Pre-task Planning and Pre-task Planning and Attention to Meaning: Attention to Meaning:

Debilitating or Debilitating or Facilitative?Facilitative?

Lourdes OrtegaLourdes OrtegaUniversity of Hawai‘iUniversity of Hawai‘i

11stst TBLT Conference, Leuven TBLT Conference, LeuvenSeptember 21-23, 2005September 21-23, 2005

L2 pre-task planningL2 pre-task planning

Clear findings:Clear findings:

• ComplexityComplexity• FluencyFluency

Mixed findings:Mixed findings:

• Accuracy??Accuracy??

Planned discourse is more Planned discourse is more accurate only in some accurate only in some studies (e.g., Ellis & studies (e.g., Ellis & Yuan, 2005) but not Yuan, 2005) but not others (Elder & Iwashita, others (Elder & Iwashita, 2005), and with some 2005), and with some measures but not othersmeasures but not others

What are the benefits?What are the benefits?

“…“…extrapolating from extrapolating from performance to performance to acquisitionacquisition”…”…

(Ellis, 2005, p. 17)(Ellis, 2005, p. 17)

““extrapolating from extrapolating from pperformance to erformance to aacquisitioncquisition”:”:

• PP: Improved retrieval and rehearsal : Improved retrieval and rehearsal operations during pre-task planning operations during pre-task planning

• AA: Automatization & : Automatization & proceduralization fostered in the long proceduralization fostered in the long runrun

““extrapolating from extrapolating from pperformance to erformance to aacquisitioncquisition”:”:

• PP: Heightened strategic attention to : Heightened strategic attention to form during pre-task planning form during pre-task planning

• AA: More instance and rule learning : More instance and rule learning opportunities from noticing and opportunities from noticing and hypothesis testing, and from hypothesis testing, and from increased attention to specific increased attention to specific grammatical formsgrammatical forms

““extrapolating from extrapolating from pperformance to erformance to aacquisitioncquisition”:”:

• PP: Syntactic processing during planned : Syntactic processing during planned production (controlled but speeded up production (controlled but speeded up processing, pushed output) processing, pushed output)

• AA: More on-line noticing and hypothesis : More on-line noticing and hypothesis testing, more monitoring, improved testing, more monitoring, improved cue-strengthening and reorganization of cue-strengthening and reorganization of form-function mappingsform-function mappings

Two contrasting SLA Two contrasting SLA positions:positions:

• Meaning-first is a debilitating force in Meaning-first is a debilitating force in L2 learning (information processing L2 learning (information processing theories)theories)

• Meaning-making is a catalyst for L2 Meaning-making is a catalyst for L2 learning (connectionist-emergentist learning (connectionist-emergentist functional theories)functional theories)

Skehan’s (1998, 2002) TBLL Skehan’s (1998, 2002) TBLL model:model:• Limited capacity model of attention: form-Limited capacity model of attention: form-

meaning competitionmeaning competition

• L2 development occurs through L2 development occurs through automatization/proceduralizationautomatization/proceduralization

• The meaning-first “threat”: learners’ The meaning-first “threat”: learners’ inclination for ad hoc solutionsinclination for ad hoc solutions

• Task manipulation needed for balancing Task manipulation needed for balancing tasks’ cognitive complexity, communicative tasks’ cognitive complexity, communicative demands, and focus on accuracydemands, and focus on accuracy

Robinson’s (2001) TBLL Robinson’s (2001) TBLL model:model:• Multiple-resource model of attention: Multiple-resource model of attention:

successful time-shared allocation of successful time-shared allocation of cognitive resources is possiblecognitive resources is possible

• L2 development proceeds via form/function L2 development proceeds via form/function mapping, cue strengthening, chunking, mapping, cue strengthening, chunking, bootstrapping during performancebootstrapping during performance

• Increased cognitive complexity of tasks Increased cognitive complexity of tasks leads to deeper processing and more leads to deeper processing and more attention being directed to input and outputattention being directed to input and output

Today’s data: Post-task interviews with 44 Spanish FL learners in Ortega (1995), (1999), and (2005)

1995 study(n=14, 12 interviewed)

1999 study(n=32, all interviewed)

Proficiency level Low-intermediate:MLU = 3.20 (SD=0.89)

Advanced:MLU=7.92 (SD=2.07)

Planning condition 8 minutes, general planning, L1 story plus pictures

10 minutes, general planning, L1 story plus pictures

Design Repeated-measures, Planned then Unplanned, post-task interviews, peer listener

Repeated-measures, counterbalanced, post-task interviews, peer listener

Linguistic outcomes More fluent and more syntactically and lexically complex narratives with planning, no accuracy differences

