Investigating the role of salient constructions in promoting generalization and preventing overgeneralization among young EFL learners: an artificial grammar learning study

Thesis

This study explores the impact of +VLPR salient constructions — constructions containing verbs with lexically profiled roles — on the generalization and prevention of overgeneralization in children learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Through a controlled experiment employing an artificial grammar learning (AGL) design, the research compared the performance of children exposed to +VLPR salient constructions with those exposed to constructions containing verbs without lexically profiled roles (-VLPR). The results indicate that children exposed to +VLPR salient constructions demonstrated superior ability in generalizing novel constructions, as evidenced by higher production task scores. However, the study did not find conclusive evidence that +VLPR salient constructions reduce overgeneralization, partly due to a ceiling effect observed in the comprehension tasks. These findings underscore the importance of salience in language instruction, particularly in EFL contexts, and suggest that +VLPR salient constructions can enhance language learning by making grammatical structures more accessible and generalizable for young learners. Future research should address the limitations of sample size and explore strategies to mitigate ceiling effects to further understand the role of +VLPR salient constructions in language acquisition.

Authors: Kil, Y

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-00eqdp2oz
• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: young learners; experimental design; novel construction; lexically profiled roles; quantitative; EFL; constructions; salient constructions; generalization; overgeneralization; ALSLA2024; salience; ASLSA
• Subjects: Second language acquisition; English; Applied linguistics; Quantitative research; Fiction; Students