This study evaluated the efficacy of Dynamic Written Corrective Feedback (DWCF) on advanced students' writing accuracy of Spanish. This method focuses on manageable, meaningful, timely and constant feedback. Previously, DWCF was studied in the context of English as a second language. The current study investigated the efficacy of DWCF in the context of students who were enrolled in an advanced Spanish grammar class at the university level. A comparative study was conducted measuring students' writing accuracy who received the DWCF against students' writing accuracy who did not receive this feedback methodology. Results showed that there was not a significant difference in writing accuracy between these two groups of students. However, both groups improved their writing accuracy over time. This study also provided a list of the most frequent writing errors made by 28 students in an advanced Spanish class. The results show that the most frequent linguistic errors for learners of Spanish are accent marks, prepositions, gender and number, punctuation, and word choice.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-05-22T13:15:55Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Rhanya Rafaella Rodrigues - 2017.pdf: 3318689 bytes, checksum: 6699e30f5ef3af03787ed15fb2893906 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-05-22T13:16:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Rhanya Rafaella Rodrigues - 2017.pdf: 3318689 bytes, checksum: 6699e30f5ef3af03787ed15fb2893906 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-22T13:16:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Rhanya Rafaella Rodrigues - 2017.pdf: 3318689 bytes, checksum: 6699e30f5ef3af03787ed15fb2893906 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The process of L2 acquisition tends to produce many controversies regarding the level of advanced performance of learners. Whereas some researchers attribute proficiency level to pedagogical practices worked up in the classroom, others affirm that individual differences, that is, specific characteristics of learners, interfere in this process (ORTIZ-PREUSS; SANZ, 2016). Nonetheless, Sanz (2005) suggests it should be investigated the relations between pedagogical conditions and individual differences of learners, in order to further explain the variability in final proficiency level of L2 adult learners. In addition, another prominent aspect is the lack of researches on acquisition of intonation in Spanish/L2. Based on that, in this research, we propose to observe the effects of explicit instruction in acquisition of total declaratory and interrogative utterances, which possess the most distinct intonational patterns between Portuguese and Spanish (DIAS, 2015). Intending to analyse possible interactions between effects of explicit instruction and IDs – Individual Differences (age, frequency of use, teaching experience and attention span capacity) in the acquisition of these utterances, we conducted a semi-experimental research of quantitative nature. The research participants were Brazilian learners of Spanish from intermediate-advanced level who were in the context of Spanish teaching graduation course and in the context of a language course center. These participants were divided into groups of four, considering: i) the context (graduation course or free course); and ii) the intervention (experimental or control). For obtaining the data, we used the following instruments: linguistic pre-test, linguistic post-test, questionnaire of linguistic background and proficiency, and test of attentional capacity (ANT). It should be noted that we used a free software, PRAAT, not only in the explicit instruction, as a way of evidencing the melodic contours produced by students, but also in the data analysis, to assigning scores to correct or incorrect utterance production. The participants of experimental groups were submitted to a period of explicit instruction about the target utterances in between pre-test and post-test. The results indicate that scores of participants of experimental groups enhanced after receiving explicit instruction, although differences in the analysis cannot be considered significant among the groups. Besides that, we observed the association between explicit instruction and age, frequency of use, general mastery of skills, having lived in Hispanic-speaking country and teaching experience. It was also verified that total interrogative utterances are more difficult for Brazilian learners of Spanish/L2 when compared to declaratory utterances. Lastly, the results point out that explicit instruction can contribute to the acquisition of this study’s target-utterances, however, we must consider that some IDs can maximize or supply the effects of explicit instruction. Keywords: Pedagogical Conditions. Individual Differences. Intonation. Spanish/L2. Effects of Explicit Instruction. Total Declaratory and Interrogative Utterances / O processo de aquisição de L2 tende a gerar muitas controvérsias no que se refere ao nível de desempenho avançado dos aprendizes. Enquanto alguns estudiosos atribuem o nível de proficiência obtido às práticas pedagógicas desenvolvidas em sala de aula, outros afirmam que são as