Browsing by Author "O'Brien, Mary"
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- ItemOpen AccessCritical Discourse Analysis: The Impact the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test has on ESL Teachers’ Teaching Practices and Work Environments(2016) Singh, Sukhdaiyal; Gereluk, Dianne; Abbott, Marilyn; Jacobsen, Michele; Spencer, Brenda; O'Brien, MaryThe Ontario Ministry of Education has implemented the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) as a means to assess whether students have mastered basic literacy at the grade 9 level. Much research has focused on the process of language acquisition and the impact standardized testing has on English language learners (ELLs). The domain of inquiry for this thesis is the way in which the OSSLT impacts teachers’ decisions as they prepare ELLs for the OSSLT, as well as how the privileging of knowledge influences teachers’ curricular practices and work environment. In this thesis, I draw upon critical discourse analysis to consider how issues of (a) power and dominance, (b) discourse access, (c) social cognition, and (d) discourse structure are at play for teachers when preparing ELLs for the OSSLT.
- ItemOpen AccessCross-linguistic Differences and The Role Of Working Memory in Processing Double-embedded Relative Clausesed relative clauses(2016) Lisanik, Martin; O'Brien, Mary; Sedivy, Julie; Pexman, PennyEnglish double-embedded clauses, from which the middle verb is omitted, are often perceived as grammatically correct and processed faster than clauses with all mandatory verbs. This phenomenon is called Grammaticality Illusion (GI). It has been hypothesised that this effect occurs as a result of a failing working memory. This is because such sentences require the reader to keep several incomplete dependencies in working memory (WM). GI has been consistently found in languages like French and English, but not in German. This led to the assumptions that if GI is caused by failing WM: German native speakers and potentially proficient speakers of German might therefore have a more robust WM. This thesis examines the role of WM in the processing of the double-embedded clauses. It also focuses on the differences in the processing of these clauses among participants in three groups: English-German bilinguals, English monolinguals and German native speakers.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Effects of Captions in Audiovisual Materials on L2 Learners' Listening Skills(2022-05-10) Peltekov, Petar; O'Brien, Mary; Cai, Wei; Amedegnato, OzoufWhile captions in audiovisual materials are designed primarily for viewers who cannot hear the audio, they are also frequently used as a learning tool by second language (L2) learners. The beneficial effects of captions on vocabulary learning are well-documented in previous literature. However, it is less clear what effects captions may have on learners’ listening skills. To address this question, the present study examined the effectiveness of captioned and uncaptioned videos on L2 learners of German during a semester-long experiment. One group of learners (i.e., Group A, N=14) were exposed to captioned videos for five weeks, followed by five weeks of exposure to uncaptioned videos. Other learners (i.e., Group B, N=10) saw the same videos but in a reversed condition (without captions for the fist half of the semester and with captions for the second half). A series of tests (i.e., speech segmentation and word recognition tests, listening comprehension tests, caption reliance tests) were administered at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the semester. In addition, participants completed tests of overall proficiency, reading efficiency, learning styles, and working memory capacity. Moreover, their caption reading behaviours were recorded using eye-tracking technology. Finally, participants completed surveys and oral interviews to share their impressions of the effectiveness of captioned and uncaptioned videos. The results showed that there were no significant between-group differences in the rates of listening development. Group A showed a significant improvement in speech segmentation ability from the beginning until the end of the semester, suggesting the beneficial effects of watching captioned videos before uncaptioned videos. Individual differences in listening development were related to reading efficiency and time spent reading the captions, among other learner variables. Learners had generally positive perceptions about the effectiveness of captions in L2 video materials. The results have important teaching implications.
