Vortrag

Sapna Sehgal (University of Barcelona, Ph.D. Candidate; Research directors: Prof. Dr. Joan C. Mora & Prof. Dr. Raquel Serrano) A talk for the ↗︎ Virtual Laboratory on Cognitive Approaches to L2 Instruction: Bridging Theory, Research and Practice August 11, 2020, 16:00–17:30 Central European time (e.g. Berlin, Paris, Rome) Access to the ↗︎ virtual room without registration Password (if required): HEIDELBERG

Abstract

Study abroad (SA) literature has shown that the SA context generally allows learners to improve their L2 oral fluency, although some become more fluent than others in the same program (see Collentine & Freed, 2004; Martinsen, Baker, Dewey, Bown & Johnson, 2010; Briggs, 2015). A cognitive science approach to fluency allows to explore the underlying cognitive processes (cognitive fluency) contributing to speech skills development and to address individual differences in L2 fluency (Segalowitz, 2016; Segalowitz 2010).

52 American English learners of Spanish studying abroad completed L1 and L2 narrative speech elicitation tasks, three inhibitory control tasks, a vocabulary test, and a questionnaire at the beginning and end of their stay. The talk presents the results of this study and focus on two aspects:

• changes in L2 utterance fluency (speed, silent pausing behaviour, filled pauses, elongations, repairs, repetitions) and
• cognitive factors of L2 oral fluency development. Cognitive fluency is measured by inhibitory control – the ability to suppress one action while performing the other. Speakers suppress L1 information when speaking the L2. While cognitive skills such as working memory have been previously explored in the SA context, inhibitory control is largely unexplored.

Contrary to expectations, few fluency gains were found. Inhibitory control ability was generally not shown to change at post-test, although a language switching task did show participants switched faster into Spanish at post-test than pre-test. Results show no significant relationship between performance on inhibitory control tests and fluency gains for most measures. Possible interpretations of the result point to the importance of understanding the individual L2 learner’s experience in study abroad programs. Research on multiple aspects of cognitive fluency is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind L2 oral fluency development and explain individual differences in L2 speech.

Bio

Sapna Sehgal completed her MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Oxford (2013), where she investigated speaking fluency development for L2 learners of French on short, intensive study abroad programs in France. She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching ESL from McGill University (2011) and a BCom from the University of Alberta in Canada (2007).

Her current research focuses on individual differences in the development of L2 oral fluency in the study-abroad context for L1 English learners of Spanish, with a focus on inhibitory control and study abroad experience factors.

Recommended literature

Inhibitory control in L2 acquisition and bilingualism

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Pivneva, I., Palmer, C. & Titone, D. (2012). Inhibitory control and L2 proficiency modulate bilingual language production: Evidence from spontaneous monologue and dialogue speech. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 57.

L2 oral fluency

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