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Second Article Review

A new perspective on foreign language aptitude research: Building and supporting a case for "Working memory as language aptitude" By Zhisheng Wen & Peter Skehan.

Outline

> 2.1. Carroll’s contributions. > 2.2. Post-Caroll aptitude research. > 3.1. The WM construct. > 3.2. WM and language learning: Theoretical assumptions. > 3.3. WM and L2 skills development: Empirical support. > 3.3.1.WM and L2 listening. > 3.3.2.WM and L2 reading. > 3.3.3.WM and L2 speaking. > 3.3.4.WM and L2 writing. > 3.3.5.WM and Bilingual interpretation.
 * 1) Introduction.
 * 2) Foreign language aptitude research: A brief historical account.
 * 1) WM as foreign language aptitude: Theoretical and empirical supports.
 * 1) Conclusion.
 * 2) References.

Wen, Z. & Skehan, P. (2011). A new perspective on foreign language aptitude research: Building and supporting a case for "Working memory as language aptitude", //ELT Journal Advance Access,// pp. 15-36.

This article is about the proposal and arguments of a case referring to the term working memory (WM) theory as a component of the foreign language aptitude. This paper reflects the previous investigations and researches about the foreign language aptitude that the students have, which is the main topic. After that, they present a recent investigation referring to two fields: cognitive psychology and second language acquisition, and, doing this, they summarize the main theoretical models, the major claims and the empirical evidence about the WM in the five main skills of the second language. Listening, reading, speaking, writing and interpreting are considered the main skills that the research had focused into.

During all my time in the BA in ELT, I have heard and learned that the acquisition of a second language is seized and evaluated by the use of the four main skills of the language, that are: listening, speaking, reading and writing. These skills are referred to the production and interpretation of the language by the learners. The speaking and writing skills are considered as productive or outcome skills and the listening and reading skills are considered as income skills. The use of a fifth skill in the second language acquisition or production was interesting for me, due all the implications that it involves. The interpreting skill refers to the way in which the students understand the language in their own personal way. I consider that it is an important research subject, but, I don’t know if it could be considered as another language skill, I consider it more as a sub-skill like the grammar and the vocabulary.

First Article Review

Outline >> - Content >> - Link to class work >> - Cognitive aspects >> - Emotional aspects >> - General studying >> - Interaction with family >> - Link to class learning >> - Changing the content >> - Implications for teachers > Hammond, Kay (2011). The value of targeted comic book readers, //ELT Journal Advance Access //, pp. 1-12.
 * 1) Introduction
 * 2) Methods
 * 3) Findings and discussion
 * 4) - Helpful story characteristics
 * 1) Perceived performance enhancement
 * 1) Use of learning strategies
 * 1) Enjoyment
 * 2) Areas for improvement
 * 1) Summary

The author starts the research with a section about the methods that were used during the research. After that, the author continues with a section of findings and discussion about some helpful stories about the topic and their contents and, just to continue, a link to the class work. Then it follows with a section titled “Perceived performance enhancements” in which the author tries to analyze the cognitive and emotional aspects of the students towards the common and new reading materials. In the third section, the author begins to use the learning strategies that could be more suitable for the research. The section goes from the general studying strategies to other topics like the interaction with the family in which the author states that this method could be useful even for the relatives of the students in order to transmit their knowledge. In the fourth section, the author talks about the enjoyment of the students using this kind of materials and readings, and states that this new type of reading could be more enjoyable for the students than the common reading that we can find in a book. In the las section of the research, the author talks about the areas of improvement that are the specific skills that the students can develop with this method. Finally, the article ends with a summary in which the author reflects all the results and findings of the research.

The value of targeted comic book readers by Kay Hammond in 2011 is an article that reflects the research that this author developed with a group of students that are learning a second language. The main aspect of this article is the research about the struggle that the students that are learning a second language have when developing their reading skills. The article reflects an alternative way to develop the English level of the students, focusing on the reading skill and incrementing their vocabulary list. The alternative method that the author proposes is to implement new reading material that could be more interesting or suitable than the academic readings like comic books or other reading materials. I consider __that is i__mportant to develop new ways to implement the language to the students; We have to take into consideration that some of the students could feel bored with some of the articles or reading materials that their books have and that is an impediment for their cognitive and emotional skills.

This article reflects on a qualitative exploration of the perceptions and needs of the students about the importance of the non-compulsory comic books in ESL elementary and upper-intermediate level courses. The research was focused to create alternative readings that students would find valuable and enjoyable outside the classroom. The research results infer the learners’ perspectives about the value of comic books could be categorized into five themes: helpful story characteristics, perceived performance enhancement, use of learning strategies, enjoyment, and areas for improvement. One of the most interesting findings of this research was all the uses in which the resources and materials could be used, including the fact that these materials could be shared with their relatives or family members. This research states many important facts about the response of the students towards an alternative way to improve their second language learning using comic books or other resources. Also, it propose that the students could be responsible for their own learning outside the classroom, by practicing their reading and vocabulary skills through reading that they could find interesting for their own preferences.

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