ERIC Number: EJ948279
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957-1736
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Effect of "Massed" Task Repetitions on Complexity, Accuracy and Fluency: Does It Transfer to a New Task?
Ahmadian, Mohammad Javad
Language Learning Journal, v39 n3 p269-280 2011
To date, research results suggest that task repetition positively affects oral task performance. However, researchers have not yet shown the extension of the benefits of repeating the same task to performance of a new task. This article first provides an overview of the currently available research findings on task repetition and then presents the results of a six-month study which aimed to find out whether or not the effects of massed repetitions of the same task carry over to performance of a new task. Thirty intermediate EFL learners from two intact classes participated in this study. Participants in the experimental group were required to engage in a dialogic narrative task on Occasions 1 to 11 and then an interview task on Occasion 12, each occasion being two weeks apart. Participants in the control group, meanwhile, were only required to perform the oral narrative task at Time 1 and to engage in the interview task at Time 12. Results revealed that massed repetitions of the same task assisted subjects in the experimental group to outperform those in the control group in terms of complexity and fluency but not accuracy. In conclusion, it is claimed that the benefits of massed repetitions of the same task transfer to performance of a new task but not necessarily in all areas of performance. (Contains 3 notes and 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Program Effectiveness, Task Analysis, Oral Language, Language Fluency, Transfer of Training, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Interviews, Foreign Countries, Second Language Instruction, Narration, Statistical Analysis, Pretests Posttests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iran
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A