Authentic Processing Instruction and the Spanish Subjunctive

1
Authentic Processing Instruction and the Spanish
Subjunctive

• 2001
• Andrew P. Farley

2
Getting Started

• Processing Instruction Structured Input
  Activities Explicit Instruction.
• Meaning-Based Output Instruction Structured
  Output Activities Explicit Instruction.
• Experimental Design Pretest, Posttest, Delayed
  Posttest.
• The Spanish subjunctive Its appearance in
  subordinate clauses after matrix clause
  expressions of doubt/uncertainty.

3
The Nature of the Study

• The comparative effects of Processing Instruction
  and Meaning Based-Output Instruction on
  interpretation and production of
• A. Regular subjunctive forms
• B. Irregular subjunctive forms
• C. Novel subjunctive forms

4
Subjects

• 29 university students
• Fourth semester Spanish course
• Native speakers of English
• No learning disabilities
• No hearing impairments
• All scored below 60 on the pretest.
• Randomly assigned to two treatments
• Processing Instruction
• Meaning-based Output Instructions

5
Treatments PI and MOI

• Two days of instruction
• Processing Instruction Instructional Packet
• 8 structured input activities
• A handout containing explicit information related
  to the subjunctive
• Here, students were required to process and make
  decisions about pre-formed sentences which
  contained subordinate clauses bearing
  present-tense subjunctive forms.
• Meaning-based Output Instruction Instructional
  Packet
• 8 structured output activities
• The same handout containing explicit information
• Here, student were required to create meaning by
  completing sentences via producing subordinate
  clauses containing present-0tense subjunctive
  forms.
• Both activity items were structured so that the
  subjunctive form would be more salient to the
  learner.

6
Processing Instruction activities

• Required the subjects to interpret sentences
  containing subjunctive forms, and the students
  were given feedback as to what the right answers
  were (they were not told why).
• They never produced any subjunctive forms during
  any portion of the treatment.

7
Meaning-based Output activities

• Required the subjects to produce subjunctive verb
  forms or clauses containing a subjunctive form.
• The students were given feedback as to what the
  right answers were (without explaining why).

8
Procedure

• Pretest interpretation task and a production
  tasks administered the first day of instruction
  immediately before treatment.
• Instruction was carried out by two instructors
  who were not the subjects regular teachers.They
  didnt know the nature of teh study and simply
  had to guide the students thorugh the activities.
• Posttest administered a day after the treatment
  and another posttest given one month after the
  treatment.

9

• Research Question 1
• Do PI and MOI result in equal improved
  performance on
• 1. sentence-level tasks involving the
  interpretation of the regular subjunctive forms
  after expressions of doubt?
• 2. sentence-level tasks involving the production
  of the regular subjunctive forms after
  expressions of doubt?

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Descriptive Statistics Regular Forms
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Interpretation of Regular Forms
12
ANOVAInterpretation of Regular Forms
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Production of Regular Forms
14
ANOVAProduction of Regular Forms
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• Conclusion RQ 1
• Do PI and MOI result in equal improved
  performance on
• 1. sentence-level tasks involving the
  interpretation of the regular subjunctive forms
  after expressions of doubt?
• YES
• 2. sentence-level tasks involving the production
  of the regular subjunctive forms after
  expressions of doubt?
• YES

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• Research Question 2
• Do PI and MOI result in equal improved
  performance on
• 1. sentence-level tasks involving the
  interpretation of the irregular subjunctive forms
  after expressions of doubt?
• 2. sentence-level tasks involving the production
  of the irregular subjunctive forms after
  expressions of doubt?

17
Descriptive Statistics Irregular Forms
18
Interpretation of Irregular Forms
19
ANOVAInterpretation of Irregular Forms
20
Production of Irregular Forms
21
ANOVAProduction of Irregular Forms
22

• Conclusion RQ 2
• Do PI and MOI result in equal improved
  performance on
• 1. sentence-level tasks involving the
  interpretation of the irregular subjunctive forms
  after expressions of doubt?
• YES
• 2. sentence-level tasks involving the production
  of the irregular subjunctive forms after
  expressions of doubt?
• YES

23

• Research Question 3
• Do PI and MOI result in equal improved
  performance on
• 1. sentence-level tasks involving the
  interpretation of the novel subjunctive forms
  after expressions of doubt?
• 2. sentence-level tasks involving the production
  of the novel subjunctive forms after expressions
  of doubt?

24
Descriptive Statistics Novel Forms
25
Interpretation of Novel Forms
26
ANOVAInterpretation of Novel Forms
27
Production of Novel Forms
28
ANOVA Production of Novel Forms
29

• Conclusion RQ 3
• Do PI and MOI result in equal improved
  performance on
• 1. sentence-level tasks involving the
  interpretation of the novel subjunctive forms
  after expressions of doubt?
• YES
• 2. sentence-level tasks involving the production
  of the novel subjunctive forms after expressions
  of doubt?
• YES

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SUMMARY PI vs. MOI
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Overall Conclusions

• Both PI and MOI resulted in improved and
  sustained performance with all three verb types.
• There was no statistical difference between the
  PI and MOI groups on any of the three verb types.