Dans cette thèse, nous examinons l'effet de différentes conditions d'apprentissage sur l'évolution des mécanismes neurocognitifs utilisés par des apprenants francophones pour traiter l'anglais L2, grâce à des mesures comportementales (jugements d'acceptabilité) et électrophysiologiques (potentiels évoqués). Deux types d'entrainement reflétant deux situations d'apprentissage ont été comparés : en immersion (apprentissage implicite) ou par l'instruction (apprentissage explicite).Deux expériences ont été réalisées. Dans la première (E1), nous avons étudié l'effet des entrainements sur le traitement de violations morphosyntaxiques dont le fonctionnement était similaire ou conflictuel avec la L1. Dans la deuxième (E2), nous avons cherché à réduire le biais en faveur d'un traitement explicite induit par la présence de violations, en étudiant le traitement d'anomalies syntaxiques temporaires provoquées par la prosodie.Les résultats montrent des effets bénéfiques pour les deux types d'entrainement. L'apprentissage explicite présente un léger avantage pour le traitement de la structure conflictuelle, et a permis dans E2 de réduire l'impact des aptitudes individuelles. E1 a confirmé l'influence de l'attention portée à la correction grammaticale sur les réponses en potentiels évoqués. Dans E2, l'entrainement implicite était associé à un traitement plus rapide et plus automatique des incongruités.Ce travail confirme que les conditions d'apprentissage modifient le traitement de la L2 même dans un temps court chez des apprenants intermédiaires, mais souligne l'importance de réduire les biais en faveur d'un apprentissage explicite inhérents au paradigme EEG. / This work examines the effect of learning conditions on the evolution of the neurocognitive mechanisms used by French speakers to process a second language (English). We used behavioural (acceptability judgments) and electrophysiological (event-related potentials) measures. Two types of training were compared, designed to reflect two learning situations : through exposure (implicit learning) or instruction (explicit learning).Two experiments were conducted. In the first one (E1), we studied how our trainings affected the processing of morphosyntactic violations working in a similar or conflictual way in the L2 and L1 of our participants. In the second experiment (E2), we tried to reduce the bias towards explicit learning entailed by the presence of violations, by studying how learners process temporary syntactic anomalies triggered by prosody-syntax mismatches.Results show a beneficial effect for both types of training. Explicit learning proved to be slightly more effective in improving the processing of a coflictual structure. In E2 it reduced the impact of individual abilities. E1 confirmed that the level of attention to grammaticality affects the nature and amplitude of ERP components. In E2, implicit training was linked to a faster and more automatic processing of incongruities.This research confirms that learning conditions can affect L2 processing even in a short time and for intermediate learners, but underlines the importance of reducing the biases towards explicit processing that are inherent to the EEG violation paradigm.

<p>Two studies examined whether stereotypes can be created using different learning paradigms and whether the resulting stereotypes will have different properties that affect their activation, suppression, and explicit knowledge. In the Pilot Study, participants were able to learn to use clothing cues to predict membership using both an explicit paradigm that made declarative statements of group membership and an implicit paradigm based on feedback learning. In Study 1, implicit learners performed worse after a depletion task and better following a control task. Explicit learners did not change based on the depletion task. High trait self-control as measured by the Brief Self-Control Scale was shown to predict better performance in depleted implicit learners and worse performance in depleted explicit learners. In Study 2, participants in both the implicit and explicit learning conditions saw decreases in performance when trying to inhibit a previously learned cue. Trait self-control did not predict the ability to suppress the use of a specific cue. In both studies implicit learners made more accurate estimations of the cue probabilities, suggesting a stronger explicit knowledge of the relationship between the cues and group membership. These results provide initial evidence that the method of stereotype learning can have an impact on later stereotype usage although the mechanisms that lead to these differences require additional research.</p> / Dissertation

