Input Flood Research Articles

Investigating the effectiveness of input-based techniques on the acquisition of English passive: A comparative study of explicit instruction and input-based techniques

This study investigates the efficacy of various grammar instruction techniques, namely focus-on-form (FonF) and focus-on-forms (FonFs), on the acquisition and production of the English passive voice. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was employed across four treatment groups without a control group, involving 62 Turkish learners of English, enrolled in preparatory classes at a public university in Turkey, with a B1 (intermediate) proficiency level. The study assessed the effectiveness of input flood (IF), input flood coupled with textual enhancement (IF + TE), input flood with explicit grammar teaching (IF + EGT), and rule-based instruction (RBI). Authentic texts on global warming and climate change were used as materials, with passive sentences underlined for the IF + TE group and explicit grammar explanations provided to the IF + EGT group. Findings point to a clear superiority of RBI in the learners’ grammatical acquisition and production, supporting the idea that explicit instruction, followed by controlled practice, significantly enhances learning outcomes. Contrary to RBI's success, the IF only approach did not yield a substantial impact, questioning the effectiveness of implicit teaching methods for complex grammatical structures. The study also examined the relationship between explicit knowledge and communicative practice, finding that explicit instruction is critical even within communicative frameworks. These outcomes align with the Noticing Hypothesis, emphasizing that conscious recognition of grammatical forms is necessary for effective language acquisition. The study contributes to the ongoing debate on the efficacy of explicit grammar instruction versus implicit learning, suggesting that a combination of instruction focusing on form within a communicative context can be beneficial for EFL learners.

The effects of input flood and input enhancement techniques in teaching collocations to EFL learners

Input flood and input enhancement are two prominent techniques to develop learners’ writing competence. While the former refers to offering multiple sources to increase students’ gains, the latter implies highlighting certain linguistic items to attract attention. A plethora of studies have been conducted to measure the effectiveness of both techniques. However, a gap in the literature has been noticed in comparing input flood with input enhancement technique in terms of writing improvement in Iraq. Thus, the present study was conducted to measure the impacts of the input flood technique to teach collocations on 48 EFL learners who joined an intensive language learning program at the Language Preparatory School of Tishk International University in Erbil, Iraq. Participants, chosen by convenience sampling method, were exposed to input flood or input enhancement techniques to expand their colloquial expression knowledge within six weeks in the 2022–2023 academic year spring semester. Data were collected via writing exams and interviews as a part of the explanatory sequential research design. The findings, analyzed by SPSS 27 and MAXQDA, revealed that experimental group students who received the instruction via input flood increased their writing marks more significantly than control group students whose instruction was via input enhancement. Likewise, students who received the instruction with input flood had more positive views than students receiving input enhancement. The findings of the study may have several implications for educators who think about teaching collocations via input flood and input enhancement techniques professionally.

Employing animation-based TE to activate Chinese children’ cognitive-involvement in L2 feature acquisition

A substantial amount of literature has shown that the input flooding and enhancement (Textual enhancement, TE) technique helps learners to perceive and acquire target features implicitly. Previous studies explored the efficacy of computer-assisted TE interventions in Second Language Acquisition with diverse techniques, but animation has not yet been sufficiently taken into consideration. In this paper, we developed an animation-based TE intervention to promote the primary school children’ acquisition of the linguistic features of English question sentences. The results suggested that learners in experimental group improved their performances in producing questions and statements with a large effect size, as they were found to spontaneously put extra efforts in exploring the related knowledge of the visually enhanced forms. The study presumed that the animation-based TE intervention would stimulate participants’ awareness and curiosity of the target forms, which consequently led to improved performance in tasks both involving precursor knowledge and newly acquired knowledge.

Efeitos do realce do input no noticing e na aprendizagem da gramática em PLE: um estudo de rastreamento ocular

This work aims to investigate the effects of input enhancement vs. input flood on noticing and grammatical development in Chinese learners of Portuguese as a foreign language. Thirty-six participants were divided in two groups: the experimental group (n = 18) performed a reading task with enhanced input and the control group (n = 18) read the same text without enhancement. The target form was the present subjunctive used in three specific contexts. A pretest/ posttest design was used, and four eye tracking measures were selected (first fixation duration, gaze duration, total fixation duration and fixation count). Grammar correction increased significantly in the posttest of both groups. In the unenhanced group (i.e., input flood group) learners’ noticing on the target-form was significantly higher through first fixation duration. Thus, the input enhancement hypothesis (Sharwood Smith, 1991, 1993) was not confirmed, as enhancement did not promote noticing nor a deeper processing of the input. Pedagogical implications of this research are discussed.

