An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns

Sanmao Zhu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11

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An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns

Sanmao Zhu^*

Published in International Journal of English Teaching and Learning (Volume 2, Issue 2)

Received: 18 June 2024 Accepted: 9 July 2024 Published: 20 August 2024

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Abstract

This study examines whether explicit pedagogical instructions of multimodal strategies based on typological contrastive analysis have any facilitative effect on the restructuring of “thinking for speaking” patterns, focusing on motion event construal which has been demonstrated to be notoriously difficult in second language acquisition (Hendriks and Hickmann 2011, Slobin 1996). Eighty adult Chinese intermediate-level EFL learners were recruited for a classroom-based quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Teaching TFS instructions with awareness enhancement strategies as an independent variable divided the participants into two groups, the experimental group that received instructions and control group that followed a traditional teaching approach over a period of 4 weeks. Writing data were elicited by means of the Frog Story and was coded on specific measures of accuracy and complexity of the properties of lexicalization patterns: the description of Motion, Path and Ground. The results showed positive instructional effect on learners’ writing performance of motion event expression and confirmed the possibility of restructuring L1 thinking-for-speaking patterns in L2 through pedagogical instructions. The findings provide practical implications for teachers, typological contrastive awareness and explicit pedagogical instructions prove to be significant for learners’ development of L2 thinking for speaking patterns.

Published in	International Journal of English Teaching and Learning (Volume 2, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11
Page(s)	18-29
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Motion Events, L1/L2 Thinking-For-Speaking (Tfs) Patterns, Chinese Efl Learners, Typological Contrastive Analysis, Explicit Pedagogical Instructions

References

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[31]	Zeng Y & Bai J. H (2014). A Study on Chinese Students' Acquisition of English Motion Event Expressions. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching 273: 44-48 https://doi.org/10.13458/j.cnki.flatt.004396

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APA Style

Zhu, S. (2024). An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns. International Journal of English Teaching and Learning, 2(2), 18-29. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11

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ACS Style

Zhu, S. An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns. Int. J. Engl. Teach. Learn. 2024, 2(2), 18-29. doi: 10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11

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AMA Style

Zhu S. An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns. Int J Engl Teach Learn. 2024;2(2):18-29. doi: 10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11,
  author = {Sanmao Zhu},
  title = {An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns
},
  journal = {International Journal of English Teaching and Learning},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {18-29},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijetl.20240202.11},
  abstract = {This study examines whether explicit pedagogical instructions of multimodal strategies based on typological contrastive analysis have any facilitative effect on the restructuring of “thinking for speaking” patterns, focusing on motion event construal which has been demonstrated to be notoriously difficult in second language acquisition (Hendriks and Hickmann 2011, Slobin 1996). Eighty adult Chinese intermediate-level EFL learners were recruited for a classroom-based quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Teaching TFS instructions with awareness enhancement strategies as an independent variable divided the participants into two groups, the experimental group that received instructions and control group that followed a traditional teaching approach over a period of 4 weeks. Writing data were elicited by means of the Frog Story and was coded on specific measures of accuracy and complexity of the properties of lexicalization patterns: the description of Motion, Path and Ground. The results showed positive instructional effect on learners’ writing performance of motion event expression and confirmed the possibility of restructuring L1 thinking-for-speaking patterns in L2 through pedagogical instructions. The findings provide practical implications for teachers, typological contrastive awareness and explicit pedagogical instructions prove to be significant for learners’ development of L2 thinking for speaking patterns.
},
 year = {2024}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns

