Feedback in Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Second Language Acquisition: A study of its effect on the acquisition of French past tense aspect using an Intelligent Language Tutoring System

摘要

Questions surrounding the impact of feedback in response to learner error areudof interest in the fields of both Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and IntelligentudComputer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL). Current empirical SLA researchudseeks to ascertain what feedback types have a statistically significant positiveudimpact on the process of acquiring a second language. Similarly, researchudin ICALL focuses on testing Intelligent Language Tutoring Systems (ILTSs) generallyudas well as the effectiveness of the feedback that they deliver. Despite thisudcommon interest in feedback, to date there has been no significant interdisciplinaryudresearch involving the two fields.udThe experiment reported here seeks to bridge this gap. Using a purpose-builtudILTS, we tested the effect of two types of feedback on the acquisition of Frenchudpast tense aspect among anglophone learners. Inspired by previous work in SLA,udExplicit Inductive (EI) and Input Processing (IP) feedback were tested against audcontrol group using a pre test/post test design. The learners completed a transformationudand a grammaticality judgment task. For the transformation, theyudwere presented with texts in the present tense and asked to re-write them in theudpast tense. For the grammaticality judgment, they had to rank the grammaticalityudof each sentence in a set of texts. In response to errors, EI feedback interpretedudthe aspectual meaning of the learners' answer and explicitly told them that itudwas not the most natural according to the context. In order to encourage formmeaningudmapping, IP feedback asked the learners to match their erroneous answerudto its interpretation. Two interpretations were presented: one was the targetudinterpretation and the other matched the learner's answer. Having made theirudchoice, they were then told whether it was correct as well as which interpretationudwas in fact target-like.udThe quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of the EI and IP feedback wasudnot statistically significant. We argued that this was due to a combined effect ofudlearner level, target structure and feedback.