The Acquisition of Implicit Knowledge by Chinese & Spanish EFL Learners: Experimental Studies on Grammatical Errors in Egnlish questions and Pedagogical Implications

Identifier:  TDX:4213

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX4213

Authors:  He, Qiaoling

Abstract:
The thesis focuses on issues of whether advanced EFL learners can acquire implicit knowledge, whether EFL learners’ different first language (L1) backgrounds influence their acquisition, and whether EFL learners’ language production competence develops simultaneously with their acquisition of grammatical knowledge. By conducting experiments, including written tests, word monitoring test, and elicited oral imitation test, the thesis investigated the implicit knowledge of English questions acquired by Chinese and Spanish advanced EFL learners. The dissertation demonstrates that morphosyntactic features related to the choice of auxiliary and tense of auxiliary constitute the most prevalent challenges for EFL learners to acquire English questions. Cross-linguistic L1 influence, resulting from the L1-L2 morphosyntactic incongruency, is one major factor that affects EFL learners’ acquisition. The experimental finding showing that advanced EFL learners’ production competence does not develop simultaneously with their grammatical knowledge provides further evidence to reinforce the conclusion that advanced EFL learners do not acquire native-equivalent implicit knowledge of English questions. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications related to consciousness-raising, production-oriented approach, and interactive activities are proposed for improving EFL learners’ acquisition of English questions.