Attention to Form and Meaning Revisited

Abstract

The present study revisited the issue of simultaneous attention to form and meaning from a methodological perspective that addressed several potential methodological issues of previous research in this strand of inquiry. Seventy‐two second‐semester‐level participants were randomly assigned to one of five experimental groups, including a control, and requested to read a Spanish text and also circle one of four targeted forms (10 occurrences each) in the input. To measure comprehension, a 10‐item multiple‐choice test was administered immediately after the reading. Both qualitative (think‐aloud protocols) and quantitative analyses were conducted to address the following research question: Does type of attentional condition have a differential effect on adult second language reading comprehension? The quantitative analysis revealed no significant difference in comprehension among all five groups. To explicate the findings, the quantitative and qualitative data and analyses are discussed with regard to the issues of modality, depth or level of processing, and research methodology.