- ItemOpen AccessEffects of the Use of Ultrasound in Production Training on the Perception of English /r/ and /l/ by Native Japanese Speakers(2013-10-02) Tateishi, Miwako; Curtin, Suzanne; O'Brien, MarySpeech sound contrasts in second languages can be difficult for adult language learners to perceive. Numerous studies have been conducted to examine which training methods can improve perception of non-native sound contrasts. This study investigates whether production training using ultrasound as visual feedback leads to improved production and perception of non-native sound contrasts. To this end, Japanese learners of English who were beginning ESL students were trained to accurately produce English /r/ and /l/. During the training, learners were shown ultrasound images. Before and after the training, they underwent perception tests to identify whether or not the production training was successful. Results showed that the production of /l/ potentially improved. However, this did not lead to improved perception of the phoneme. Moreover, the learners’ improvements varied in degree and modality. Thus, the results indicate that perception and production undergo a different developmental course with considerable individual variation.
- ItemOpen AccessFrom phonology to syntax — and back again: Hierarchical structure in Irish and Blackfoot(2017) Windsor, Joseph W.; Flynn, Darin; Ritter, Elizabeth; de Cuba, Carlos; O'Brien, Mary; McGillivray, Murray; Bennett, RyanThe interface between phonology and syntax is a tool that can be used to provide additional evidence for study in one grammatical component or the other. Through understanding how these components interact, one can use syntactic constituent structure to control for prosodic confounds in experimentation. Conversely, one can use phonological evidence to decide between competing syntactic analyses. In ideal cases, phonological and syntactic evidence can be used in tandem, allowing converging evidence to reinforce a hypothesis. In this dissertation, I undertake three case studies to highlight: i. how a knowledge of syntactic constituent structure can increase control over prosodic variables and enable more efficient phonological research; ii. how an understanding of prosodic constituent structure can be used to motivate an underlying syntactic structure at spell-out and enable analysis of morphosyntactic features and operations before spell-out; and, iii. how the use of phonological and syntactic study in tandem can help rule out competing analyses. The first case study utilizes an analysis of syntactic constituent structure to control for different levels of prosodic prominence. The analysis of prominence made possible by syntactic assumptions allows the establishment of a hypothesis into the origins of a stress-shift phenomenon in one dialect of Irish. The second case study correlates observable sound alternations to prosodic boundaries and morpho-syntactic categories in Blackfoot. The analysis of prosodic structure facilitates the formation of a hypothesis about suffixation that is suggested to be the result of syntactic agreement, rather than head-movement operations. The third case study uses the phonological and syntactic analyses from both of the preceding studies and applies those findings to analyze the prosodic and syntactic constituency of demonstratives in both Irish and Blackfoot. A hypothesis towards a common structure for nominal expressions in the two languages is suggested, despite obvious surface differences in realization. Finally, predictions based on that hypothesis are made with questions for future cross-linguistic research. Each of the case studies examined herein contribute to the over-arching goal of the dissertation: To understand how cross-component evidence can provide additional insight and research tools towards a specific problem in one grammatical component or the other.
- ItemEmbargoIncidental Learning of Chinese Idioms through Academic Listening(2023-03-30) Kang, Shuo; Cai, Wei; Carroll, Susanne; O'Brien, Mary; Koh, Kim HongThe present study adopted a pre-test/post-test between-groups design to examine whether Chinese as a foreign language learners could incidentally acquire and retain unfamiliar idioms through listening to a lecture on medical science. Moreover, it investigated the effect of different types of idioms on the incidental learning gains. It also employed a retrospective interview to explore the cognitive processes involved in idiom learning and the listening strategies used for idiom interpretation. Finally, it investigated the relationship between lecture comprehension and idiom learning. 159 medical students participated in the study. Six weeks after the pre-test that measured their prior knowledge of 18 target idioms, students in the experimental group one (n = 53) listened to a lecture where 18 target idioms were embedded; the experimental group two (n = 53) listened to 18 short paragraphs extracted from the same lecture, with each paragraph including one target idiom; the control group (n = 53) did not receive any input. Then, all participants wrote a post-test to show their learning outcomes. Five participants in each group were interviewed to determine what listening strategies were used for idiom comprehension. Twelve weeks after the post-test, all participants wrote a delayed post-test to measure their retention of target idioms. The results demonstrated that 1) the mean score of the post-test in the experimental group one was significantly higher than that of other groups, indicating the positive effect of lecture on idiom learning; 2) The mean score of the delayed post-test in the experimental group one was significantly higher than other groups, suggesting that academic listening could facilitate idiom retention; 3) Chinese idioms having translation equivalents in English were the easiest to learn, followed by Chinese idioms with some and no components in common with English counterparts. This indicates that cross-language similarity between Chinese and English has a significant effect on incidental idiom learning; 4) Proficient listeners could use their metacognitive knowledge to monitor the listening process and direct the deployment of various cognitive strategies; 5) There was a strong and positive relationship between lecture comprehension and incidental idiom learning. The results have important practical and theoretical implications.
