Bill Vanpatten
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 954756 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Bill Vanpatten |
| NOMBRES | Bill |
| APELLIDO | Vanpatten |
| FIRMA | VANPATTEN B |
| AFILIACIONES | Michigan State University |
| VERIFICADO | No |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 39 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 203 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 37 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 2 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1982 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2023 |
| ÍNDICE H | 7 |
Kimberly Geeslin, In Memoriam
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Was Krashen right? Forty years later
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stephen Krashen developed Monitor Theory—a group of hypotheses explaining second language acquisition with implications for language teaching. As the L2 scholarly community began considering what requirements theories should meet, Monitor Theory was widely criticized and dismissed, along with its teaching implications. What happened to these ideas? We argue that many of them have evolved and are still driving SL…
Krashen forty years later
Word-order typology and the acquisition of case marking
This article reports the findings of a study in which we investigated the possible effects of word order on the acquisition of case marking. In linguistic typology (e.g. Greenberg, 1963) a very strong correlation has been shown between dominant SOV (subject object verb) word order and case marking. No such correlation exists for SVO (subject verb object) languages. It is possible then that the mind is more likely to expect case marking when confr…
On Universal Trends in Spanish as a Second Language
On Universal Trends in Spanish as a Second Language Bill VanPatten Keywords first language transfer/tranferencia de primera lengua, second language acquisition/adquisición de segunda lengua, teacher education/formación docente, universals of acquisition/universales de adquisición In this important and provocative essay, Avizia Yim Long and Kimberly Geeslin suggest that we cannot accept the findings of research on Spanish as an L2 until we have ev…
On-line relative clause attachment strategy in heritage speakers of Spanish
Aims: Previous research on relative clause attachment has found that late Spanish–English bilinguals tend to parse both languages with a single strategy that is consistent with that of the language in which they are currently immersed. One recent investigation using an off-line measure has suggested that the same may not be true of early Spanish–English bilinguals, who did not show effects of greater exposure to English in the comprehension of am…
Why Explicit Knowledge Cannot Become Implicit Knowledge
In this essay, I review one of the conclusions in Lindseth (2016) published in Foreign Language Annals . That conclusion suggests that explicit learning and practice (what she called form‐focused instruction) somehow help the development of implicit knowledge (or might even become implicit knowledge). I argue for a different interpretation of the results based on the nature of language as mental representation and the nature of acquisition. I arg…
What does current generative theory have to say about the explicit-implicit debate?
Taking a generative perspective, we divide aspects of language into three broad categories: those that cannot be learned (are inherent in Universal Grammar), those that are derived from Universal Grammar, and those that must be learned from the input. Using this framework of language to clarify the “what” of learning, we take the acquisition of null (and overt) subjects in languages like Spanish as an example of how to apply the framework. We dem…
Film and Language Acquisition
Film and Language Acquisition Bill VanPatten (bio) “Film is the greatest educational medium the world has ever known.” —Preston Sturges In the twenty first century, film ought to occupy a central spot in any language department. This should be the case whether one examines graduate studies, programs for undergraduate majors and minors, or basic language programs. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Written text still reigns supreme. It is not my…
In‐Class vs. Online Testing in University‐Level Language Courses
Against the background of concerns for how paper‐and‐pencil testing fits into contemporary language teaching, this brief research report presents the findings of a first study on the difference in scores between in‐class testing and online testing in a communicative and proficiency‐oriented program. A total of 244 students of third‐semester Spanish at the university level participated. One hundred twenty‐four took tests online, while 120 took tes…
Implicit and Explicit Learning of Languages
Taking a generative perspective, we divide aspects of language into three broad categories: those that cannot be learned (are inherent in Universal Grammar), those that are derived from Universal Grammar, and those that must be learned from the input.Using this framework of language to clarify the "what" of learning, we take the acquisition of null (and overt) subjects in languages like Spanish as an example of how to apply the framework.We demon…
Where are the Experts
Where are the Experts? Bill VanPatten Most collegiate departments where one can find Spanish, French, German, and other non-English disciplines are referred to as "language departments," either formally or informally. Such designations are interesting as they suggest to the outsider (i.e., non-language person) that these departments consist of experts in language. In this essay, I will lay out the argument that this is not the case. I will argue …