More fluent and syntactically complex narratives with planning, no lexical differences, planned narratives more accurate for 1 of 2 measures

Reported benefits of Reported benefits of planning:planning:

Having extra time & Having extra time & writing notes writing notes helped to:helped to:

• Organize thoughtsOrganize thoughts• Formulate thoughtsFormulate thoughts• Help lexical Help lexical

retrievalretrieval• Practice/rehearsePractice/rehearse• Improve content & Improve content &

lexical choicelexical choice

But writing notes But writing notes also facilitated a also facilitated a focus on form:focus on form:

• Help grammatical Help grammatical retrievalretrieval

• Help monitor Help monitor grammargrammar

Grammatical retrieval:Grammatical retrieval:

I was able to figure out which I was able to figure out which conjugationsconjugations I could use [99002] I could use [99002]

I could see where I was supposed to put I could see where I was supposed to put articlesarticles and that stuff [99006] and that stuff [99006]

When I was writing it’s like I When I was writing it’s like I remembered the remembered the subjuntivosubjuntivo, so I used , so I used it [99015] it [99015]

Monitoring strategies:Monitoring strategies:Total sample(n=44)

Monitoring Strategy types Raw Percent

1. Production monitoring 33 75%

2. Monitoring impact on listener

19 43%

3. Auditory monitoring 10 23%

4. Visual monitoring 7 16%

5. Cross-language monitoring 4 9%

6. Style monitoring 5 11%

7. Double-check monitoring 2 4%

Orientation to listener’s Orientation to listener’s needs:needs:Sensitivity to peer’s Sensitivity to peer’s

needs led speakers to needs led speakers to prioritize meaning:prioritize meaning:

• Structured organization Structured organization of contentof content

• Keeping Keeping language/vocabulary language/vocabulary simplesimple

• Keep going (reluctance Keep going (reluctance to stop and self-correct)to stop and self-correct)

• Slowing down to buy Slowing down to buy time for listenertime for listener

But the presence of a But the presence of a listener also facilitated listener also facilitated a focus on form:a focus on form:

• Attention to grammar Attention to grammar that is essential for that is essential for listener’s listener’s understandingunderstanding

Meaning-essential Meaning-essential grammar:grammar:‘‘Cause there were two of them [two people Cause there were two of them [two people

in the story], so I had to make it in the in the story], so I had to make it in the ellosellos {they} form, I don’t know. {they} form, I don’t know. [...] ...’Cause I think that [...] ...’Cause I think that that would have that would have helped her, cause she would know how helped her, cause she would know how many people were there in the picturemany people were there in the picture and and stuff. [95012]stuff. [95012]

[in the third story, planned] I didn't care [in the third story, planned] I didn't care anymore about making mistakes, but then anymore about making mistakes, but then not like mistakes where you use the wrong not like mistakes where you use the wrong verb tense or the totally wrong word verb tense or the totally wrong word and and you throw the person offyou throw the person off. [99009]. [99009]

A tension between A tension between attention to meaning & attention to meaning & form? Not really…form? Not really…• TrueTrue, many learners prioritized getting the , many learners prioritized getting the

message across to the listener over being message across to the listener over being accurate, fluent, or complex, and…accurate, fluent, or complex, and…

• ……this listener orientation may have deterred this listener orientation may have deterred learners from engaging in propositional, lexical, learners from engaging in propositional, lexical, and/or syntactic complexity and it may have made and/or syntactic complexity and it may have made some speakers avoid self-corrections during online some speakers avoid self-corrections during online performance and pressured them to prioritize performance and pressured them to prioritize fluency over accuracy…fluency over accuracy…

• At the same timeAt the same time, it also led to a heightened , it also led to a heightened process of meaning-form mapping, by priming process of meaning-form mapping, by priming many learners to attend to certain aspects of many learners to attend to certain aspects of grammar that were perceived as essential for the grammar that were perceived as essential for the listener’s understanding listener’s understanding

Furthermore…Furthermore…

• Many learners exploited different Many learners exploited different funds of explicit knowledge to guide funds of explicit knowledge to guide their strategic behavior during their strategic behavior during planning…planning…

• … … and they also paid attention to and they also paid attention to formal aspects of the language of low formal aspects of the language of low communicative valuecommunicative value

Attention to form drawing Attention to form drawing from explicit grammar from explicit grammar knowledge:knowledge:Like if the verb was Like if the verb was invitar invitar I’d go, I’d go, -o-o -as-as -a-a ... ...

invitainvita [I: So you would actually go through the [I: So you would actually go through the verbs?] Yeah. I do that all the time. And I want verbs?] Yeah. I do that all the time. And I want to make sure that I got at least the right to make sure that I got at least the right person.” [95011]person.” [95011]

