated for in foreign language policies, may actually cultivate negative ideologies towards the study of English in general. The findings suggest the need to build a positive relationship between the English language as a support for Japanese identity if we are to see an improvement in Japanese students' attitudes toward, and development of, EFL on the whole.
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The aim of this study was to explore the effects of post-reading group discussions in both first (L1) and second (L2) languages on L2 reading comprehension. The participants were fifteen Japanese university students of intermediate-level... more
The aim of this study was to explore the effects of post-reading group discussions in both first (L1) and second (L2) languages on L2 reading comprehension. The participants were fifteen Japanese university students of intermediate-level English. Three cohorts read four English texts and produced individual written recalls. Group 1 (the control group) responded in writing without discussion; group 2 discussed the texts in their L2 (English) before producing written recalls, and group 3 discussed the texts in their L1 (Japanese) before writing their recalls. The findings show that participants in the L1 discussion group used a larger number of higher-order processing and reading strategies than did those in the other two groups, suggesting that L1 group discussions have a positive effect on learners' reading comprehension. The authors make recommendations for teachers to use bilingual teaching strategies and to encourage the strategic use of the L1 in the L2 classroom.
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Although the nihonjinron discourse argues that the increasing hegemony of the English language will have negative effects on the Japanese identity, some scholars have suggested the opposite to also be true. This paper investigates the... more
Although the nihonjinron discourse argues that the increasing hegemony of the English language will have negative effects on the Japanese identity, some scholars have suggested the opposite to also be true. This paper investigates the potential for both positive and/or negative impacts of English education in Japan by analysing the attitudes and perspectives of 97 Japanese tertiary-level EFL students towards the study of English on Japan’s national and cultural identity. The findings suggest that support for the theories of the nihonjinron discourse are not as strong amongst the younger generation in Japan as what they once were. Participants identified the Japanese language as a constituent element of national identity, and it is therefore suggested that removing Japanese from the EFL classroom entirely, as has been advocated for in foreign language policies, may actually develop negative ideologies towards the study of English in general. The findings suggest the need to build a positive relationship between the English language as a support for Japanese identity if we are to see an improvement in Japanese students’ attitudes towards, and development of, EFL on the whole.
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Although the Japanese Government has issued FL policies advocating for EFL classrooms to become more communicative in nature, teachers and students alike have been hesitant to oblige. If significant change is to be seen in students’... more
Although the Japanese Government has issued FL policies advocating for EFL classrooms to become more communicative in nature, teachers and students alike have been hesitant to oblige. If significant change is to be seen in students’ low-level EFL abilities, there is the need for a FL policy/pedagogy that takes in to consideration not only the realities of the Japanese EFL classroom, but also the dominant culture of learning and the values and ideologies imbedded within the minds of the students and teachers acting within said environment. This talk introduces the concept of translanguaging and relevant literature pertaining to my Ph.D. study from multiple perspectives to provide evidence supporting translanguaging as an approach to transform the way in which English is both taught and learned in tertiary EFL classes in Japan.
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This presentation looked at the literature and early stage results of this Ph.D. study to provide evidence supporting the potential of a translanguaging approach to EFL education in Japan, and suggest some of the transformational... more
This presentation looked at the literature and early stage results of this Ph.D. study to provide evidence supporting the potential of a translanguaging approach to EFL education in Japan, and suggest some of the transformational implications a translanguaging approach may have on pedagogical practices and FL learning strategies in similar EFL countries.
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Researchers have, in recent years, despite historically negative views held about the use of learners’ first language (L1) in second language (L2) learning, begun to acknowledge that, because learners access and utilise their L1... more
Researchers have, in recent years, despite historically negative views held about the use of learners’ first language (L1) in second language (L2) learning, begun to acknowledge that, because learners access and utilise their L1 throughout the L2 learning process (Cook, 1992), there is no logical reason why they should avoid its use (Cook, 2001). This realisation, combined with acceptance of the beneficial effects of collaborative group discussions in language learning and reading comprehension (Finlay & Faulkner, 2005), suggests that L1 group discussions may benefit L2 readers (Sweetnam Evans, 2013). This paper reports on a study that compared the effects of L1/L2 group discussions on L2 reading comprehension. Three groups of L1 Japanese participants read four texts before producing written recalls. Group 1 responded in writing without discussion. Group 2 discussed the texts in their L2 (English) and responded in writing. Group 3 discussed the texts in their L1 (Japanese) and responded in writing. The findings show that, overall, participants in group 3 (L1 discussion group), used more higher order processing and reading strategies than participants in groups 1 and 2, and exhibited greater comprehension of the texts overall, suggesting that L1group discussions have a positive effect on learners’ reading comprehension.
