The effects of pre-task planning on foreign language performance.

摘要

To date, little L2 research has investigated either pre-task planning processes or application of pre-task plans. To fill this gap in research literature, this study examines, among 40 Grade 11 Thai EFL students, the effects both of pre-task planning conditions and levels of cognitive and linguistic demand of tasks upon: (1) the participants' pre-task planning processes; (2) their application of pre-task plans; and (3) the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of their produced monologues.; Data were collected, using a 4-by-2 research design with four pre-task planning conditions and two task types. Three of the four pre-task planning conditions were established based on their particular focus: content focused (CFPP), language focused (LFPP), and content and language focused (CLFPP). The fourth, minimal pre-task planning, was a control condition. The two tasks had, respectively, a low and a high level of cognitive and linguistic demand (LCLD and HCLD).; Results regarding the effects of the CFPP, LFPP, and CLFPP conditions show that: (1) the pre-task planning processes underlying these three conditions were consistent with Levelt's (1989) speech production model; (2) the CFPP and CLFPP conditions promoted participants' application of their pre-task plans; (3) the CFPP and CLFPP conditions promoted complexity, respectively, in the low and high tasks; and (4) the three conditions promoted accuracy and fluency, either in one, the other, or both tasks.; Results concerning task demand show that: (1) the LCLD task was more effective than the HCLD task in influencing participants to direct their attention towards content planning; (2) the LCLD and HCLD tasks did not differently affect the participants' application of their pre-task plans; and (3) the HCLD task promoted complexity while the LCLD task promoted accuracy and fluency.; The results support the claim of previous research that pre-task planning has the potential to improve EFL learners' speech performance. They also suggest that Levelt's (1989) model of speech production is relevant for: (1) analyzing EFL learners' pre-task planning process; (2) explaining its effects on the learners' application of pre-task plans and produced speech; and (3) guiding pedagogy on pre-task planning implementation.