인지적 부담, 형식 초점 활동 및 학습자의 인식이 언어형식 학습에 미치는 영향

Effects of cognitive load, form-focused activities, and learner awareness on the learning of language forms

Communicative activities can facilitate a variety of interactional aspects as a necessary condition to develop communicative competence. Although communicative competence includes both fluency and accuracy, many studies focused mainly on the development of fluency by using communicative activities. With an important role of accuracy in communication, this study analyzed the effects of cognitive load, form-focused activities, and learner awareness on the learning of language forms. Three kinds of communicative activities were designed and they were applied to experimental classes in which 48 sophomores participated. Cognitive load can deteriorate interactional aspects for the learning of language forms. Some strategies such as planning, use of written language, and repetition were used in order to reduce learners’ cognitive load. Form-focused activities can help learners notice language forms and structure the forms. Form-focused activities were designed by using corrective feedback, input enhancement, and form-focused exercises. The levels of learner awareness also can have a positive or negative effect on interactional aspects. The data were analyzed in terms of interactional aspects and the learning of language forms. The findings of this study demonstrate that activities to reduce learners’ cognitive load and form-focused activities can facilitate the learning of language forms, especially in terms of interactional aspects for the learning of language forms. The results also reveal that the interactional aspects may be affected by the levels of learner awareness.