Learning environment has been proposed to be a cause of age of acquisition effects in second language acquisition. Explicit learning in adults is linked to fast initial gains but poorer ultimate attainment whereas implicit learning in children requires more input but leads to greater proficiency in the long run. The current study used ERP measures to determine if explicit learning of a phonotactic pattern interferes with implicit learning of that same pattern in adults. Listeners were told to figure out the pattern of consonants that can go together in a word by listening to 16 CVCV nonsense words in which the two consonants all matched in voicing or never matched in voicing. Listeners rated novel items that fit the pattern presented in training as far more likely to fit the rule than novel items that violated that pattern, indicating that they did indeed learn the pattern. For participants who heard the voicing-mismatch language, novel items that violated the pattern elicited a larger negativity 200-400 ms after onset compared to novel items that fit the pattern. This effect was entirely distinct from what was previously observed under implicit learning conditions. Further, three patterns of data suggest that difficult explicit learning of a phonotactic pattern decreased language learning. First, differences in N400 amplitude across training blocks were reduced compared to what was observed with implicit learning. Differences in N400 amplitude in response to trained and novel items were limited to the more easily learned matched-voicing language. Second, the ERP index of implicit phonotactic learning, a larger Late Positive Component (LPC) in response to novel items that violate compared to fit the pattern, was absent under explicit learning conditions. Third, and supporting the idea that an absence of an LPC effect indicates an absence of implicit learning, the only hint of an LPC-like effect was evident for the more easily learned matched-voicing pattern. These patterns of data suggest that, at least for patterns that native speakers have exclusively implicit knowledge of, challenging explicit learning can interfere with other aspects of language learning. Adults who approach second-language acquisition with class-room style explicit learning strategies may compromise implicit learning of complex patterns that are necessary for higher levels of ultimate proficiency.

This thesis studies grammar-based approaches in the application of Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDA) to the tree representation widely used in Genetic Programming (GP). Although EDA is becoming one of the most active fields in Evolutionary computation (EC), the solution representation in most EDA is a Genetic Algorithms (GA) style linear representation. The more complex tree representations, resembling GP, have received only limited exploration. This is unfortunate, because tree representations provide a natural and expressive way of representing solutions for many problems. This thesis aims to help fill this gap, exploring grammar-based approaches to extending EDA to GP-style tree representations. This thesis firstly provides a comprehensive survey of current research on EDA with emphasis on EDA with GP-style tree representation. The thesis attempts to clarify the relationship between EDA with conventional linear representations and those with a GP-style tree representation, and to reveal the unique difficulties which face this research. Secondly, the thesis identifies desirable properties of probabilistic models for EDA with GP-style tree representation, and derives the PRODIGY framework as a consequence. Thirdly, following the PRODIGY framework, three methods are proposed. The first method is Program Evolution with Explicit Learning (PEEL). Its incremental general-to-specific grammar learning method balances the effectiveness and efficiency of the grammar learning. The second method is Grammar Model-based Program Evolution (GMPE). GMPE realises the PRODIGY framework by introducing elegant inference methods from the formal grammar field. GMPE provides good performance on some problems, but also provides a means to better understand some aspects of conventional GP, especially the building block hypothesis. The third method is Swift GMPE (sGMPE), which is an extension of GMPE, aiming at reducing the computational cost. Fourthly, a more accurate Minimum Message Length metric for grammar learning in PRODIGY is derived in this thesis. This metric leads to improved performance in the GMPE system, but may also be useful in grammar learning in general. It is also relevant to the learning of other probabilistic graphical models.

The aim of this paper was to investigate student and teacher attitudes towards English vocabulary learning and teaching. Secondary aims were to find out how a number of students learn new vocabulary and whether teachers prefer explicit or implicit teaching methods. The investigation was conducted by letting 75 students in two lower secondary schools and 24 teachers of English from different schools answer questionnaires about vocabulary learning and vocabulary teaching. The results show that both the students and the teachers generally had positive attitudes towards vocabulary learning. The teachers of English did not prefer explicit teaching methods to implicit teaching methods when teaching vocabulary, but they thought implicit vocabulary teaching to be most effective. The results also show that the students claim to learn new vocabulary in varied ways and watching English movies or TV-series and by playing computer- or video games were singled out as the most effective ways to acquire new vocabulary by the students. Hence, the results show that both the teachers and the students agreed on implicit vocabulary learning to be the most effective, however, previous research has shown that vocabulary is most effectively learnt explicitly.

