The effects of input enhancement and written recall on noticing and acquisition

Abstract

This study investigated the role of noticing and written recall on L2 development of the present perfect by Korean learners. It examined (1) the effects of textual input enhancement (TIE) on (a) noticing and (b) acquisition of the English present perfect; and (2) the effects of written recall on previously noticed exemplars of the target structure on acquisition. Three Korean high school classes (N = 87) were randomly assigned to: (1) a control group; (2) a TIE group; or (3) a TIE plus written recall group. All participants were given reading texts and comprehension questions to complete. For participants in groups 2 and 3 the input was textually enhanced through underlining and bolding. Participants in group 3 were in addition asked to complete a reconstruction task. Noticing in the study was measured through performance on a notetaking task, and acquisition through performance on a grammaticality judgement task and fill-in-the-blank and sentence combination tasks. The results revealed that TIE affects noticing and acquisition of receptive, but not productive, knowledge of the target form. No effect was found for written recall on acquisition. The study concludes with a number of theoretical and practical implications. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.