- ItemOpen AccessJapanese Prosody and Its Role in Comprehensibility: Exploration and Training(2024-04-25) Shimada, Masako; O'Brien, Mary; Bratishenko, Elena; Cai, Wei; George, Angela; Flynn, Darin; Lee, AndrewProsody has gained attention in L2 pronunciation research due to findings indicating that prosodic features, such as rhythm, stress, duration, and changes in pitch, have a great influence on listeners’ understanding. In Study 1, I investigated how Japanese prosody affects intelligibility and comprehensibility, with the goal of advancing our understanding of L2 Japanese prosody, as it has seen limited progress thus far. In the study, deliberate speech errors involving vowel length, consonant length, and pitch accent were produced by Japanese and English learners of Japanese. Words with and without these prosody errors were then evaluated by Japanese listeners. Results show that intelligibility is significantly affected by a combination of segmental length and pitch accent errors, while comprehensibility is almost equally impacted by each prosodic feature, whether combined or independent. Furthermore, while there is no significant difference in intelligibility of speech produced by Japanese and English L1 speakers, there is a significant difference for comprehensibility, suggesting that processing L2 speech requires more effort. In Study 2, I designed prosody training for English learners of Japanese, with a focus on vowel length and pitch accent. The training incorporated two methods—embodied and computer-assisted techniques—which were compared to determine their effectiveness in training these features. The accuracy of L2 perception and production of the target features was examined at pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest, revealing a significant overall improvement regardless of the methods used. This highlights the positive effects of both methods, yielding results within a short timeframe. These findings shed light on the crucial role of prosody in Japanese in improving L2 intelligibility and comprehensibility, which can be achieved by focused instruction using embodied and computer-assisted techniques. These techniques can be readily used in language classrooms, empowering teachers to develop effective pronunciation instruction.
- ItemOpen AccessNon-convergence of pitch and duration: Word-prosody of Garo(2022-09) A Sangma, Cheman Baira; Athanasopoulou, Angeliki; Winters, Stephen; O'Brien, MaryGaro is an understudied Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Northeast India. There is currently only an impressionistic description of its word prosody by Burling (2003) which says that it is a stress final language. Recent studies have highlighted problems with impressionistic descriptions of prosody (de Lacy, 2014), and methodological problems with some acoustic studies which do not control for confounds of sentence prominence (Gordon, 2014; Roettger & Gordon, 2017). Edge prominent languages also have added complexity about whether prominence should be analysed as metrical prominence or boundary effect (Jun, 1998; Jun & Fougeron, 2000). Keeping all of these facts in mind, a production study was designed to elicited target words in carrier sentences which controlled for confounds of higher level prosody following Athanasopoulou et al. (2021) and Vogel et al. (2017). Binary logistic regression conducted on the measurements of acoustic properties revealed that F0 is the cue for stress in Garo. I analysed the F0 pattern as an intonational pitch LH* where L associated to the first syllable and H* associates to the final syllable. The cue for stress in Garo is thus more specifically an association of intonational pitch accent. Due to the trisyllabic structure of the target words in this study, the foot structure could not be determined. The cues for stress were not found to be enhanced under focus and they were also found to be unaffected post-focally. The focus particle was found to add an IP boundary at the end of the focused constituent and additionally, it was found to upstep the L of the LH* intonational pitch accent. Therefore, the prosodic focus is present only with the focus particle in Garo. The findings of this study thus confirm that Garo has word stress on the final syllable signaled by F0. What separates Garo from other edge prominent languages is that it has F0 events on every prosodic word making it clear that it has stress. The prosodic expression of focus is also only present with the focus particle which makes it similar to other languages with morphosyntactic ways of expressing focus.