The aim of this essay has been to investigate the role of language awareness (LA), from a teacher’s perspective in today’s Swedish upper secondary school, related to foreign language learning (with the emphasis on the cognitive aspects), and to investigate why it is important to give more attention to LA as a concept in order to enhance language acquisition. The investigation has been carried out through qualitative in-depth interviews with six foreign language teachers. The result shows that the teachers’ views of the concept do not cover all aspects of LA and that there are theoretical and practical ambiguities in the views concerning the cognitive aspects. The conclusion points to the necessity of clarification of LA and that LA ought to be explicitly mentioned and developed in the curriculum. Finally, the conclusion underlines the need of LA methodology in order to facilitate teaching in the aim of improving language learning through pupils’ metacognition.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to compare five teachers’ beliefs about their students’ learning of vocabulary and compare that with current theories and recommended practices in the field. The method for collecting data was semi-structured interviews with teachers who teach English in both lower secondary and upper secondary schools in Sweden. The data from these interviews were then analyzed by way of thematic analysis. The results were then compared with previous research in the field of vocabulary learning drawing on studies and works of researchers such as Stuart Webb and Paul Nation among others. The results reveal a lot of similarities with the latest research on vocabulary learning. The findings of this study also indicate some differences between teacher beliefs and research. Apart from research done in the field of vocabulary learning this study has also taken the proven experience of the teachers into account. Since this study is of a qualitative kind, these results cannot be generalized in regard to Swedish teachers of English as a group but rather what some of them portray when talking on the topic of vocabulary.

Vocabulary plays a fundamental role in language learning acquisition. With a sufficientvocabulary, learners are able to express themselves in various ways, communicate and share their thoughts and opinions with others. In contrast, an inadequate vocabulary gives rise to misunderstanding and poor communication. For many years, one of the most common tools used to enhance and develop learners’ vocabulary in language classrooms have been textbooks. However, to what extent textbooks actually help facilitate and promote vocabulary acquisition has been questioned and debated. Therefore, the present study investigates how English textbooks promote vocabulary acquisition for learners at upper secondary schools in Sweden, and this was done by analysing two English textbooks, namely Blueprint and Solid Gold, used for English 5 in Swedish schools. Firstly, the study examined whether vocabulary in the texts is repeated in the tasks, and if it is, to what extent the vocabulary is repeated. Secondly, the study examined to what extent vocabulary in the textbooks corresponds to CEFR levels targeted in English 5. Lastly, the study examined what types of tasks there are in the textbooks, and whether the textbooks have a focus on explicit or incidental learning. The results showed that there is a lack of repetition in the textbooks. On the other hand, both textbooks corresponded well to CEFR levels targeted in English 5. With respect to different types of tasks, the closed exercise type is the most frequent exercise type in both textbooks. Moreover, there was also a large proportion of communicative tasks in the textbooks. The results also showed that both textbooks seem to have a focus on incidental learning.

The aim of this work was to verify to what extent playful activities are effective in the English language learning process. The relevance of this study is due to the fact that ludic activities are widely used in English lessons nowadays but there are not many studies about their real contribution to the learning process of the language. To verify that, the methodology used in this research was based on collaborative action-research in two 3rd grade high school groups at the Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Alagoas (CEFET-AL) in Maceió, Brazil, in the year of 2006. Non-participant class observations, questionnaires, recordings, field note taking and some experiments like traditional and playful activities were used during the research. The theoretical background was based on the study of EFL teaching procedures, playfulness, motivation, implicit and explicit instruction. The results obtained indicated that ludic activities play an important role in students motivation but do not guarantee successful conscious learning. / O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar em que medida as atividades lúdicas são eficientes no processo de aprendizagem de Língua Inglesa. A relevância deste estudo deve-se ao fato de que as atividades lúdicas são amplamente usadas nas aulas de inglês nos dias atuais, porém não há muitos estudos sobre sua real contribuição para o processo de aprendizagem da língua. Para verificar isso, a metodologia usada nesta pesquisa foi baseada em pesquisa-ação colaborativa em dois grupos de 3º ano do Ensino Médio no Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Alagoas (CEFET-AL) em Maceió, Brasil, no ano de 2006. Observações de aulas não participativas, questionários, gravações, notas de campo e alguns experimentos como atividades tradicionais e lúdicas foram usados nesta pesquisa. A fundamentação teórica baseou-se no estudo de procedimentos de ensino de inglês como língua estrangeira, da ludicidade, da motivação e das instruções implícita e explícita. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que as atividades lúdicas desempenham um papel importante na motivação dos alunos, mas não garantem o sucesso da aprendizagem consciente da língua.

