Optimizing cognitive processing in the L2 classroom: new integrated grammar teaching framework, tested on unprepared oral production of Russian case inflection

The overarching goal of my research has been to explore possible ways of increasing the effectiveness of teaching L2 grammar through making grammar instruction more processable for learners, this way approaching well-attested difficulties in L2 grammar acquisition from a different perspective. This focus stems from the on-going discussion of form-meaning relationships (e.g., Bates & MacWhinney, 1989; N. Ellis, 2005; Larsen-Freeman, 2003; Lightbown & Spada, 2006; McManus, 2019; VanPatten et al, 2004), as well as rapidly developing research analysing cognitive processes involved in L2 learning, such as encoding, retrieval and proceduralization (e.g., Badecker & Kuminiak, 2007; DeKeyser, 2017; Juffs & Harrington, 2011; Kormos, 2014; Mackey et al, 2010; Martin & Ellis, 2012). My present study investigates the effectiveness of my new innovative teaching framework, based on spiralling (first proposed by Jerome Bruner) and developed through incorporating relevant research findings in psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology and second language acquisition (SLA), as well as recent developments in language pedagogy. More specifically, I examine how Russian nominal case inflection processing can be optimized in an ab-initio L2 classroom, in order to increase the accuracy of inflection production in learners’ speech. In addition, as part of this investigation, I analyse some factors influencing the success of inflection processing.

In order to establish the relationships between form and meaning, I, first, review the long-standing opposition between Focus-on-form and Focus-on-meaning in L2 instruction, and, then, I look at how main approaches to SLA explain the acquisition of grammatical form, and that of inflection in particular. The mapping and processing during inflection acquisition are further analysed through the prism of psycholinguistic concepts of declarative and procedural knowledge and the role of Working Memory (WM) in learning structural aspects of an L2. Turning to the issue of effectiveness of learners’ processing, I examine three prominent SLA theories that propose the ways of facilitating L2 grammar acquisition, from the point of view of processing and possibilities of proceduralization. In addition, I propose an explanation of why Skill Acquisition Theory would be unable to fully explain the acquisition of grammatical forms. From the discussion of previous research, a number of inferences are made, which underpin my proposed Grammar Teaching Framework.

From the same angle of learners’ processing, I give a brief description of the Russian case system, which is used to illustrate the main principles of the teaching framework and as a basis for the empirical part of the current study. For the purpose of the study, the large and rather general question about the effectiveness of the framework was split into more specific Research Questions (RQ), investigating beginners’ performance on two Russian cases, namely, Prepositional and Accusative. My research design includes both quantitative and qualitative methods, with a longitudinal teaching intervention as a main component of the study. My two comics tests, based on famous Russian pieces of literature, were specifically designed for the present study, as there appears to be no tools suitable for testing the accuracy of unprepared production of inflection in instructional settings.

The results of the three rounds of testing demonstrate that the proposed processing-friendly teaching framework can be extremely effective in the acquisition of Russian case inflection. However, the data also show that acquisition is a complex process, and a number of factors impacting it were identified through measuring accuracy of inflecting certain vocabulary groups, presenting different processing demands. Some positive correlation was found between participants’ WM and the case inflection production scores, but WM did not figure as the most critical factor. Interestingly, gender was found to play a considerably more important role than anticipated.

The results of this study have important implications for language pedagogy, SLA and psycholinguistics. Most importantly, they show that addressing learners’ processing restrictions in an L2 classroom can lead to the increase in accuracy of inflection production, and that the proposed framework has great potential in increasing the effectiveness of L2 grammar teaching. As the intervention was conducted in the conditions, replicating those of a standard beginner course, the results are considered generalizable to the language education environment. Also, the study shows that a range of different factors influence the production of case inflection and the success of the production, to a certain degree, can be manipulated. More detailed investigations of the exact extent in which the identified factors can affect learners’ performance, especially nominal gender, would be the subject of further investigations. Finally, this study is seminal to research in the acquisition of other morphologically complex languages.