Missing verbal inflections as a representational problem
A continuing concern in second language acquisition (SLA) research is whether problems with inflectional morphology are representational or related somehow to performance. In this study, we examine 25 non-advanced learners of L2 Spanish and compare them with 18 native Spanish speakers on three grammatical structures: subject-verb inversion, adverb placement and person-number inflections on verbs. We use self-paced reading as a measure of underlyi…
The Roles of Explicit Information and Grammatical Sensitivity in Processing Instruction
In this study, we examine explicit information and aptitude within processing instruction. Forty‐six learners of German in their third semester of study were divided into two groups: those who received explicit information prior to treatment (+EI) and those who did not (−EI). Participants also took the grammatical sensitivity portion of the Modern Language Aptitude Test. Treatment consisted of structured input activities in which learners heard a…
The Roles of Explicit Information and Grammatical Sensitivity in the Processing of Clitic Direct Object Pronouns and Word Order in Spanish L2
In the present study, we examine the roles of 1) explicit information about language provided to learners prior to treatment and 2) aptitude (specifically grammatical sensitivity) within Processing Instruction. Forty-two learners of Spanish in their third-semester of study were divided into two groups: those who received explicit information (EI) prior to treatment (+EI) and those who did not (−EI). All participants also took the grammatical sens…
Transfer of training and processing instruction
Cross-linguistic variation and the acquisition of pronominal reference in L2 Spanish
The current investigation tested two predictions regarding second language (L2) processing at the syntax—discourse interface: (1) that L2 performance on measures of interface phenomena can differ from that of native speakers; and (2) that cross-linguistic influence can be a source of such divergence. Specifically, we examined the offline interpretation of ambiguous subject pronouns with intrasentential antecedents in Spanish and English, includin…
Some Verbs Are More Perfect than Others
In this essay, I apply current linguistic theory to reanalyze earlier research on the acquisition of ser and estar (e.g., VanPatten 1985, 1987). Using insights from Roby and Schmitt ("Semi-Copulas"), for example, I argue that the acquisition of the copular verbs is an issue of the acquisition of their aspectual properties (see also Bruhn de Garavito and Valenzuela 2008, as well as Montrul 2004); that is, the difficulty in the acquisition of the S…
Abstraction in Adult SLA
I argue that abstraction is a critical feature of SLA research, although it is not relevant to every domain of that research. For those interested in the underlying mental representation of L2 learners, abstraction in the form of linguistic features (e.g. subject, Infl, ±strong agreement) is part and parcel of the tools needed to describe acquisition. For those interested in something like skill theory, such abstraction is not necessary to talk a…
Processing Instruction and Dictogloss
In the current study, we present the findings of an experiment with 108 participants of Spanish as a second language in which we compared the effects of dictogloss (DG) and processing instruction (PI) and compared both sets of effects to a control group. Our findings do not support the results of a recent study, Qin (2008) . In that study, DG and PI were found to be equally effective; however, we find that PI is superior overall to DG as an instr…
Processing Instruction
This new book, Processing Instruction: Theory, Research, and Commentary, edited by Bill VanPatten--a pioneer in processing instruction (PI)--is a refreshing presentation of 10 related and not widely available articles that illustrate the role of processing instruction in second language acquisition. The articles provide both historical and current context, as well as describe the influence of the input processing model on PI. The contents include…
Form-Meaning Connections in Second Language Acquisition
Beyond Experience and Belief (or, Waiting for the Evidence)
Processing Instruction, Prior Awareness and the Nature of Second Language Acquisition
Batstone (2002a) proposes an approach called 'the given-to-new principle' for understanding second language acquisition. In his discussion of the principle, he comments on processing instruction (PI), and offers several criticisms of PI and of one of the research studies into the effectiveness of PI. In the present paper, I review the nature of PI and the research that has been conducted on it since 1993. My conclusion is that Batstone's analysis…
Input and Output in Establishing Form-Meaning Connections
Implicit and Explicit Learning of Languages
Taking a generative perspective, we divide aspects of language into three broad categories: those that cannot be learned (are inherent in Universal Grammar), those that are derived from Universal Grammar, and those that must be learned from the input.Using this framework of language to clarify the "what" of learning, we take the acquisition of null (and overt) subjects in languages like Spanish as an example of how to apply the framework.We demon…
Processing Instruction
