You can follow my projects at ResearchGate and Academia
Cognition |
Pedagogy |
I'm inspired by questions regarding the cognitive consequences of bilingualism, specifically whether the various bilingual (dis)advantages explored in the literature are the same regardless of whether the second language (L2) was learned earlier in life or later. I examine the performance of late L2 learners in tasks typically studied in early heritage bilinguals, to investigate how age of acquisition and proficiency impact bilingual lexical retrieval.
Verbal fluency
Verbal fluency tasks ask participants to name as many words as possible in one minute according to a given category. Common category types include semantic (e.g. "Animals"), which is based on meaning, or letter/phonemic (e.g. "words starting with F"), which is based on word form. Verbal fluency is a measure of the speed and ease with which people can search their lexicon and retrieve vocabulary exemplars for production. L1 verbal fluency in L2 learners/bilinguals. My dissertation, "Lexical retrieval in second language learners: How proficiency impacts first language verbal fluency performance," examines how formal L2 learning impacts the lexical retrieval process of the L1, to investigate whether it evidences retrieval slowing due to competition from the growing L2 or whether achieving a bilingual state results in task control advantages. Statistical analyses found that highly proficient L2 bilinguals produce more words than monolinguals, in line with theories of bilingual executive control. The results of this project have been shared at multiple conferences, including LACUS (where it was awarded the Presidents' Prize), the Linguistics Matters Festival, and KFLC. Verbal fluency repeat errors. Analysis of the repeat errors produced in English by the participants of the above study in order to assess whether all repeat errors are equal in kind and represent the same lexical retrieval process. In addition to true Repetitions (caused by forgetting an exemplar had already been produced), two other classifications were identified, based on changes in intonation and extra-task commentary: Rehearsals, involving repeating recently produced words or strings under the breath, and Recognitions, accompanying a repeat word with a phrase like, "I already said..." The latter classifications implicitly or explicitly confirm knowledge that the exemplar had been previously sampled, distinguishing it from a classic repetition, and constitute externalization of what would otherwise be internal retrieval processes. These results were shared at LACUS (where it was awarded the Presidential Commendation). Proficiency effects on L2 verbal fluency. The aim of this project is to look at how growing L2 proficiency impacts L2 verbal fluency, and to compare the verbal fluency performance in the first and second language over the proficiency spectrum. Analyses of L2 Spanish data have found asymmetrical growth in semantic vs. letter/phonemic categories, in line with predictions based on the Revised Hierarchical Model. Lower proficiency L2 learners perform equally well in both semantic and letter/phonemic categories, but as proficiency increases, performance in semantic categories improves more than in letter/phonemic categories. The preliminary results of this project have been shared at HLS. |
Spanish for Social Work
Student outcomes and perceptions of online Spanish for Social Work. A current project examines the work products of the first cohort of students in the online Spanish for Social Work course I developed. In collaboration with Iris Cardenas, LSW and doctoral student in Social Work, we will assess the development of students' Spanish proficiency, content knowledge of social work, and cultural competency related to Hispanic populations. Results are currently under analysis, and the synchronous telecollaborative cultural competence component of the course will be presented at MWALLT. Gesture
Second language learning is a complex process, and I examine methods to facilitate the acquisition of such diverse linguistic elements as aspect and vocabulary. Instructed vs. constructed gestures in vocabulary learning. My pre-qualifying pilot project, "The effects of gesture on L2 Spanish study: Vocabulary," looked at the effect of learning Spanish vocabulary words with an accompanying gesture, either one I taught them (instructed) or one they were asked to design for themselves (constructed). Subjects were 1st semester Spanish students. Comparison of mean recall percentages suggest that constructed gestures are more effective than instructed gestures or no gestures (control). The results of this study have been shared at conferences such as SLRF and SLAT, and the manuscript, "Balancing direction and independence in second language vocabulary learning: A gesture pilot study" was published in Hispania. Gesturing to aid in aspectual distinction. Anecdotally, some Spanish language teachers use an accompanying gesture to clarify the tense/aspect of verbs being produced, e.g. waving the hand over the shoulder to indicate "pastness" when using the preterit. This project explored the efficacy of accompanying production of past tense verbs with gestures that distinguish between preterit and imperfect, to aid in the distinction of Spanish aspect. Subjects were students in a 5th semester conversation class with grammatical review. Analysis of pre/posttests--a preterit/imperfect cloze exercise and short story retell--found no differences between control and experimental groups, but also found no gains from the beginning of study period to the end (nearly a semester) for either group. Results indicate that gesture may not have an effect on acquisition of aspect, but could also be due to the timing of the intervention and the general difficulty and resistance to change of aspect for native English speakers. |