创造性模仿:回答二语学习的根本问题

Creative Imitation: An Answer to the Fundamental Issue of L2 Learning

本文汇报一项研究,考察读写结合任务对词汇学习及保持的作用及创造性构造、非创造性构造对促进词汇学习的不同作用。受试为90名一年级英语专业学生,被随机分配到两个实验组(续写组、复述组)及一个控制组,每组30人。结果表明,续写组产出了大量的创造性构造,其创造性模仿产出也显著多于复述组。续写组接受性词汇知识及产出性词汇知识的获得及保持都优于复述组,两组之间的差异仅就产出性知识的保持来说具有显著差异。续写组产出性词汇知识的保持与创造性模仿呈显著正相关,而与语言协同本身不显著相关。由于产出性词汇知识构成了学习者在动态语境中运用词汇知识表达思想的能力,研究结果提供了证据,表明创造性模仿可以解决二语学习的根本性问题(即将静态语言适配到动态思想表达)。最后本文讨论了本研究对教学的启示及未来研究的方向。

This paper reports on a study on the effects of reading-writing integrated tasks on vocabulary learning and explored the differential roles of creative construction and non-creative construction in promoting lexical learning. Participants were 90 first-year English majors, randomly assigned to two experimental groups(continuation and retelling) and one control group, with 30 students in each group. Results showed that the continuation group generated a substantial amount of creative construction and produced significantly more instances of creative imitation than the retelling group. The continuation group outperformed the retelling group for both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge gain and retention, but differences were only significant in terms of productive vocabulary retention. Finally, productive vocabulary knowledge retention among the continuation group was significantly and positively correlated with creative imitation(meaning creation coupled with language imitation), but not with linguistic alignment per se. As productive vocabulary knowledge constitutes the learner ’s ability to use lexical knowledge to express ideas in dynamic contexts, the findings afforded evidence that creative imitation could be the answer to the fundamental issue of L2 learning(i.e., mapping static language onto dynamic idea expression). The pedagogical implications as well as future research directions are also discussed.