In this article I review processing instruction (PI), first introduced in VanPatten and Cadierno (1993). I outline a model of input processing, then describe the nature of PI itself, and follow this with a description of research to date on PI. I also review research that offers counterevidence to the findings of my own and others' research and argue that some of these studies can be considered not as contradictory, but as complementary, to the r…
Grammar Teaching for the Acquisition‐Rich Classroom
This article focuses on a reconceptualization of the nature of instruction in grammar for the acquisition‐rich, communicative classroom. It is then suggested that grammar instruction would be more congruent with overall instruction if it were input oriented. The article then outlines a type of input‐based instruction in grammar called “processing instruction,” citing empirical evidence for its usefulness in addition to offering suggestions for co…
Was Krashen right? Forty years later
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stephen Krashen developed Monitor Theory—a group of hypotheses explaining second language acquisition with implications for language teaching. As the L2 scholarly community began considering what requirements theories should meet, Monitor Theory was widely criticized and dismissed, along with its teaching implications. What happened to these ideas? We argue that many of them have evolved and are still driving SL…
Why Explicit Knowledge Cannot Become Implicit Knowledge
In this essay, I review one of the conclusions in Lindseth (2016) published in Foreign Language Annals . That conclusion suggests that explicit learning and practice (what she called form‐focused instruction) somehow help the development of implicit knowledge (or might even become implicit knowledge). I argue for a different interpretation of the results based on the nature of language as mental representation and the nature of acquisition. I arg…
The Acquisition of ser and estar by Adult Learners of Spanish
The field of second language (L2) acquisition research has shown that for some grammatical structures in English, there seems to be an order of acquisition. (See for example, Dulay and Burt, 1974; Bailey, Madden and Krashen, 1974; Larsen-Freeman, 1976; Krashen, 1981.) Certain early acquired structures have been identified (e.g., -ing) as well as certain late acquired items (e.g., third person -s). Research has also shown, however, that it is not …
Cross-linguistic variation and the acquisition of pronominal reference in L2 Spanish
The current investigation tested two predictions regarding second language (L2) processing at the syntax—discourse interface: (1) that L2 performance on measures of interface phenomena can differ from that of native speakers; and (2) that cross-linguistic influence can be a source of such divergence. Specifically, we examined the offline interpretation of ambiguous subject pronouns with intrasentential antecedents in Spanish and English, includin…
Where are the Experts
Where are the Experts? Bill VanPatten Most collegiate departments where one can find Spanish, French, German, and other non-English disciplines are referred to as "language departments," either formally or informally. Such designations are interesting as they suggest to the outsider (i.e., non-language person) that these departments consist of experts in language. In this essay, I will lay out the argument that this is not the case. I will argue …
The Roles of Explicit Information and Grammatical Sensitivity in Processing Instruction
In this study, we examine explicit information and aptitude within processing instruction. Forty‐six learners of German in their third semester of study were divided into two groups: those who received explicit information prior to treatment (+EI) and those who did not (−EI). Participants also took the grammatical sensitivity portion of the Modern Language Aptitude Test. Treatment consisted of structured input activities in which learners heard a…
Processing Instruction and Dictogloss
In the current study, we present the findings of an experiment with 108 participants of Spanish as a second language in which we compared the effects of dictogloss (DG) and processing instruction (PI) and compared both sets of effects to a control group. Our findings do not support the results of a recent study, Qin (2008) . In that study, DG and PI were found to be equally effective; however, we find that PI is superior overall to DG as an instr…
How Juries Get Hung
This paper will discuss the claim that attention to linguistic accuracy and/or instruction in grammar is necessary for early stage learners. The arguments for a focus on form revolve around three recurring topics or themes: fossilization, improved language performance, and the role of error correction. The paper will conclude that research evidence to date does not suggest that a focus on form is either necessary or beneficial to early stage lear…
Word-order typology and the acquisition of case marking
This article reports the findings of a study in which we investigated the possible effects of word order on the acquisition of case marking. In linguistic typology (e.g. Greenberg, 1963) a very strong correlation has been shown between dominant SOV (subject object verb) word order and case marking. No such correlation exists for SVO (subject verb object) languages. It is possible then that the mind is more likely to expect case marking when confr…
"Perceptions of and Perspectives on the Term "Communicative