References:
Cook, V. (2001). Using the first language in the classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 57(3), 402-423.
Finlay, S. & Faulkner, G. (2005). Tate & Tate: Reading groups and peer learning. Active Learning in Higher Education, 6(1), 32-45.
Sweetnam Evans, M. (2013). A case for using first language group discussions to facilitate second language reading comprehension. International Proceedings of Economics, Development & Research, 68.
References:
Cook, V. (2001). Using the first language in the classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 57(3), 402-423.
Finlay, S. & Faulkner, G. (2005). Tate & Tate: Reading groups and peer learning. Active Learning in Higher Education, 6(1), 32-45.
Sweetnam Evans, M. (2013). A case for using first language group discussions to facilitate second language reading comprehension. International Proceedings of Economics, Development & Research, 68.
Research Interests:
The use of a learner’s first language (L1) in the second language (L2) learning process has long been a highly-debated area in the field of ESL, with negative views prevalent in the majority of modern L2 teaching methods. Recent research... more
The use of a learner’s first language (L1) in the second language (L2) learning process has long been a highly-debated area in the field of ESL, with negative views prevalent in the majority of modern L2 teaching methods. Recent research into the field has shown that a learner’s L1 is in fact a tool at their disposal that can aid and facilitate L2 learning. However, advocates of monolingual teaching strategies and exclusive use of the target language to develop L2 proficiency remain skeptical of L1 use in the L2 classroom, and thus rarely utilize it as an effective teaching tool. This study investigates the views of pre-service, trainee ESL teachers regarding the use of the L1 in L2 learning. The results show that, although some participants were accepting of L1 use in the L2 classroom, their perspectives were generally limited to the functions of translation and explanation, exhibiting a relative lack of knowledge regarding the L1’s other facilitating functions in L2 learning and teaching. More education into L1 use is therefore suggested for ESL teacher training courses, to prepare future ESL teachers to make their own informed decisions on effective L1 use in their classrooms.
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The use of direct methods of second language teaching, and especially the advent of communicative language teaching saw a shift from first language (L1) use to a total avoidance of L1 in the second language (L2) classroom. However,... more
The use of direct methods of second language teaching, and especially the advent of communicative language teaching saw a shift from first language (L1) use to a total avoidance of L1 in the second language (L2) classroom. However, researchers are starting to acknowledge that, because learners access and utilise their L1 throughout the L2 learning process, there is no logical reason why learners should avoid its use (Cook, 1999; 2001). This realisation, combined with acceptance of the beneficial effects of collaborative group discussions in language learning and reading comprehension, and investigations of second language readers’ code-switching in written recalls (Sweetnam Evans and Lee, 2013), suggests that L1 group discussions would benefit L2 readers. This paper reports on a study that compared the effects of L1 and L2 group discussions on L2 reading comprehension. The study was carried out with fifteen native Japanese-speaking undergraduates at the University of Otago with similar levels of English competence. Three groups of participants read four texts before being asked to produce written recalls. Group 1 responded in writing without discussion. Group 2 discussed the texts in L2 (English) and responded in writing. Group 3 discussed the texts in their L1 (Japanese) and responded in writing. The findings show that overall, group discussions had a positive effect on the learners’ reading comprehension compared to the responses and recalls of participants in group 1. Participants in group 3 (who discussed the texts in their L1), used more higher order processing and reading strategies than participants in group 2, and exhibited greater comprehension of the texts overall.
Keywords: reading, comprehension, response recall, group discussion, first language, second language, textual genres.
References:
Cook, V. (1992). Evidence for multicompetence. Language Learning, 42, 557-591.
Cook, V. (2001). Using the first language in the classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 57(3), 402-423.
Sweetnam Evans, M. and Lee, H-R. (2013). Codeswitching by Korean students in New Zealand. In Roger Barnard and James McClellan (Eds.). Code-switching in English medium classes: Case studies and perspectives from East Asian countries. Multilingual Matters.
Keywords: reading, comprehension, response recall, group discussion, first language, second language, textual genres.
References:
Cook, V. (1992). Evidence for multicompetence. Language Learning, 42, 557-591.
Cook, V. (2001). Using the first language in the classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 57(3), 402-423.
Sweetnam Evans, M. and Lee, H-R. (2013). Codeswitching by Korean students in New Zealand. In Roger Barnard and James McClellan (Eds.). Code-switching in English medium classes: Case studies and perspectives from East Asian countries. Multilingual Matters.