Image-schema-based-instruction enhanced L2 construction learning with the optimal balance between attention to form and meaning

Abstract This study investigated the effectiveness of L2 instruction on the learning of English caused-motion constructions (e.g., Jane put the balls into the box, Harry swam Peter to the beach). Korean EFL high school students (N = 156) were randomly assigned to three instructional conditions and one control group. While the metalanguage group relied on explicit uses of grammar jargon, the input flood group read narrative stories in which the instances of a prototypical verb were presented with higher frequency than other verbs. The image-schema group, which adopted a balanced approach to form and meaning attention, studied the core meaning of the target construction. Mixed-effects logistic regressions on Korean-to-English translation tests revealed that the image-schema group was most effective in terms of learnability and generalizability. The benefits of image-schema-based instruction were attributed to simultaneous attention to form and meaning, which might lead to deeper processing. Image-schema-based-instruction is discussed as a viable alternative for L2 construction learning.

The Effect of Input Flooding and Explicit Instruction on L2 Acquisition of English Inverse Scope

This article investigates how different types of input and instruction can affect L1-Mandarin L2-English learners’ acquisition of English inverse scope. English quantifier–negation sentences such as All the kids didn’t climb the tree are ambiguous between a surface-scope reading (‘none of the kids climbed the tree’) and an inverse-scope reading (‘it is not the case that all the kids climbed the tree’), while the Mandarin equivalent only has the surface-scope reading. Inverse scope can be challenging even for advanced learners, due to its low frequency in naturalistic input and/or its complex form–meaning mapping. The present study implemented an intervention with inverse scope: learners received either input flooding (increased frequency) or explicit instruction (explicit explanations about form–meaning mappings). For learners receiving explicit instruction, acceptance of inverse scope increased significantly after instruction. In contrast, learners receiving input flooding did not show significant improvement; results from debriefing questionnaires indicated that learners in the input flooding group failed to either notice the target structure or further process the input. This suggests that input flooding alone is not as effective as explicit instruction in learning a property that has complex form–meaning mapping, such as inverse scope.

A modified fuzzy C means approach for segmenting the input flood images captured by synthetic aperture radar

A modified fuzzy C means approach for segmenting the input flood images captured by synthetic aperture radar

The Concurrent Contribution of Input Flooding, Visual Input Enhancement, and Consciousness-Raising Tasks to Noticing and Intake of Present Perfect Tense

The present research sought to explore the combined contribution of input flooding, visual input enhancement, and consciousness-raising tasks on noticing and intake of the present perfect tense among Iranian EFL learners. Using a nonrandomized control group pretest-posttest design, the researchers attempted to see if instruction could enhance the intake and noticing of the targeted form. To this end, through convenience sampling, 65 lower intermediate learners of English were selected. The subjects were divided into a control group (N=32) and an experimental group (N=33). The experimental subjects were exposed to the three pedagogical techniques while the control subjects did not receive the techniques. The results of the independent samples t-test showed that the experimental group who had received seven teaching interventions significantly outperformed the control group. Furthermore, the obtained results from a chi-square goodness of fit revealed that during the consciousness-raising phase of the study, the experimental participants paid attention the most to the targeted form. The pedagogical implication of the current investigation is that ESL/EFL teachers can simultaneously implement these three techniques in their classes for the learners to both notice and intake the targeted form. Another implication of this research is that material developers can apply the findings of this study in the materials they are going to develop in the future.

Toward Technology-Based Education and English as a Foreign Language Motivation: A Review of Literature.

