Investigating the Investigating the characteristics of effective characteristics of effective

recasts in the ESL classroomrecasts in the ESL classroom

Shawn Loewen & Jenefer PhilpShawn Loewen & Jenefer Philp

TBLT ConferenceTBLT Conference

RecastsRecasts

• Target-like reformulations following a Target-like reformulations following a learner’s non-TL utterance.learner’s non-TL utterance.

• Maintains the central meaning, while Maintains the central meaning, while changing elements of the form changing elements of the form (lexical, morphological, syntactic, (lexical, morphological, syntactic, phonological components). (Long, phonological components). (Long, 1996)1996)

Example of RecastExample of Recast

S: when I was soldier I used to wear the S: when I was soldier I used to wear the balaclavabalaclava

T: and why did you wear it S for protection T: and why did you wear it S for protection from the cold or for another reason from the cold or for another reason

S: just wind uh S: just wind uh protection to wind and coldprotection to wind and cold

T: T: protection fromprotection from

S: S: uh from wind and colduh from wind and cold

T: right, okay not for a disguiseT: right, okay not for a disguise

Potential benefits of recastsPotential benefits of recasts

• Provide implicit negative feedback Provide implicit negative feedback

• Juxtapose the learner’s incorrect Juxtapose the learner’s incorrect utterance with the target-like versionutterance with the target-like version

• Contingent on the learner’s Contingent on the learner’s productionproduction

• Incidental Incidental

Potential limitations of Potential limitations of recastsrecasts

• Ambiguous Ambiguous

• Learners are not pushed in their Learners are not pushed in their outputoutput

• Differentially beneficial depending on Differentially beneficial depending on formform

• Other forms of feedback may be Other forms of feedback may be more beneficialmore beneficial

Research rationaleResearch rationale

• Studies of recasts have not always Studies of recasts have not always worked from the same definition.worked from the same definition.

• Characteristics of recasts may vary, Characteristics of recasts may vary, and these variations may influence and these variations may influence their effectiveness.their effectiveness.

Research QuestionsResearch Questions

1.1. What are the characteristics of What are the characteristics of recasts in young adult ESL classes?recasts in young adult ESL classes?

2.2. Are particular characteristics of Are particular characteristics of recasts associated with successful recasts associated with successful uptake/accurate test scores?uptake/accurate test scores?

ParticipantsParticipants

Private language school in Auckland, New Private language school in Auckland, New ZealandZealand

12 Teachers12 Teachers– Native speakers of EnglishNative speakers of English– 8 male, 4 female8 male, 4 female

118 Students118 Students– Intermediate English proficiencyIntermediate English proficiency– Primarily from Korea, China and JapanPrimarily from Korea, China and Japan

ProcedureProcedure

17 hours of audio-recorded classroom 17 hours of audio-recorded classroom observationsobservations

FFEs and Recasts identified and codedFFEs and Recasts identified and coded

Individualised tests designed and Individualised tests designed and administered (Immediate and Delayed)administered (Immediate and Delayed)

Characteristics of recastsCharacteristics of recasts

• FFEs with recasts were coded for the FFEs with recasts were coded for the following features:following features:

Linguistic FocusLinguistic Focus

• LexicalLexical

• Morphological/SyntacticMorphological/Syntactic

• PhonologicalPhonological

• CombinationCombination

Prosodic emphasisProsodic emphasis

• Stressed or Unstressed Stressed or Unstressed

H: H: some people have racismsome people have racism

T: T: some people ARE racistsome people ARE racist

H: H: are racistare racist

IntonationIntonation

• Declarative or InterrogativeDeclarative or Interrogative

S: somebody steal my paper (.) stolenS: somebody steal my paper (.) stolen

T: someone stole your paper?T: someone stole your paper?

Length of RecastLength of Recast

• More or less than 5 morphemesMore or less than 5 morphemes

S: my brain will s- I seem will seem to S: my brain will s- I seem will seem to be explodebe explode

T: my my brain seems to be explodingT: my my brain seems to be exploding

SegmentationSegmentation

Segmented or WholeSegmented or Whole

S: why he why should he release?S: why he why should he release?