An analysis of the term communicative as used by scholars and as realized in textbooks suggests a gap between theory and practice as well as substantial differences between the perspectives held by scholars and the perceptions held by instructors, publishers, and others. These differences are reviewed and their sources traced to attempts to adapt the term itself to existing methodologies as well as to the education of language instructors
Second Language Acquisition Research and the Learning/Teaching of Spanish
Can Learners Attend to Form and Content While Processing Input
Krashen forty years later
Transfer of training and processing instruction
Some Verbs Are More Perfect than Others
In this essay, I apply current linguistic theory to reanalyze earlier research on the acquisition of ser and estar (e.g., VanPatten 1985, 1987). Using insights from Roby and Schmitt ("Semi-Copulas"), for example, I argue that the acquisition of the copular verbs is an issue of the acquisition of their aspectual properties (see also Bruhn de Garavito and Valenzuela 2008, as well as Montrul 2004); that is, the difficulty in the acquisition of the S…
The Roles of Explicit Information and Grammatical Sensitivity in the Processing of Clitic Direct Object Pronouns and Word Order in Spanish L2
In the present study, we examine the roles of 1) explicit information about language provided to learners prior to treatment and 2) aptitude (specifically grammatical sensitivity) within Processing Instruction. Forty-two learners of Spanish in their third-semester of study were divided into two groups: those who received explicit information (EI) prior to treatment (+EI) and those who did not (−EI). All participants also took the grammatical sens…
Beyond Experience and Belief (or, Waiting for the Evidence)
Why Communication Practices Sometimes Fail
The Acquisition of ser and estar by Adult Learners of Spanish
The field of second language (L2) acquisition research has shown that for some grammatical structures in English, there seems to be an order of acquisition. (See for example, Dulay and Burt, 1974; Bailey, Madden and Krashen, 1974; Larsen-Freeman, 1976; Krashen, 1981.) Certain early acquired structures have been identified (e.g., -ing) as well as certain late acquired items (e.g., third person -s). Research has also shown, however, that it is not …
Second Language Acquisition Research and the Learning/Teaching of Spanish
Language and Language Use, Studies in Spanish
How Juries Get Hung
This paper will discuss the claim that attention to linguistic accuracy and/or instruction in grammar is necessary for early stage learners. The arguments for a focus on form revolve around three recurring topics or themes: fossilization, improved language performance, and the role of error correction. The paper will conclude that research evidence to date does not suggest that a focus on form is either necessary or beneficial to early stage lear…
Can Learners Attend to Form and Content While Processing Input
Attending to Form and Content in the Input
This study explores the question of whether or not learners can consciously attend to both form and meaning when processing input. An experimental procedure is presented in which three levels of learners in four groups were asked to process information under four different conditions: attention to meaning alone; simultaneous attention to meaning and an important lexical item; simultaneous attention to meaning and a grammatical functor; and simult…
Explicit Instruction and Input Processing
In this paper we describe an experiment in explicit instruction that compares traditional form-focused instruction and what we call processing instruction. Traditional instruction involves explanation and output practice of a grammatical point. Processing instruction involves explanation and practice/experience processing input data, taking learner strategies in input processing as the starting point for determining what explicit instruction shou…
Grammar Teaching for the Acquisition‐Rich Classroom
This article focuses on a reconceptualization of the nature of instruction in grammar for the acquisition‐rich, communicative classroom. It is then suggested that grammar instruction would be more congruent with overall instruction if it were input oriented. The article then outlines a type of input‐based instruction in grammar called “processing instruction,” citing empirical evidence for its usefulness in addition to offering suggestions for co…
Explanation versus Structured Input in Processing Instruction
This study replicates VanPatten and Cadierno (1993) in an attempt to determine whether or not explicit information given to learners receiving processing instruction is responsible for the beneficial effects of instruction. Fifty-nine subjects were divided into three groups: (1) one receiving processing instruction in object pronouns and word order in Spanish as in VanPatten and Cadierno (1993), (2) another receiving explanation only with no acti…
Input Processing and Grammar Instruction in Second Language Acquisition
This book provides an alternative to the debate in second language acquisition theory and teaching. Accepting that language acquisition is at least partially input dependent, the author asks how grammatical form is processed in the input by second language learners and is it possible to assist this in ways that help the learner to create richer grammatical intake. He answers these questions and explains why traditional paradigms are not psycholin…
"Perceptions of and Perspectives on the Term "Communicative
