ERIC Number: EJ1278293
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Dec
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-2133
EISSN: N/A
Nominal and Verbal Agreement in Portuguese: Differential Outcomes of a Focus on Language in a Fourth-Grade Immersion Class
Child, Michael W.; Bateman, Blair E.
Hispania, v103 n4 p501-521 Dec 2020
Immersion students' language abilities are generally characterized by strong receptive skills (listening, reading) and less developed productive skills (speaking, writing) when compared with L1 speakers of the immersion language (e.g., Allen et al. 1990; Cummins 1998; Harley 1992). In this paper we report results from a six-month mixed-methods case study of a fourth-grade Portuguese dual language immersion (DLI) classroom that had implemented a focus on language forms through noticing, awareness, and practice activities, with corrective feedback interwoven throughout the process. We discuss the evidence of immersion learners' emerging linguistic and grammatical competence as shown through a written pretest and posttest and pre- and post-interviews. Results indicate that the large majority of these learners do not yet show consistent nominal or verbal agreement in their speech or writing, although signs of improvement were observed during the course of the academic year with regard to nominal agreement. Additionally, we present evidence showing that these students tend to produce an extremely limited range of forms for each verb, with many producing only third person singular forms in the present tense. We end with suggestions on how to help immersion students develop stronger and more accurate productive skills.
Descriptors: Grammar, Portuguese, Second Language Learning, Error Correction, Feedback (Response), Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Case Studies, Grade 4, Elementary School Students, Metalinguistics, Pretests Posttests, Speech Communication, Writing (Composition), Morphemes, Accuracy, Teaching Methods, Immersion Programs
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Inc. 900 Ladd Road, Walled Lake, MI 48390. Tel: 248-960-2180; Fax: 248-960-9570; e-mail: AATSPoffice@aatsp.org; Web site: http://www.aatsp.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A