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Project

The relation between listening comprehension and grammar acquisition: a study into the effectiveness of teaching the grammar of Hungarian through listening tasks.

Every language teacher searches for the ideal teaching method, i.e. one that takes into account not only the specific features of the target language but also the learners and the intended result. Ideally, focus on meaning and focus on form should both be given attention. Nowadays, these are no longer considered antipodes, but rather complementary ingredients of an approach to language education in which, implicit and explicit learning are combined.

However, there is no consensus about the way to strike the right balance between form and meaning. In communicative language teaching the primary focus is on meaningful interactions, assuming that implicit learning (learning as the result of language use) is the basis for the explicit knowledge of grammar.

In this research project the effectiveness of teaching Hungarian grammar through tasks aiming at receptive communicative skills, is scrutinized. The main focus of the study will be on one of the least researched skills, namely listening comprehension. Listening comprehension is considered an essential skill for the acquisition of a foreign language. Through listening tasks, learners are exposed to language input which contains positive evidence of grammar rules.

The structure of Hungarian grammar is totally different from the languages known by most learners of Hungarian in Flanders. Hence, the question can be raised whether any grammatical aspect of the Hungarian language can be acquired through listening tasks. Or is the implicit, incidental acquisition of new grammatical structures perhaps limited? Where does incidental, implicit acquisition stop and should explicit acquisition take over?

The principal research question guiding this project is: To which extent can foreign language learners of Hungarian independently develop implicit knowledge of, and the proficiency to use, new grammar rules through listening tasks? In a quasi-experimental study we will compare the acquisition of specific rules of the Hungarian grammar through listening tasks with the acquisition of the same rules through more traditional explicit methods (comprising rule explanation and grammar exercises). The choice of the grammatical rules is based on their functionality in the Hungarian language. The effects of the conditions will be investigated in terms of the extent that the foreign language learners can notice the new grammatical rule, are able to build up explicit knowledge about it,  and develop the ability to apply the rule in a functional context. 

 

Date:1 Oct 2016 →  31 Oct 2022
Keywords:Foreign Language Acquisition
Disciplines:Language studies, Literary studies
Project type:PhD project