Zhao Helen, Fan Jason
School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Language Testing Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Front Psychol. 2021 Apr 22;12:653258. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.653258. eCollection 2021.
Based on the Competition Model, the current study investigated how cue availability and cue reliability as two important input factors influenced second language (L2) learners' cue learning of the English article construction. Written corpus data of university-level Chinese-L1 learners of English were sampled for a comparison of English majors and non-English majors who demonstrated two levels of L2 competence in English article usage. The path model analysis in structural equation modeling was utilized to investigate the relationship between the input factors and L2 usage (frequency and accuracy of article cue production). The findings contribute novel and scarce empirical evidence that confirms a central claim of the Competition Model, i.e., the changing importance of cue availability and cue reliability in the frequency and accuracy of production. Cue availability was found to determine L2 production frequency regardless of level of L2 competence. Cue reliability was the input factor that differentiated competence levels. When learners stayed at a relatively lower L2 proficiency, cue reliability played an important role in influencing L2 frequency of usage rather than accuracy of usage. When learners developed increased exposure to and stronger competence in the target language, cue reliability played a significant role in determining learners' success of cue learning. The study is methodologically innovative and expands the empirical applicability of the Competition Model to the domain of second language production and construction learning.
基于竞争模型，本研究调查了作为两个重要输入因素的线索可得性和线索可靠性如何影响第二语言（L2）学习者对英语文章结构的线索学习。对大学水平的汉语母语英语学习者的书面语料库数据进行了抽样，以比较在英语文章使用方面表现出两种二语能力水平的英语专业学生和非英语专业学生。利用结构方程模型中的路径模型分析来研究输入因素与二语使用（冠词线索产出的频率和准确性）之间的关系。这些发现提供了新颖且稀缺的实证证据，证实了竞争模型的一个核心主张，即在产出频率和准确性方面，线索可得性和线索可靠性的重要性在不断变化。研究发现，无论二语能力水平如何，线索可得性决定二语产出频率。线索可靠性是区分能力水平的输入因素。当学习者处于相对较低的二语熟练程度时，线索可靠性在影响二语使用频率而非使用准确性方面发挥重要作用。当学习者增加对目标语言的接触并提高能力时，线索可靠性在决定学习者线索学习的成功方面发挥重要作用。本研究在方法上具有创新性，并将竞争模型的实证适用性扩展到第二语言产出和结构学习领域。