Like Like that personalthat personal a a thing thing {rule for prepositional {rule for prepositional marking of human direct object} and, you marking of human direct object} and, you know, the know, the possessive adjectivespossessive adjectives and, and, the verb the verb tensestenses, saying them right, , saying them right, and gender and gender agreementagreement, things like that. And like , things like that. And like serser and and estarestar, when to use those, when to use those... Yeah, I was thinking ... Yeah, I was thinking of that as well as trying to say it. [95006] of that as well as trying to say it. [95006]

Attention to grammar of Attention to grammar of low communicative value:low communicative value:• Reflexive verbsReflexive verbs: The grammar and stuff too, I don’t : The grammar and stuff too, I don’t

know how to put it, like know how to put it, like se preocupa muchose preocupa mucho {s/he worries {s/he worries a lot}? a lot}? it worriesit worries, I know it’s supposed to mean , I know it’s supposed to mean it worries it worries themthem so I guess it is so I guess it is le preocupale preocupa {he worries}, but I get {he worries}, but I get that confused a lot, like even if I wanted to say that confused a lot, like even if I wanted to say the boys the boys hit the ballhit the ball, would it be , would it be se peganse pegan {they hit each other} or {they hit each other} or would it just be would it just be peganpegan {they hit} [99003] {they hit} [99003]

• ArticlesArticles: [I: What did you do during the preparation : [I: What did you do during the preparation time?] I wrote all the story [laughs] cause then I can see time?] I wrote all the story [laughs] cause then I can see like where I was supposed to put articles and that stuff so like where I was supposed to put articles and that stuff so if I can see it then it’s a little easier for me, so that was if I can see it then it’s a little easier for me, so that was better [99006]better [99006]

• SubjunctiveSubjunctive: When I said "están contentos que hayan..." : When I said "están contentos que hayan..." I remembered that you have to use subjuntivo for some I remembered that you have to use subjuntivo for some kind of opinion or emotion [I: Did you remember that kind of opinion or emotion [I: Did you remember that when you were writing?] Right, yeah, when I was writing when you were writing?] Right, yeah, when I was writing it's like I remembered it, so I used it. [99015]it's like I remembered it, so I used it. [99015]

What to make of these What to make of these findings?findings?

• The interviews findings challenge a The interviews findings challenge a dichotomy between “attention to dichotomy between “attention to form” versus “attention to form” versus “attention to meaning”…meaning”…

• ……during meaningful second during meaningful second language production (and when language production (and when preparing for it) learners engaged in preparing for it) learners engaged in solving form-in-meaning problemssolving form-in-meaning problems

• In spite of holding a meaning-In spite of holding a meaning-oriented interpretation of the task (or oriented interpretation of the task (or perhaps more precisely because of perhaps more precisely because of it), learners paid attention to form it), learners paid attention to form during planning without any specific during planning without any specific instructions to do soinstructions to do so

Two articulated positions in Two articulated positions in TBLLTBLL

• Focus on FormS Focus on FormS (Skehan, (Skehan, VanPatten):VanPatten):

Debilitating attention Debilitating attention to meaningto meaning

• Focus on Form Focus on Form (Long, Robinson, (Long, Robinson, Doughty):Doughty):

Facilitative attention Facilitative attention to form-in-meaningto form-in-meaning

Are they incommensurate?Are they incommensurate?

• The two positions may be closer than we The two positions may be closer than we typically recognize: VanPatten’s (2002) typically recognize: VanPatten’s (2002) Input Processing Instruction is crucially Input Processing Instruction is crucially based on the assumption that learners will based on the assumption that learners will best learn a new form when they are best learn a new form when they are forced to pay attention to certain formal forced to pay attention to certain formal properties properties while processing it while processing it meaningfullymeaningfully……

• ……May we all be talking, at some basic May we all be talking, at some basic level, about the same form-in-meaning level, about the same form-in-meaning qualities of optimal language processing qualities of optimal language processing and language learning?and language learning?

ConclusionConclusion• How well can our ‘form’ and ‘meaning’ How well can our ‘form’ and ‘meaning’

metaphors serve us in furthering task-metaphors serve us in furthering task-based language learning research?based language learning research?

• Moving beyond metaphors and into Moving beyond metaphors and into psycholinguistically and sociocognitively psycholinguistically and sociocognitively plausible constructs is necessaryplausible constructs is necessary

• Mixed-methods research where data are Mixed-methods research where data are triangulated can yield findings that help triangulated can yield findings that help us expand our TBLL/TBLT research us expand our TBLL/TBLT research programsprograms