Skill acquisition theory account of written CF effects: declarative knowledge proceduralized into implicit knowledge through repeated practice¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 8 claims (5 for, 2 mixed, 1 against) · 3 studies (2 causal, 1 theoretical), q1–q3 · 1 of 3 report an effect size · 8 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article explains its findings within skill acquisition theory (citing DeKeyser and Ellis), which distinguishes explicit declarative knowledge of facts and rules from implicit procedural knowledge. It states that "explicit declarative knowledge is proceduralized and automatized into implicit knowledge by practicing it, namely activating it repeatedly for meaningful purposes or uses". The study uses this framework to interpret why CF groups that gained explicit knowledge also gained implicit knowledge after a post-CF writing task.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Practice opportunities that repeatedly activate declarative knowledge for meaningful purposes are needed for proceduralization.

Constraints¶

• The article notes there is disagreement in the literature on how implicit knowledge can be obtained, and future research should consider other perspectives.

Target Learners¶

• Low-intermediate university EFL learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Development of explicit and implicit L2 grammatical knowledge

Claims¶

• Cf Type Implicit Short Term Differences [+M]
• Cf Type Implicit Long Term Benefits [+M]
• All four written CF types, including metalinguistic code CF, outperformed the control group on the delayed posttest of explicit L2 knowledge two weeks later. [+W]
• On the immediate posttest of explicit L2 knowledge, direct CF and metalinguistic CF with rule explanations outperformed the control group while metalinguistic code CF did not. [+W]
• Metalinguistic written CF was equivalent, not superior, to non-metalinguistic direct CF, contrasting with previous studies whose metalinguistic CF also contained correct forms. [+W]
• Applying skill theory to grammar conflates constructs: pedagogical rules are not what exists in learners' mental representation [-W]
• Declarative memory shows no association with regular past tense learning under any CF type [~W]
• Procedural memory shows no association with irregular past tense learning under any CF type [~W]

Related Theories¶

• Skill acquisition theory in second language learning
• Skill acquisition theory applied to second language learning: declarative knowledge first, then proceduralization and partial automatization

Examples¶

• Use metalinguistic naught CF (rule explanations without error marking) to ease teachers' corrective feedback workload while retaining long-term effectiveness.

Key Sources¶

• Jang, Sung-Soo. (2020). The efficacy of different types of metalinguistic information in L2 written corrective feedback. English Teaching, 75(4), 33-56. https://doi.org/10.15858/engtea.75.4.202012.33