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Title
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Processing Instruction Effect in Establishing Agreement Between Nominative and Genitive Pronouns Compared to Meaning-Based Output Instruction
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Type
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Thesis
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Keywords
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: Input, Input Processing, Processing Instruction, Intake, Output, Meaning-Based Output Instruction, co-referentiality, Generalized Local Bias Hypothesis, Match Condition, Mismatch Condition
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Abstract
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This study explores the effects of two pedagogical interventions, namely Processing Instruction and Meaning-based Output Instruction, on the acquisition of the possessive pronoun-antecedent agreement. The focal point of treatment in this study revolves around the intentional absence of the antecedent noun in sentences with possessive pronouns, promoting a contextual emphasis that extends beyond isolated sentences. Previous studies investigating the establishment of this agreement have primarily focused on sentence-level structures. This approach has rendered the acquisition process more probabilistic, as learners tend to form agreements either between the possessive pronoun and the subject pronoun or based on the gender of the following noun. Additionally, prior research overlooked the innate processing strategies that learners naturally employ when not monitored, as evidenced by Input Processing Instruction. Instead these studies relied on hypotheses that could be viewed as secondary principles within the broader set of input processing principles. A total of 63 Farsi learners of English were assigned randomly to three groups: Processing Instruction (n=21), Meaning-Based Output Instruction (n=21), and a control group (n=21). Each group received 20 minutes of instructional treatment. Participants not present in all experiment phases and those scoring above 60% in the pre-test were excluded from the study. The control group underwent no specific treatment and continued with their regular syllabi studies.Both interpretation and production tasks were incorporated in assessment tasks, biasing for respective experimental groups. The transition from sentence-level to discourse-level was carefully observed during the development of assessment tasks for both production and interpretation. Results indicated instructional gains for both experimental groups (PI & MOI) post-treatment, with the PI group demonstrating superior gains compared to the MOI group.
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Researchers
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Mostafa Pourhaji (Advisor), Baqer Yaqubi (Primary Advisor), Ali Banaie (Student)
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