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Communication and Language Learning

Zallocco, Ronald T.

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2011, Master of Arts, University of Toledo, English (as a Second Language).

In recent ESL research, there has been a move away from grammar-based approaches for teaching students and more focus on content. Victor Yngve (1996) has stated such findings in Hard Science Linguistics, arguing that language is not a physical, real world property. What is real world are assemblages of people and their environment linked together. However, many language classrooms still adopt the grammar-based approach to learning. The problem is that while they may turn in grammatically polished classroom papers it is still possible to leave the classroom setting without being able to communicate with speakers of the target language.

In response to the communication vs. language conflict, a study has been done that applies each of these teaching methods into slideshows for English as a Second Language (ESL) purposes. The study intended to show that context through communicating—as opposed to grammar lessons through language—is what a student needs when encountering a different language. The two slideshows for this study tested students’ memory of the material, in this case a story that takes place between a server and a customer inside a restaurant. The subjects consisted of Second Language Learners (SLLs) and Foreign Language Learners (FLLs) from a university. The test consisted of multiple choice questions that tested subjects’ knowledge of the content of the lesson they had witnessed (only one of two lessons was selected for each session). The test was created to determine the communicative effectiveness of that particular lesson. It is hoped that the lessons demonstrate a clear contrast between instruction using language and instruction focused on people communicating, and that this will encourage the growth of communication among teachers and students in ESL classrooms.

Dr. Douglas Coleman, PhD (Committee Chair)
Dr. Berhane Teclehaimanot, PhD (Committee Member)
Dr. Dwayne DeMedio, EdD (Committee Member)
65 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Zallocco, R. T. (2011). Communication and Language Learning [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1321563345

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Zallocco, Ronald. Communication and Language Learning. 2011. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1321563345.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Zallocco, Ronald. "Communication and Language Learning." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1321563345

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)