T: be releasedT: be released

Number of ChangesNumber of Changes

• 1 Change or 2+ Changes1 Change or 2+ Changes

S: damag-ed (.) wall damag-edS: damag-ed (.) wall damag-ed

T: the hotel wall was damagedT: the hotel wall was damaged

Number of Feedback MovesNumber of Feedback Moves

• 1 or 2+1 or 2+

S: the title of the story is girl had blood in S: the title of the story is girl had blood in her scalpher scalp

T: blood?T: blood?

S: blootS: bloot

T: T: bullet bullet=bullet bullet=

S:=bullet bullet in her scalpS:=bullet bullet in her scalp

Successful UptakeSuccessful Uptake

Students incorporate the linguistic Students incorporate the linguistic form into their own productionform into their own production

S: maybe everyday have a lot of S: maybe everyday have a lot of people die by the cigarettepeople die by the cigarette

T: die from cigarettesT: die from cigarettesS: S: die from cigarettesdie from cigarettes, so maybe …, so maybe …

Testing ProcedureTesting Procedure

Students were tested orally on the Students were tested orally on the linguistic forms targeted in FFEs in linguistic forms targeted in FFEs in which students themselves were which students themselves were involved.involved.

TEST: Correction ExampleTEST: Correction Example

The following sentences are incorrect or The following sentences are incorrect or inappropriate. Please listen and tell me inappropriate. Please listen and tell me how you could make the sentences better.how you could make the sentences better.

  1. I used to wear the balaclava for 1. I used to wear the balaclava for

protection to wind and cold.protection to wind and cold.

Test: PronunciationTest: Pronunciation

• Learners were asked to first read Learners were asked to first read aloud a sentence containing the aloud a sentence containing the targeted word/phrase and then to targeted word/phrase and then to read aloud the target word/phrase in read aloud the target word/phrase in isolation. isolation.

Test ScoresTest Scores

• Responses to test items were scored Responses to test items were scored as correct or incorrect according to as correct or incorrect according to the response provided in the the response provided in the recast/FFErecast/FFE

ResultsResults

• 465 FFEs465 FFEs

• 228 Recasts228 Recasts

Linguistic FocusLinguistic Focus

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Lexical Morph/ Syn Phonological Combination

Length of RecastLength of Recast

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Less than 5 Greater than 5

Prosodic EmphasisProsodic Emphasis

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Unstressed Stressed

SegmentationSegmentation

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Segmented Whole

Number of ChangesNumber of Changes

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

One More than One

Number of Feedback MovesNumber of Feedback Moves

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

One More than One

IntonationIntonation

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Declarative Interrogative

Predictors of Successful Predictors of Successful uptake uptake VariableVariable Odds RatioOdds Ratio SignificanceSignificance

StressStress 13.2513.25 .001.001

IntonationIntonation .351.351 .012.012

Number of Number of ChangesChanges

.591.591 .067.067

Number of Number of MovesMoves

2.492.49 .001.001

Predictors of Successful Predictors of Successful UptakeUptake

• Stressed recasts Stressed recasts

• Declarative recastsDeclarative recasts

• Recast with only one changeRecast with only one change

• FFEs with more than one feedback FFEs with more than one feedback movemove

Predictors of Accurate Test Predictors of Accurate Test ScoresScores

VariableVariable Odds RatioOdds Ratio SignificanceSignificance

IntonationIntonation 2.22.2 .084.084

Length of Length of RecastRecast

.509.509 .149.149

Number of Number of ChangesChanges

.518.518 .054.054

Predictors of Accurate Test Predictors of Accurate Test ScoresScores

• Interrogative RecastsInterrogative Recasts

• Recasts with fewer than 5 Recasts with fewer than 5 morphemesmorphemes

• Recasts with only one changeRecasts with only one change

SummarySummary

• Recasts in these classes were Recasts in these classes were generally short, stressed, generally short, stressed, segmented, declarative with only one segmented, declarative with only one change.change.

• The same characteristics did not The same characteristics did not predict both successful uptake and predict both successful uptake and correct test scores. correct test scores.