diferenças individuais (DIs), ou seja, as características pessoais de cada aprendiz, que interferem nesse processo (ORTIZ-PREUSS; SANZ, 2016). No entanto, Sanz (2005) sugere que se deve investigar a interação entre as condições pedagógicas e as diferenças individuais dos aprendizes, com vistas a explicar melhor a variabilidade no nível de proficiência avançado de aprendizes adultos de L2. Além disso, outro aspecto que chama a atenção é a carência de pesquisas sobre a aquisição da entoação em espanhol/L2. A partir disso, neste estudo, propõe-se a observar os efeitos da instrução explícita na aquisição de enunciados declarativos e interrogativos totais, que são os que apresentam padrão entoacional mais divergente entre a língua portuguesa e a língua espanhola (DIAS, 2015). Espera-se, também, analisar possíveis interações entre efeitos da instrução explícita e DIs (idade, frequência de uso, experiência linguística, experiência docente e capacidade atencional) na aquisição desses enunciados. À vista disso, realizou-se uma pesquisa semi-experimental de natureza quantitativa. Participam do estudo 19 aprendizes brasileiros de espanhol em nível intermediário-avançado, que fazem parte do contexto de licenciatura em espanhol e do contexto de curso de idiomas. Os participantes estão divididos em quatro grupos, considerando-se: i) o contexto (graduação ou curso livre); e ii) a intervenção (experimental ou controle). Para a obtenção de dados foram usados os seguintes instrumentos: pré-teste e pós-teste linguístico, questionário de histórico e proficiência linguística e teste de capacidade atencional (ANT). Cabe ressaltar que usou-se o software de uso livre PRAAT, tanto na instrução explícita, como forma de evidenciar os contornos melódicos produzidos pelos alunos, quanto na análise de dados, para a atribuição dos escores de acerto ou erro na produção dos enunciados. Os participantes dos grupos experimentais foram submetidos a um período de instrução explícita sobre os enunciados-alvo, entre o pré-teste e o pós-teste. Os resultados indicam que os escores dos participantes dos grupos experimentais aumentaram após o recebimento da instrução explícita, embora as análises não tenham revelado diferença significativa entre os grupos. Além disso, observa-se associação entre efeitos de instrução explícita e idade, frequência de uso, domínio geral de habilidades, vivência em país de fala hispana e experiência docente. Verifica-se, também, que os enunciados interrogativos totais são considerados os que apresentam produção mais difícil aos aprendizes brasileiros de espanhol/L2, em comparação com os enunciados declarativos. Os resultados indicam que a instrução explícita pode contribuir para a aquisição dos enunciados-alvo deste estudo, no entanto, deve-se considerar que algumas DIs podem maximizar ou suprir os efeitos da instrução explícita. Palavras-Chave: Condições Pedagógicas. Diferenças Individuais. Entoação. Espanhol/L2. Efeitos da Instrução Explícita. Enunciados Declarativos e Interrogativos Totais.

The main purpose of this study is to observe the L2 acquisition effect of studying abroad during approximately four months in Swedish non-native speakers (NNSs) of Spanish with respect to their use of multi-word structures (MWSs) as compared to native speakers (NSs). In addition, this evolutionary study has a secondary aim which is to see the effect of the activity type on the amount and distribution of the MWSs encountered.    This study shows positive effects of a study abroad period in L2 use and, particularly, regarding MWSs. It has been shown that the amount and variety of the NNSs’ MWSs have increased during their stay in Spain, and that the differences with the NSs in the use of MWSs have diminished or even, in some cases, disappeared. It is notable the improvement in the NNSs’ discourse competence. The study also shows that the type of task affects the results. Thus, the negotiations that contain specialised vocabulary which participants are familiar with, yield a higher token frequency of MWSs among NSs and NNSs than the focus group discussions, more free and spontaneous. The negotiations also yield a higher token frequency of conceptual MWSs, especially noun phrases, because of the specialised vocabulary, more complex and subject to greater nominalisation.The focus group discussions have a higher token frequency of own-management MWSs than the negotiations, which is attributed to a higher communicative pressure. On the other hand, the token frequency of interaction management MWSs is higher among the NSs in the mixed group discussions compared to those with only NSs, as a result of collaborative interaction between the NSs and the NNSs. Individual differences among NNSs have also been observed and five profiles have been distinguished. These differences decrease in general at the end of the stay, which also indicates a positive development. There is a positive development in all profiles, which is reflected in significant changes in the amount and variety of the MWSs, their distribution in categories or in the emergence of more complex types. A direct link has also been observed between communication orientedness, participation in conversation and a positive development.

