Task Complexity, Working Memory And The Perception Of Recasts

Error is inevitable in language learning. How to correct errors is always animportant part in second language acquisition research. As the frequently used andcontroversial strategy, recast is the teacher’s reformulation of all or part of a student’sutterance that contains at least one error within the context of a communicativeactivity in the classroom.Although recast has its own advantages, its effectiveness is still the focus ofarguments for both foreign and Chinese researches. This study is aimed to probe intothe factors which affect the effectiveness of recasts from the cognitive perspective,therefore two distinguished variables are discussed: the task complexity and workingmemory capacity. By analyzing their relationships, this study wants to solve theinfluence of cognitive factors on the perception of recasts.This study chose76junior school students, which were randomly divided intofour groups: recast group with photo support, recast group without photo support,nonrecast group with photo support and nonrecast group without photo support. Allparticipants took part in3weeks treatment sessions.The experimental results are as follows:(1) The two recast groups outperformed the two nonrecast groups concerningthe issue of grammar acquisition, and the posttest results from recast groups werebetter than those from nonrecast groups.(2) The task complexity had a negative relationship with the perception ofrecasts. When the task complexity was increased, participants were easier to ignorerecasts.(3) The working memory capacity had a positive relationship with theperception of recasts. Participants with better working memory capacity were moresuccessful in understanding recasts.These experimental results can provide Chinese junior school English teacherswith some pedagogical implications. Teachers can correct learners’ errors in an implicit way, and they should offer more interactive opportunies for learners whenteaching grammar. Besides, teachers should focus on the influence of peer effect.