This review examined the studies on the role of technology-based English as a foreign language (EFL) academic motivation. A significant positive correlation between academic motivation and educational technology use has been approved in related studies. However, there is a dire need for studying the effect of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) and Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on learners’ motivation. The literature showed that purposeful attractiveness, effectiveness, and usefulness of digital instruments can positively affect learner motivation. There are also some reasons for increasing learner motivation in educational technology contexts, such as learners’ integration with the community, familiarising with different societies and cultures, input flooding opportunities, engagement in academic contexts, and interaction with native speakers. In the end, the paedagogical implications are expounded to promote the learners’ grit and diminish anxiety for better performance. This review also provides suggestions for further research to clarify our perspective on emotional variables like motivation.

Exploring Techniques of Addressing Grammar in CLT Classes: A Qualitative Study

Learners who have learned English through the audio-lingual method have a profound knowledge of grammar, but they cannot use it to communicate their knowledge and experience fluently. To solve this problem, there was a shift towards communicative language teaching (CLT). This shift towards CLT solved the fluency problem but created another unwanted effect since learners were communicatively competent but linguistically incompetent. While many teachers weed out form as irrelevant, some CLT teachers try to respond to this problem by addressing from in CLT classes. This study aims at conceptualizing these teachers’ perspectives and uncover the strategies they use in addressing grammar in communicative instruction. Following the constructivist grounded theory procedures, participants’ perspectives were theoretically sampled through in-depth, open-ended interviews. Abstraction and thematic analysis of participants’ experiences clearly revealed that the participants helped learners not only discover the target form but also connect it to their experience. It was also found that they used contrastive analysis, contextualization of input flood, and the integrated skill approach to address form in predominantly communicative classes. These findings have clear implications for teachers, teacher trainers and school policy makers.

The acquisition of pragmatic markers in the foreign language classroom: An experimental study on the effects of implicit and explicit learning

This study discusses the results of an experimental study on the usage of pragmatic markers (PMs) by adolescent German-speaking L2 learners of English in the foreign language classroom. The experiment measured the success of PM usage skills under explicit and implicit learning conditions based on input flood, compared to a control group that received no training on the use of PMs. Competence in using PMs was measured with communicative tasks in a pretest (immediately prior to the experiment) and a posttest (one day after the training). The results, which derive from spoken conversational data collected from 18 advanced learners of English in a high school context, show that short-term effects as regards usage frequency and diversity of PMs could be reached only for the learners who underwent explicit teaching, who showed a significant increase in the frequency of use of PMs in conversational L2 speech and expanded the range of PMs beyond the set of PMs that had been used before the training. The results raise intriguing questions regarding the learnability of conversational routines in L2 acquisition.

The Effect of Explicit, Implicit, and Modified-Implicit Instruction on EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning and Retention

The present study examined the effect of different vocabulary instruction methods on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. Elementary and advanced EFL learners (N = 120), selected through convenience sampling, were randomly assigned to three conditions (i.e., six groups for the two levels). The learners in the explicit group received vocabulary awareness-raising and pushed output activities. The implicit group was exposed to input flooding, while the modified-implicit group received the pushed output activity and input flooding. The vocabulary learning of the participants was measured using teacher-developed vocabulary tests. The results indicated that learners receiving explicit as well as modified-implicit activities outperformed those exposed to implicit instruction on vocabulary tests. This implies that awareness-raising as well as pushed output activities help learners notice, learn vocabulary better, and retain them longer. Several implications for teachers, materials developers, and syllabus designers on including pushed output activities with more involvement, and areas for further research are discussed.

Exploring the Effects of input flood vs input enhancement on learners' use of Collocations in their writings

Exploring the Effects of input flood vs input enhancement on learners' use of Collocations in their writings

Pedagogical Implication of Clause Expansion Mastery through E-Learning Instruction to Improve Academic English Writing Skills

The current study investigated the pedagogical implication of Clause Expansion (CE) mastery to improve academic English writing skills. Fifteen students participated in the study. A two-cycle action research design was used to justify how the mastery of clause expansion contributed to the development of academic writing skills. Prior to intervention, they were assigned to write academic texts based on IELTS writing test. Then, they were given a three-week task-based e-learning instruction on CE., based on Systemic Functional Linguistic Framework of Clause Expansion.In the process of Explicit Instruction (EI) of CE, they were exposed in academic writing exercises to apply their knowledge on CE in various grammatical contexts in which it is required as Input Flood (IF). Another test was administered to see how it progressed from the pre-test. Then, another three-week task-based e-learning module, was given for their second online learning activities. A post-test was administered to see how it contributed to their overall writing skills. It turned out that CE mastery under e-learning special instruction did significantly improve their writing skills. They become more confident in writing academic texts. It is highly recommended that CE be taught as an integral part of a writing course.

