Sociocultural Theory and the Teaching of Second Languages - James P. Lantolf
8 French as a Second Language: University Students Learn the Grammatical Concept of Voice: Study Design, Materials Development, and Pilot Data
Sociocultural Theory and the Teaching of Second Languages - James P. Lantolf
Sharon Lapkin [+]
University of Toronto Scarborough
View Website
Merrill Swain [+]
University of Toronto
Ibtissem Knouzi [+]
University of Toronto
Description
The next chapter in this subsection, by Lapkin, Swain and Knouzi, ‘French as a Second Language University Students Learn the Grammatical Concept of Voice: Study Design, Materials Development and Pilot Data’ reports on a study inspired by Negueruela’s (2003) dissertation. The study focuses on only one aspect of CBI as implemented by Negueruela – the importance of verbalization of the concept as part of the internalization process. In addition to the SCT-informed work of Negueruela, Lapkin et al. also point out that empirical, atheoretical research in science and math education report positive effects when learners explained complex concepts to themselves aloud. In the study, the authors developed an explanation of the grammatical concept of voice in French. Intermediate-level university students of the language were trained to self-explain, exposed to a text with sentences in the active, passive and middle voices in the language and were asked to talk their way through an explanation of the concept. The researchers then administered an immediate and delayed posttest to the students. Interviews conducted with the students along with the pilot data suggest that learning occurred and that students perceived this approach to be an effective way to learn.