An analysis of the term communicative as used by scholars and as realized in textbooks suggests a gap between theory and practice as well as substantial differences between the perspectives held by scholars and the perceptions held by instructors, publishers, and others. These differences are reviewed and their sources traced to attempts to adapt the term itself to existing methodologies as well as to the education of language instructors
Processing Instruction, Prior Awareness and the Nature of Second Language Acquisition
Batstone (2002a) proposes an approach called 'the given-to-new principle' for understanding second language acquisition. In his discussion of the principle, he comments on processing instruction (PI), and offers several criticisms of PI and of one of the research studies into the effectiveness of PI. In the present paper, I review the nature of PI and the research that has been conducted on it since 1993. My conclusion is that Batstone's analysis…
Processing the Content of Input–Processing and Processing Instruction Research
In the unenviable position of having to reply in approximately 1,000 words to several noted scholars about their comments on my article “Processing Instruction: An Update,” I apologize in advance for the inability to address all of their comments in detail
Processing Instruction
In this article I review processing instruction (PI), first introduced in VanPatten and Cadierno (1993). I outline a model of input processing, then describe the nature of PI itself, and follow this with a description of research to date on PI. I also review research that offers counterevidence to the findings of my own and others' research and argue that some of these studies can be considered not as contradictory, but as complementary, to the r…
Processing Instruction
This new book, Processing Instruction: Theory, Research, and Commentary, edited by Bill VanPatten--a pioneer in processing instruction (PI)--is a refreshing presentation of 10 related and not widely available articles that illustrate the role of processing instruction in second language acquisition. The articles provide both historical and current context, as well as describe the influence of the input processing model on PI. The contents include…
Form-Meaning Connections in Second Language Acquisition
Beyond Experience and Belief (or, Waiting for the Evidence)
Abstraction in Adult SLA
I argue that abstraction is a critical feature of SLA research, although it is not relevant to every domain of that research. For those interested in the underlying mental representation of L2 learners, abstraction in the form of linguistic features (e.g. subject, Infl, ±strong agreement) is part and parcel of the tools needed to describe acquisition. For those interested in something like skill theory, such abstraction is not necessary to talk a…
Processing Instruction and Dictogloss
In the current study, we present the findings of an experiment with 108 participants of Spanish as a second language in which we compared the effects of dictogloss (DG) and processing instruction (PI) and compared both sets of effects to a control group. Our findings do not support the results of a recent study, Qin (2008) . In that study, DG and PI were found to be equally effective; however, we find that PI is superior overall to DG as an instr…
Some Verbs Are More Perfect than Others
In this essay, I apply current linguistic theory to reanalyze earlier research on the acquisition of ser and estar (e.g., VanPatten 1985, 1987). Using insights from Roby and Schmitt ("Semi-Copulas"), for example, I argue that the acquisition of the copular verbs is an issue of the acquisition of their aspectual properties (see also Bruhn de Garavito and Valenzuela 2008, as well as Montrul 2004); that is, the difficulty in the acquisition of the S…
Transfer of training and processing instruction
Cross-linguistic variation and the acquisition of pronominal reference in L2 Spanish
The current investigation tested two predictions regarding second language (L2) processing at the syntax—discourse interface: (1) that L2 performance on measures of interface phenomena can differ from that of native speakers; and (2) that cross-linguistic influence can be a source of such divergence. Specifically, we examined the offline interpretation of ambiguous subject pronouns with intrasentential antecedents in Spanish and English, includin…
Missing verbal inflections as a representational problem
A continuing concern in second language acquisition (SLA) research is whether problems with inflectional morphology are representational or related somehow to performance. In this study, we examine 25 non-advanced learners of L2 Spanish and compare them with 18 native Spanish speakers on three grammatical structures: subject-verb inversion, adverb placement and person-number inflections on verbs. We use self-paced reading as a measure of underlyi…
The Roles of Explicit Information and Grammatical Sensitivity in Processing Instruction
In this study, we examine explicit information and aptitude within processing instruction. Forty‐six learners of German in their third semester of study were divided into two groups: those who received explicit information prior to treatment (+EI) and those who did not (−EI). Participants also took the grammatical sensitivity portion of the Modern Language Aptitude Test. Treatment consisted of structured input activities in which learners heard a…
Psychology (30 obras) · Linguistics (26 obras) · Computer Science (24 obras) · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning (22 obras) · Philosophy (18 obras) · Second Language Acquisition and Learning (15 obras) · Mathematics education (14 obras) · Second Language Learning and Teaching (12 obras) · Second-language acquisition (11 obras) · Cognitive psychology (7 obras)