A modified fuzzy C means approach for segmenting the input flood images captured by synthetic aperture radar

A modified fuzzy C means approach for segmenting the input flood images captured by synthetic aperture radar

Towards Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition of Young Learners : The Use of Input Flooding and Peripheral Learning

Towards Implicit Vocabulary Acquisition of Young Learners : The Use of Input Flooding and Peripheral Learning

The Effects of Different Pedagogical Interventions on EFL Learners’ Receptive and Productive Knowledge of Formulaic Sequences

This study sought to investigate the effects of Explicit ‎Instruction in combination with Input ‎Enhancement (EI+IE), Input Flood (IF), and Gap-fill (GF) tasks on receptive and productive ‎knowledge of English formulaic sequences (FS) ‎by Iranian intermediate EFL learners. Assigned ‎to three experimental groups‎, the 110 participants took the receptive and productive knowledge ‎pretests, posttests, and delayed posttests. Findings of within-group (repeated-‎measures ‎ANOVAs) and between-group (ANCOVAs) tests showed that while IF could not promote ‎learners' performance, both the EI+IE and the GF could ‎improve learners’ receptive and ‎productive knowledge of target ‎FSs from pretests to posttests and ‎retained the effects until the ‎delayed posttests. Additionally, both EI+IE and GF groups ‎significantly outperformed the IF ‎group at the immediate posttests. That is, the results from EI+IE did not differ significantly from ‎those of GF. Plausible accounts for the obtained results are provided and the implications are ‎discussed.‎

Comparing Accuracy and Durability Effects of Jigsaw Versus Input Flood Tasks on the Recognition of Regular Past Tense /-ed/

This study investigated the effects of input flood tasks, as focused tasks, and Jigsaw tasks, as unfocused tasks, on promoting Iranian English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ recognition of regular past tense /-ed/ in terms of accuracy and durability. Accordingly, using a quasi-experimental study, two intact university classes including 62 participants were randomly designated to experimental and comparison groups. The participants were homogenized regarding their language and grammar proficiency levels. The experimental group was instructed through input flood tasks and the comparison group through Jigsaw tasks. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) analysis showed that although both groups’ mean accuracy scores were improved on the immediate posttest, the experimental group outscored the comparison group. However, the results of the delayed posttest demonstrated that whereas the comparison group maintained their accuracy level over time, the experimental group’s accuracy mean score dropped. It can be postulated that input flood tasks may promote learners’ recognition accuracy of second language forms immediately, but this effect may gradually diminish. Hence, it can be tentatively concluded that Jigsaw tasks result in more durable gains than input flood tasks. The findings imply that when the goal of grammar instruction is to achieve durable effects, unfocused tasks should be integrated with focused tasks in the syllabus.

The relative efficacy of input enhancement, input flooding, and output-based instructional approaches in the acquisition of L2 request modifiers

This study investigates the effects of input-based and output-based instructions on the acquisition of second language (L2) request modifiers. Four intact classes were randomly assigned to textual enhancement (TE), input flooding (IF), output-based instruction (OI), and control (CO) groups. The TE group watched some captioned videos on requests and read over the video transcripts with the target features typographically highlighted. The IF group watched twice more captioned videos and read over the video transcripts with no textual manipulation. The OI group watched videos with no captions and then engaged in dialogue reconstruction tasks. Results of the pragmatic comprehension and production pre-test and post-test revealed the overall effectiveness of the treatment. TE and OI groups performed rather similarly in the comprehension test. Concerning the production test, the OI group performed best, followed by TE, IF, and CO groups. The findings suggest employing input-based and output-based practices to promote learners’ L2 pragmatic knowledge.

Input Flooding, Input Enhancement and Writing Performance: Effects and Percepts

Input Flooding, Input Enhancement and Writing Performance: Effects and Percepts