- ItemOpen AccessPerception of Lexical Pitch Accents by Serbian and French Speakers(2023-04-27) Nikolic, Dusan; Winters, Stephen; O'Brien, Mary; Flynn, Darin; Athanasopoulou, Angeliki; Clopper, CynthiaThe study explored the perception of the Serbian lexical pitch accent by Serbian (native) and French (non-native) listeners. The motivation for the study came from the previous research on the processing of word-level prosodic categories in perception. With this study, I attempted to shed light on the ways the lexical pitch accent is perceptually processed by both native and non-native listeners in view of contributing to methodological and theoretical paradigms for studying the perception of word-level prosodic categories. The study included three experiments, all of which were carried out online. The first experiment included an AX discrimination task and an identification task in which only Serbian listeners participated. The results of the AX discrimination task revealed that the listeners were more sensitive to length than to pitch movement as the two main perceptual correlates of lexical pitch accent. The listeners were less accurate on the short-falling and short-rising contrasts, which suggested that the listeners were conflating the pitch movement on short lexical pitch accents. On the identification task, the lexical pitch accent types could not be reliably identified, which implied the lack of metalinguistic knowledge of lexical pitch accents by Serbian listeners. The second experiment was a Sequence Recall Task which investigated Serbian and French listeners' contrast and recall of lexical pitch accent types. The speakers of a language with no word-level prosodic category in their first language were expected to be perceptually insensitive to a non-native word-level prosodic category. The French and Serbian listeners were not significantly different from each other, which suggested that there was no perceptual insensitivity to lexical pitch accents by French (non-native) listeners. The third experiment was an online version of a free classification task, which was used to explore Serbian and French listeners' perception of Serbian lexical pitch accent types based on their similarity. The results were submitted to multi-dimensional scaling and clustering analyses. The analyses showed that the perceptual space between the short-falling and short-rising lexical pitch accents by the Serbian listeners was extremely reduced, while the French listeners displayed the confusion of the long-falling lexical pitch accents with the rest of lexical pitch accent types. Overall, the findings indicated that the listeners of a language with no word-level prosodic category were not insensitive to lexical pitch accents. In addition, native listeners processed lexical pitch accent through the filter of the prosodic structure of their first language, Non-native listeners were able to hear distinctions between lexical pitch accents which native listeners could not. Moreover, non-native listeners heard the contrasts that did not exist in their native language. Lastly, the results indicated both the phonetic and phonological encoding of lexical pitch accent in perception.
- ItemOpen AccessPhonetic variations of F0 range in L1 and L2: a Comparison Between English and Japanese Native Speakers(2019-07-25) Qiu, Mingyu; Winters, Stephen; O'Brien, Mary; Whaley, BenThis study analyzed pitch range production in English and Japanese sentences uttered by native and non-native speakers. I conducted two experiments: 1) pitch range production in L1 (Experiment One); 2) pitch range production in L1 and L2 (Experiment Two). My research questions focused on the pitch range in L2, testing whether it is characterized by a narrower pitch range compared to L1. I also tested the effect of elicitation method and the effect of transfer from L1s. Experiment One showed that Japanese has a higher pitch level than English but the pitch range did not differ significantly. The results of Experiment Two supported the hypothesis that pitch range is narrower in L2, except for female English speakers. The effect of elicitation method was confirmed, with L2 speakers using a wider pitch range after hearing a native prompt than after reading from text materials. The effect of L1 transfer needs further investigation.
