The Effects Of Input Modality On Attention And Acquisition Of The Language Forms: A Comparative Study Across Language

It is well acknowledged that input is of great importance in second language acquisition. Input serves as the prerequisite for language acquisition. Reading and listening are two main channels through which learners receive input information so as to promote language learning. The effect of input modality on second language development has attracted enormous attention from researchers both at home and abroad. Which presentation modality might be facilitative in promoting second language learning has become an important question yet remains elusive. In addition, some studies have found that attention plays an important role in SLA. Moreover, it has been found that learners‘ attention distribution might vary under different input modalities and attention might correlate with acquisition to some extent. Therefore, the present study aims at exploring the effect of input modality on learners‘ attention and learning of the target forms across three proficiency levels. Four research questions are thus proposed:1) Will different input modalities influence the learning of the target forms?2)Will second language learners‘ attention to the target forms differ under different input modalities?3)Does the learning of the target forms correlate with learners‘ attention?4)Will the effects vary with language proficiency?A controlled comparison experiment was carried out on a total of 351 subjects: 130 seventh-graders(elementary proficiency level), 128 tenth-graders(intermediate proficiency level), and 93 English major sophomores(high proficiency level). Present progressive ―-ing‖ and regular past ―-ed‖ were chosen as the target forms in the present study. At each proficiency level, subjects were divided into three groups: the visual group, the aural group, and the control group. Three tests were employed to examine subjects‘ knowledge on selected target forms right before and immediately after the experiment. Noticing was measured through the notes which subjects were required to take during the treatment. Questionnaire and stimulated recall were conducted afterwards, which examined subjects‘ background information, self-evaluation concerning the comprehension of the input, and the issue about attention distribution. Two weeks later, all of the subjects received a delayed posttest. During the whole experiment, the control group only took part in the pretest, the immediate posttest, and the delayed posttest. The results are summarized as the following:1) The experimental groups across three proficiency levels made improvements on learning of the target forms in the immediate posttest. At the elementary proficiency level, the visual group did significantly better than the aural group; while at the other two proficiency levels, the visual group outperformed the aural group, but no significant difference was found between the experimental groups. In the delayed posttest, the experimental groups did significantly better than the control group, but no significant difference was found between the visual and the aural group.2) Subjects in the visual group demonstrated greater noticing on the target forms than subjects in the aural group.3) A moderate positive correlation was found between learners‘ attention and their immediate uptake of the target forms in the reconstruction task. However, no significant correlation was found between their attention and acquisition.4) As learners‘ proficiency level developed, their attention to the target forms decreased. Moreover, the gap in learning results between reading and listening decreased. In addition, the relationship between attention and acquisition did not vary with language proficiency.It is inferred from the above findings that the visual modality enjoys an advantage over the aural modality in promoting learners‘ attention and learning of the target forms. Meanwhile, it is worth noting that though the aural modality is less effective in drawing learners‘ attention and promoting their learning, learners‘ listening ability is found to be improved as proficiency level develops. In addition, the relationship between attention and acquisition is not a simple causality, and more attention does not necessarily lead to better acquisition. EFL instructors should choose a proper presentation modality based on learners‘ proficiency level so as to trigger deeper processing of information, which might contribute to better learning outcomes.