AU  - Sanmao Zhu
Y1  - 2024/08/20
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11
T2  - International Journal of English Teaching and Learning
JF  - International Journal of English Teaching and Learning
JO  - International Journal of English Teaching and Learning
SP  - 18
EP  - 29
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2997-2566
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11
AB  - This study examines whether explicit pedagogical instructions of multimodal strategies based on typological contrastive analysis have any facilitative effect on the restructuring of “thinking for speaking” patterns, focusing on motion event construal which has been demonstrated to be notoriously difficult in second language acquisition (Hendriks and Hickmann 2011, Slobin 1996). Eighty adult Chinese intermediate-level EFL learners were recruited for a classroom-based quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Teaching TFS instructions with awareness enhancement strategies as an independent variable divided the participants into two groups, the experimental group that received instructions and control group that followed a traditional teaching approach over a period of 4 weeks. Writing data were elicited by means of the Frog Story and was coded on specific measures of accuracy and complexity of the properties of lexicalization patterns: the description of Motion, Path and Ground. The results showed positive instructional effect on learners’ writing performance of motion event expression and confirmed the possibility of restructuring L1 thinking-for-speaking patterns in L2 through pedagogical instructions. The findings provide practical implications for teachers, typological contrastive awareness and explicit pedagogical instructions prove to be significant for learners’ development of L2 thinking for speaking patterns.

VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Sanmao Zhu

School of English and Education, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6103-734X

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Zhu, S. (2024). An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns. International Journal of English Teaching and Learning, 2(2), 18-29. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11

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ACS Style

Zhu, S. An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns. Int. J. Engl. Teach. Learn. 2024, 2(2), 18-29. doi: 10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11

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AMA Style

Zhu S. An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns. Int J Engl Teach Learn. 2024;2(2):18-29. doi: 10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11,
  author = {Sanmao Zhu},
  title = {An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns
},
  journal = {International Journal of English Teaching and Learning},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {18-29},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijetl.20240202.11},
  abstract = {This study examines whether explicit pedagogical instructions of multimodal strategies based on typological contrastive analysis have any facilitative effect on the restructuring of “thinking for speaking” patterns, focusing on motion event construal which has been demonstrated to be notoriously difficult in second language acquisition (Hendriks and Hickmann 2011, Slobin 1996). Eighty adult Chinese intermediate-level EFL learners were recruited for a classroom-based quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Teaching TFS instructions with awareness enhancement strategies as an independent variable divided the participants into two groups, the experimental group that received instructions and control group that followed a traditional teaching approach over a period of 4 weeks. Writing data were elicited by means of the Frog Story and was coded on specific measures of accuracy and complexity of the properties of lexicalization patterns: the description of Motion, Path and Ground. The results showed positive instructional effect on learners’ writing performance of motion event expression and confirmed the possibility of restructuring L1 thinking-for-speaking patterns in L2 through pedagogical instructions. The findings provide practical implications for teachers, typological contrastive awareness and explicit pedagogical instructions prove to be significant for learners’ development of L2 thinking for speaking patterns.
},
 year = {2024}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Empirical Study of the Teachability and Learnability of L2 “Thinking for Speaking” Patterns

AU  - Sanmao Zhu
Y1  - 2024/08/20
PY  - 2024
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11
T2  - International Journal of English Teaching and Learning
JF  - International Journal of English Teaching and Learning
JO  - International Journal of English Teaching and Learning
SP  - 18
EP  - 29
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2997-2566
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijetl.20240202.11
AB  - This study examines whether explicit pedagogical instructions of multimodal strategies based on typological contrastive analysis have any facilitative effect on the restructuring of “thinking for speaking” patterns, focusing on motion event construal which has been demonstrated to be notoriously difficult in second language acquisition (Hendriks and Hickmann 2011, Slobin 1996). Eighty adult Chinese intermediate-level EFL learners were recruited for a classroom-based quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. Teaching TFS instructions with awareness enhancement strategies as an independent variable divided the participants into two groups, the experimental group that received instructions and control group that followed a traditional teaching approach over a period of 4 weeks. Writing data were elicited by means of the Frog Story and was coded on specific measures of accuracy and complexity of the properties of lexicalization patterns: the description of Motion, Path and Ground. The results showed positive instructional effect on learners’ writing performance of motion event expression and confirmed the possibility of restructuring L1 thinking-for-speaking patterns in L2 through pedagogical instructions. The findings provide practical implications for teachers, typological contrastive awareness and explicit pedagogical instructions prove to be significant for learners’ development of L2 thinking for speaking patterns.

VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download