- ItemEmbargoPhonological Vocabulary Size and Depth in Chinese Listening Comprehension(2024-04-23) Li, Qiuchen; Cai, Wei; Dressler, Roswita; O'Brien, Mary; Koh, Kim; Zhang, JieNumerous studies have examined the relationship among orthographic (written) vocabulary size, depth and listening comprehension. However, there is a notable gap in research regarding how phonological (aural) vocabulary size and depth are related to listening comprehension and how this relationship changes over time. This gap in research may be due to the lack of valid and reliable tests for measuring phonological vocabulary size and depth. To address this, two vocabulary tests were developed to measure phonological vocabulary size and depth and investigate their correlation with listening comprehension. The study further explored developmental trajectories of phonological vocabulary size and depth and their dynamic correlations with listening comprehension over a semester. Sixty-three Chinese learners at beginning, intermediate and advanced proficiency levels participated in the cross-sectional phase of the formal study. Participants completed the listening part of a Chinese proficiency test and two vocabulary tests specifically designed for the study and validated based on the Rasch model. Moreover, in the longitudinal phase of the formal study, nine additional participants finished these three tests and a subsequent interview four times during the semester. The results showed that there were significant positive correlations among phonological vocabulary size, depth and listening comprehension. However, it was observed that only vocabulary depth significantly contributed to listening comprehension accuracy. The study identified more varied patterns in the developmental trajectories of phonological vocabulary size compared with depth, including continuous decline, progress and off-and-on progress. The dynamic correlations between them and listening comprehension also revealed diverse patterns, including connected and competitive growers, and competition-support as well as support-competition shift. These patterns indicate the changing distribution of internal and external resources, such as time spent on learning Chinese, motivation, and interaction with teachers in class. The study not only provides two valid and reliable instruments for measuring Chinese learners’ phonological vocabulary size and depth but also enriches theoretical understanding of their roles in listening processes. Additionally, it sheds light on the developmental trajectories of phonological vocabulary size and depth, revealing not only progress but also attrition, and the evolving nature of their relationships with listening comprehension.
- ItemOpen AccessPlay-based learning as a context for culturally responsive teaching for young Indigenous children: Insights from a bounded case study(2022-04-25) Neogi, Prama; Roessingh, Hetty; Lenters, Kimberly; O'Brien, MaryDespite the growing urgency for the preservation and revitalization of, and education in Indigenous languages, very little research has been done on effective pedagogical practices that promote strong bilingual development for early learners. This study investigates the effects of an early bilingual play-based intervention among Chakma youngsters in a small rural community of Bangladesh. A case study research approach is adopted to glean deep qualitative insights into various dimensions of the program and its implementation. Photographic evidence, field notes and a reflective journal, interview data, and artefacts of children’s learning constitute the data, analyzed holistically for emergent themes. Three key themes are identified in the findings: (1) the centrality of the teacher, (2) the value of the first language and culture in accounting for a number of outcomes, and (3) the importance of play as a space for engaging children in purposeful, meaningful ‘work’ that promotes the goals of early childhood learning – especially in setting the foundations of language and early literacy learning yet to come. Five promising practices evolve from the data, most important of which are early intervention and a play-based approach that provides a context for culturally responsive practices. Cautions include the transitional nature of the program that threatens the stability of the children’s first language. This may lead to subtractive bilingualism, leaving these children linguistically and, in turn, educationally vulnerable for life.
- ItemOpen AccessPractice-Relevant Research in the Canadian L2 Classroom: A Summary(2019-01) Peltekov, Peter; Bhatia, Neha; Cancino, Berenice; Carron, Samantha; Daigle, M. Caroline; Das, Joty; Kang, Shuo; Li, Qing; O'Brien, MaryIn direct response to questions raised by classroom language teachers, eight students enrolled in a second language pedagogy course reviewed recent literature on a range of topics. These include the Common European Framework of Referencer (CEFR) and the action-oriented approach, approachesrto grammar teaching, the effectiveness of dictation, the role of images and types of dictionaries in vocabulary learning, language learning by students with autism spectrum disorder as well as by adults who are not fully literate, and attrition in immersion programs. The results of the reviewed research have the potential to affect classroom practice.
