The relationship between modified output and working memory capacity
The relationship between modified output and working memory capacity
Keywords: Foreign language learning; working memory; corrective feedback; modified output; interaction
Mohammadtaghi Shahnazari-Dorcheh
University of Isfahan, Iran
Rebecca Adams
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Saeed Ketabi
University of Isfahan, Iran
ketabi@fgn.ui.ac.ir
s.ketabi@yahoo.com
Bio Data
Mohammadtaghi Shahnazari has received his Ph.D in Language Teaching and Learning from the University of Auckland. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, University of Isfahan. His research interests are interactional corrective feedback, individual differences in working memory capacity, reading comprehension and SLA issues. He has presented and published several papers in international journals and conferences.
Rebecca Adams is a research fellow at the University of Auckland and an associate director of the Center for Faculty Excellence at Northcentral University. Her upcoming co-authored book on peer interaction in language learning will be published by Taylor and Francis.
Saeed Ketabi (associate professor) has a Ph.D in English and Applied Linguistics from University of Cambridge, England and is teaching ELT courses at the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the University of Isfahan. (ketabi@fgn.ui.ac.ir: s.ketabi@yahoo.com)
Prior work by Mackey et al (2001) and Trofimovich et al (2007) implicates the role of working memory (WM) in learning from interactional feedback. This study sought to determine whether there is a relationship between WM and phonological short-term memory (PSTM) on the one hand and modified output on the other. 44 L1 Persian EFL learners participated in a 15-minute task-based interaction, where they received interactional feedback in the form of elicitations (e.g., Lyster, 2004; Nassaji, 2007), and were given opportunities to modify their problematic utterances following the feedback. They also completed WM and PSTM tests. Regression analysis was applied to determine whether any significant relationships existed between, WM, PSTM, and the production of modified output following feedback in the form of elicitations. Results suggested that there is a positive significant correlation between PSTM and modified output following elliptical elicitations.
Category: Main Editions, Volume 15 Issue 2