Esta investigación se enmarca dentro del campo de la enseñanza-aprendizaje de segundas lenguas, concretamente, dentro del ámbito de la enseñanza del español como segunda lengua. El marco teórico en el que se inscribe es el que aporta la teoría sociocultural y la metodología de investigación utilizada proviene del paradigma interpretativo (cualitativo). En síntesis, este trabajo ha consistido en el estudio de los procesos de construcción y gestión del conocimiento explícito durante la instrucción formal de la lengua objeto de estudio, en dos grupos multilingües de nivel principiante de una escuela oficial de idiomas, sin lengua vehicular común a todos los aprendientes. Hemos analizado y hemos descrito el tipo de comunicación que se genera entre profesor y aprendiente en la clase de español/ L2, entendiendo por comunicación tanto la verbal como la no verbal (kinésica y proxémica), y hemos comparado las percepciones que tanto profesores como aprendientes tienen de todo este proceso / This research is framed in the second language acquisition field, specifically, in the studies of Spanish as a second language. The theoretical framework in which this research is included is the one that provides with the sociocultural tradition and the methodology used for comes from the interpretative (qualitative) paradigm. In summary, this research work consisted in the study of how is constructed and negotiated explicit knowledge during the formal instruction of the language studied in class, in two multilingual groups of beginners without a common vehicular language to all the learners. We studied and we described the way of communication that is generated among teacher and students during Spanish formal instruction, understanding the communication concept both verbal and non-verbal communication, and we compared the perceptions that teachers and students have about all this process

The nature of the bilingual mental lexicon and how the L1 and the L2 interact in language production and processing has been the focus of decades of research from linguistic, psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic perspectives. In spite of this significant body of evidence, the degree to which the L1 influences L2 production and processing remains an area of debate, especially with respect to formal features such as grammatical gender. While it is clear that non-nativelike production and processing of L2 grammatical gender persist even in highly-proficient adult bilinguals, the underlying representation of the L1 and L2 gender features and how this representation affects the use of gender in the L2 is currently unclear. Furthermore, there is no evidence at present regarding the nature of the L1-L2 grammatical gender system when the L1 and the L2 have asymmetric gender systems (in other words, differ in number of gender values), as is the case with German, which bears three gender values (masculine, feminine and neuter), and Spanish and French, which each display two gender values (masculine and feminine). This dissertation investigates the representation of and interactions between the L1 and the L2 at the level of the formal gender feature, with a particular focus on language pairings with asymmetric gender systems. Through complementary data from L2 production and processing, I examine the representation of the asymmetric grammatical gender systems in the mental lexicon of L1 Spanish-L2 German and L1 French-L2 German bilinguals and the consequences this asymmetry between the L1 and L2 gender systems has on gender use strategies in the L2. From the perspective of bilingual lexical access, this research contributes new evidence to inform existing psycholinguistic theories of L1-L2 gender interactions and also proposes the Asymmetric gender representation hypothesis, a new model to account for the unique integrated nature of the gender system in bilinguals with L1-L2 asymmetric gender systems. From a language acquisition perspective, the present study provides new data on L2 gender use strategies with asymmetric gender systems, formulating the L1 transfer continuum, which extends existing proposals to include the degree of (a)symmetry between the L1 and the L2. This research also connects theoretical proposals regarding gender agreement in functional-lexical code-switches (specifically, switches within the Determiner Phrase such as dieGER-F mesaSPA-F or elSPA-M TischGER-M) to bilinguals’ preferences in code-switching between two languages that display formal gender. Taken together, all of these complementary perspectives addressed in this dissertation offer a well-rounded perspective of grammatical gender in asymmetric gender systems specifically, and contribute novel evidence regarding the interactions between the L1 and the L2 in the bilingual mental lexicon in general.