- ItemOpen AccessProduction of German L2 Stress by Native Speakers of English(2014-09-09) Maczuga, Paulina Stefania; O'Brien, MaryThe production of word stress in a second language (L2) is one area of difficulty for language learners. Previous studies have shown that correct word stress may be more important for the comprehensibility of non-native speech than grammatical accuracy. Studies indicate that incorrect stress patterns in an L2 are mainly due to transfer from learners’ first language (L1). This thesis examines the effect of training on the ability of English native speakers who are beginner-level learners of German to produce stress patterns in words from three distinct categories: native German words; German-English cognate words; and words with unstressed suffixes. The results reveal that training improves learners’ production of German word stress and raises learners’ awareness. Participants were more accurate in their production of native German words and those with unstressed suffixes than they were in their production of cognates. The results have implications for vocabulary teaching in L2 classrooms.
- ItemOpen AccessRecent Developments in Second Language Instruction: A Literature Review on Explicit Phonetic Instruction(Second Language and Intercultural Council (Alberta Teachers' Association), 2021-05) Li, Qiuchen; Ma, Yue; O'Brien, MaryRecent years have witnessed dramatic change in the area of second language teaching and a growing demand for effective language programs (Burns and Richards 2012). Second language teachers face many challenges, and their effectiveness is related to their knowledge base (Head and Taylor 1997). Although teachers often explicitly teach certain aspects of the second language (L2), such as grammar rules and vocabulary, they tend to provide only incidental instruction when teaching speaking and writing, both critical aspects of effective communication in the L2 (Hirvela 1999; Sturm 2019). Without explanations and directed attention, students develop their own hypotheses about how language works (Ellis 2015). This article attempts to connect classroom second language teachers and researchers in applied linguistics by directly responding to two questions posed by teachers in a public school district: • What is the role of explicit phonetic instruction in speech perception and production? • What is the effect of L2 collaborative writing? These questions both relate to instruction in language output, which is a critical aspect of language learning.
- ItemOpen AccessStop production in Spanish-English bilingual children(2022-08) Schnider, Raina; George, Angela; O'Brien, Mary; Winters, StephenStop sounds (i.e., [p, t, k, b, d, g]) are relatively early sounds in children’s acquisition and have specific features that can be measured and compared crosslinguistically. Spanish voiceless stops have shorter voice onset time values than English voiceless stops, and Spanish voiced stops vary allophonically to approximants, a process that does not occur in English. Because previous child bilingual language acquisition studies on these sounds have provided dissonant findings (e.g., Macken & Barton, 1978, 1980; Fabiano-Smith et al., 2015), this thesis investigates the phonetic productions of one child who has been exposed to Spanish and English from birth and examines the role of family language practices. The case study data were collected from one Spanish-English bilingual family (child aged 5;3; mother; father). Participants completed a picture naming task and narrative task in both languages. The mother also completed a language survey to gauge the language use and attitudes in the home. The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed for correlations between the production task results and language input and attitudes. The findings reveal that the child’s Spanish voiceless and voiced productions were within her parents’ production ranges and within monolingual norms, and that her English voiceless stop production differs from her parents’ and falls within the English monolingual range as set out in previous literature, while the child’s English voiced stop acquisition may still be underway. These results provide evidence that her two languages are differentiated. This research adds to the literature on bilingual child language development and aims to improve our understanding of bilingual development to inform families and decision makers.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Effectiveness of Implicit and Explicit Instruction on German L2 Learners’ Pronunciation(2017) Peltekov, Petar; O'Brien, Mary; Cai, Wei; George, AngelaPrevious research has investigated the effectiveness of implicit and explicit instructional methods on second language (L2) learners’ grammatical accuracy. However, there is a scarcity of studies focused on the effects of the two teaching methods on L2 learners’ pronunciation. To fill this gap, the present thesis examines the effects of implicit and explicit instruction on the pronunciation of beginner learners of German. One group of learners was taught pronunciation explicitly (i.e., using phonetic rules), another group—implicitly (i.e., without phonetic rules), and a third group received no pronunciation instruction. A pretest-posttest design was used to measure learners’ improvement in accent and comprehensibility. No significant difference in progress was found across the three groups. The findings suggest that learner variables might be better predictors of improvement than the type of instruction. Moreover, not all pronunciation features were equally relevant for L2 learners’ comprehensibility. The results have implications for L2 pronunciation teaching.