Slide 2 A mixed-methods study of vocabulary- related strategic
behaviour in informal second language contact Saturday 17 th
October 2015 [email protected] Slide 3 Informal L2
Contact: the What, the Why and the Who Outside of class; beyond
institutional guidance Emergent contextual shift in SLA In L2
English learning: EFL, ESL, SA, EAL, economic migrants, refugees
Slide 4 Strategic Behaviour in Informal L2 Contact Qualitative
evidence Huebner (1995); Miller & Ginsberg (1995) Briggs (2014)
Quantitative evidence Kojic-Sabo & Lightbown (1999) Lafford
(2004) Segalowitz, Freed, Collentine, Lafford, Lazar &
Daz-Campos (2005) Adams (2006) Slide 5 Research Questions 1.What
vocabulary-related strategies that are available for use in
informal L2 contact do study abroad learners identify with most?
2.How are vocabulary-related strategies manifested in informal L2
contact by study abroad learners? Slide 6 Sample N=241 adult,
mixed-L1 SALA learners of English 7 UK language institutions for
6-20 weeks 41% male; 59% female Max. 25 hrs p/w instruction =
majority of time outside of the classroom Minimum CEFR B1 (low
intermediate) Slide 7 Instrumentation 1.Strategies questionnaire
Cognitive operationalisation (Macaro, 2006) 28 items (Schmitt,
1997; Nation, 2001; Gu & Johnson, 1996; Oxford, 1990) 5-point
how true of me scale 2.Opportunities With Language Simulator (OWLS)
8 computer-based simulations of informal L2 contact scenarios, each
including target word/phrase predicted to prompt strategic
behaviour Slide 8 Questionnaire Slide 9 Slide 10 Slide 11 Slide 12
Interview Schedule What are you thinking in this situation? Whats
happening in your head? What would you do here? How exactly would
you do that? Can you give me an example? Why would you do that? How
do you think that would be helpful to you? Would you do anything
else? If yes, what? Slide 13 Procedure Questionnaire n=241
administered after 2+ weeks OWLS interviews n=36 (18 matched pairs)
approx. 2 weeks after questionnaire: simulations + interview
schedule Slide 14 QUAN Analyses Cronbachs Alpha (.818) Means to
determine strategies most identified with EFA to reveal underlying
structure Slide 15 QUAL Analyses Individual strategies coded into 5
categories: 1.Planning 2.Individual determination of meaning
3.Interactive determination of meaning 4.Memorisation
5.Metacognition Combinations of strategies (clusters & chains
as defined in Briggs, 2016) Slide 16 QUAN Findings What
vocabulary-related strategies that are available for use in
informal L2 contact do study abroad learners identify with most?
Most identified with = basic word-meaning repetition/connection:
Lawson & Hogben (1996) EFA revealed 5 underlying factors
(ranked): 1.Cognitive Action strategies (solitary, cognitive prep.
for use) 2. Appraisal strategies (making judgments) 3. Visual
Reference strategies (using visual info.) 4. Establishment
strategies (basis from which to work) 5. Context Provision
strategies (linguistic situating) Slide 17 QUAL Findings How are
vocabulary-related strategies manifested in informal L2 contact?
Individual strategy use + Individual determination of meaning
-Memorisation and Metacognition Scenario 5 = most strategic
responses; most combinations (esp. chains) Slide 18 Simulation 5
(1) Individual: Planning Participant: If the sound I heard I like,
I try to, to find the meaning of the word, but if is something is
common or something that I not interesting, yes, I dont care, but
if I like, I try to find the correct meaning and the correct words.
Slide 19 Simulation 5 (2) Individual: Memorisation Participant: I
dont know this word exactly. Vain, like ego? Interviewer: Yes! P:
Ahhh, okay, okay, I know. Negative. I think Japanese is a little
vain because Japanese can, er, some Japanese make up in the train,
or... I: Yeah? Some British people do that! P: Oh really? So, um,
my mother said if you make up in the train at foreign countries,
um, its too rude, so I thought it is not good, not good to, but
Japan is not so rude maybe, ah, I can remember this word now. Slide
20 Simulation 5 (2) Combination: Chains Participant: If I like this
song, I will search the Internet. Interviewer: Where? What website?
P: Mmm, Google. If I know the title, I search the title. Or if I
know the singer, I search the singers information in the Internet.
I: And if you dont know the title or the singer? P: I will listen
many times and, so, gradually I can understand the words but if I
cant understand the meaning of them, so I search the learn word in
the Internet. Slide 21 Discussion (1) Cognitive Action strategies
(strategies that are solitary, solely cognitive and comprise
preparation for using the lexical item) 1.Use the item in a
sentence as soon as possible 2.Connect the item to a personal
experience* 3.Think of situations in which to use the item* 4.Think
of words/phrases in English that have a similar/opposite meaning
5.Repeat the item in my head to help me remember it* 6.Remember the
item to ask someone later for the meaning* 7.Think of a picture in
my head to help remember the meaning 8.Imagine how the item is
spelled Slide 22 Discussion (2) + Individual Determination
-Memorisation/Metacognition Learner-, context- and task-specific
nature of strategic behaviour in informal contact (Chamot, 2004;
Macaro, 2004; Takeuchi, Griffiths & Coyle, 2007; Briggs 2014)
Slide 23 Extended model of influencing factors in strategic
behaviour in informal L2 contact Slide 24 Extending the
conceptualisation of learner strategy application What does the
OWLS data tell us re strategic behaviour in informal L2 contact?
Macaros (2004:4) algorithm for learner strategy application: IF in
a learning situation X, AND when the learning goal is Y, THEN try
mental action Z. Extension specific to informal contact: IF L1 is
T, AND when in cultural context U, AND in scenario V, AND when
contextual intention is W, IF meets lexical item X, AND strategic
intention is Y, THEN try strategic action Z. Slide 25 References
(1) Adams, R. (2006). Language learning strategies in the study
abroad context. In M.A. Dufon & E. Churchill (Eds.), Language
learners in study abroad contexts. Clevedon, England: Multilingual
Matters (pp. 25992). Briggs, J.G. (2014). A context-specific
research tool to probe the out-of-class vocabulary-related
strategies of study-abroad learners. International Journal of
Applied Linguistics. DOI: 10.1111/ijal.12070. Briggs, J.G. (2016).
A mixed-methods study of vocabulary-related strategic behaviour in
informal second language contact. Study Abroad Research in Second
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programs. In B.F. Freed (Ed.), Second language acquisition in a
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contexts of learning: Study Abroad and the regular academic
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(2007). Applying strategies to contexts: the role of individual,
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