| Research studies have supported the natural occurrence of self-repair behavior in normal and disordered native language of adults and children, but little research is available on second language learners. This study answered two questions: (1) Is the hypothesized order of complexity of self-repair supported by the percentage data in the pretest and posttest? and (2) are students who study abroad significantly different in their repair behavior than those who do not? Both the treatment and control groups were literate university-level students of Spanish. The treatment group (N = 24) studied Conversational Spanish in an immersion program at La Salle University, Cancun (ULSA). The control group (N = 9) completed the same course at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Both groups participated in pretest and posttest interviews, completed a demographic questionnaire, and were assessed by an outside evaluator through the Oral Proficiency Interview and ACTFL Oral Proficiency Guidelines. The instances of self-repair were analyzed through category counts and percentages to determine the effectiveness of the hierarchy. Results showed that the hypothesized hierarchy was not appropriate, but an adjusted hierarchy more closely mirrored the order revealed by the percentages.; In Question 2, results from an ANCOVA analysis revealed that the treatment group used significantly less Language Switch but more Word Form Search. Analysis of self-repair behaviors will help teachers of second languages become aware of the diminishing presence of language switching and increased use of word form search in the speech of their students. Teachers will view the process of acquiring a second language as a developing process. |
