Awwad, A, Tavakoli, P and Wright, CEM orcid.org/0000-0003-3962-7903 (2017) "I think that’s what he’s doing": Effects of intentional reasoning on second language (L2) speech performance. System, 67. pp. 158-169. ISSN 0346-251X
Abstract
This study advances our understanding of the effects of task design on task complexity and second language (L2) performance. The research reported here focused on examining the impact of degree of intentional reasoning, operationalised at two levels of task content and task instructions, on language performance and perceptions of task difficulty. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study drew on quantitative and qualitative data collected from 20 Jordanian L2 learners performing video-based oral narratives and completing retrospective questionnaires. The results suggest that intentional reasoning has a noticeable effect in generating more syntactically complex and accurate language, and also influences perceptions of task difficulty. However, a higher intentional reasoning demand is associated with less lexical diversity and inconsistent patterns of fluency. An important finding of the study is that the link between the cognitive demands and the language used to convey intentional reasoning should be carefully considered when selecting analytic measures of complexity and accuracy. The implications of these findings for two most widely-used models of task complexity, i.e. Cognition Hypothesis (Robinson, 2007) and Limited Capacity model (Skehan, 2009) are discussed.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper published in System. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Task complexity; Intentional reasoning; Second language; Speech performance; Task-based language teaching |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > Linguistics & Phonetics (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 May 2017 11:33 |
Last Modified: | 11 May 2019 00:40 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.system.2017.05.002 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:116313 |