The theme of this work is personal narrative as an element of English teaching. Personal narratives are a very frequent type of genre in our oral day-today interactions. These oral narratives have the constant presence of certain elements in their internal structure, which are usually incorporated by written narratives. Therefore, the objective of this work is to use personal narratives as a tool for the teaching and learning of the English language. In order to reach this objective, a didactic experience was developed with fourteen students from a group under my responsibility in the Licentiate Degree in Languages (Portuguese- English) at Faculdade José Augusto Vieira (FJAV), in the city of Lagarto, Sergipe. The aim of the didactic experience was to enable students to write texts by making conscious use of the structure and elements of personal narratives as a text genre. The instruments which were used to verify the effectiveness of the didactic experience were questionnaires, field notes, students writing production and interviews. The research was based on the analysis of narratives according to Labov and Waletzky (1967), Pratt (1977), Prince (1983), Polanyi (1979), and Tannen (1982), among others. A theory of genres by Bakhtin (2003), Schneuwly (2004) and Marcuschi (2005), as well as a theory of writing by Raimes (1983), Flower and Hayes (1981) and Grabe and Kaplan (1996) integrated the work. Likewise, studies on implicit and explicit learning by Mathews et al. (1989), Zimmer and Alves (2006), and others, gave theoretical support to the research. The results of the research revealed the necessity to develop writing practices which attend both to the linguistic and social needs of learners. I hope that this work can contribute to the development of more meaningful teaching tasks and to the formation of more efficient writers of English as a foreign language. / O tema deste trabalho é a narrativa pessoal como elemento do ensino da língua inglesa. As narrativas pessoais são um gênero textual muito freqüente na oralidade, nas nossas interações do dia-a-dia. Essas narrativas pessoais orais têm a presença constante de certos elementos, em sua estrutura interna, que são geralmente incorporados pelas narrativas escritas. Desta forma, a pesquisa tem como proposta utilizar as narrativas pessoais como uma estratégia de ensino para a aprendizagem da escrita na língua inglesa. Para alcançar este objetivo, uma experiência didática foi desenvolvida com catorze alunos de uma turma sob minha responsabilidade no curso de Letras com habilitação em português e inglês, na Faculdade José Augusto Vieira (FJAV), no município de Lagarto, Sergipe. O objetivo da experiência didática era levar os alunos a escreverem textos empregando conscientemente a estrutura e os elementos do gênero narrativa pessoal. Os instrumentos de pesquisa utilizados foram questionários, notas de campo, análise das produções escritas dos alunos colaboradores e entrevistas. O referencial teórico apoiou-se nas análises das narrativas, segundo Labov e Waletzky (1967), Pratt (1977), Prince (1983), Polanyi (1979), e Tannen (1982), entre outros. Uma teoria de gêneros baseada em Bakhtin (2003), Schneuwly (2004) e Marcuschi (2005), assim como uma teoria de produção de textos de Raimes (1983), Flower e Hayes (1981) e Grabe e Kaplan (1996), também integraram o arcabouço teórico do trabalho. Da mesma forma, estudos sobre aprendizagem implícita e explícita, realizados por Mathews et al. (1989), Zimmer e Alves (2006), e outros, deram suporte teórico à pesquisa. Os resultados da pesquisa revelaram a necessidade do desenvolvimento de práticas de escrita que atendam tanto às necessidades lingüísticas quanto às sociais dos aprendizes. Espera-se que este trabalho contribua para o desenvolvimento de atividades de ensino mais significativas e para a formação de escritores mais eficientes de inglês como língua estrangeira.