Hot Potatoes activities to improve grammatical accuracy across different proficiency courses

Authors

  • Izaskun Villarreal Universidad Pública de Navarra http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8196-5968
  • Esther Gómez Lacabex Universidad del País Vasco - UPV-EHU
  • Francisco Gallardo del Puerto Universidad de Cantabria
  • María Martínez Adrián Universidad del País Vasco - UPV-EHU
  • M. Juncal Gutiérrez-Mangado Universidad del País Vasco - UPV-EHU

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3969

Keywords:

CALL, tenses, proficiency, gramar, technology, EFL

Abstract

Few studies have gauged the effects of Computer Assisted Language Learning –CALL– on the verbal accuracy of students. The current study explores the use of Hot Potatoes JCloze-type exercises as supplementary classroom work to enhance the English tense accuracy of university students enrolled in three EFL proficiency level courses -high-intermediate (B2) and advanced (C1 and C2). Tense marking was measured before and after a period of autonomous, self-paced CALL work in which students could access theoretical information and practiced with Hot Potatoes exercises. The comparisons revealed that the experience was mainly beneficial for the C1 level course group, the other two experimenting non-significant gains. Results only partially support a boosting effect of CALL additional practice. They also suggest that proficiency should be taken into consideration as it can affect the effect of treatment as not all the proficiency level courses experienced advantages. Alternatives to improve effectiveness are then suggested.

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Author Biographies

Izaskun Villarreal, Universidad Pública de Navarra

Dr. Izaskun Villarreal is an undergraduate and postgraduate lecturer in language teaching and innovation in education at the Public University of Navarre. Her main research interests focus on teaching and learning processes in instructional environments, in particular, on how collaboration and interaction facilitate the acquisition of a foreign language and on how language learning can be fostered in technology-enhanced classrooms

Esther Gómez Lacabex, Universidad del País Vasco - UPV-EHU

Esther Gómez Lacabex is Assistant Professor at the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), where she currently teaches postgraduate and undergraduate courses on instruction as a factor in second language speech acquisition, teaching English as a foreign language and English phonetics and phonology. Her research interests are the effect of phonetic training in L2 sound acquisition and the relationship between speech perception and production as well as pronunciation teaching in EFL and CLIL and EMI learning contexts.

Francisco Gallardo del Puerto, Universidad de Cantabria

Francisco Gallardo del Puerto is Associate Professor at the University of Cantabria. His current teaching involves undergraduate courses in English Language and Linguistics as well as postgraduate courses in the Master's programs Language Communication and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Zagreb (Croatia), Language Acquisition in Multilingual Settings at the University of the Basque Country (Spain), and Second Language Learning and Teaching at the University of Cantabria (Spain). His primary research interests focus on the L2/L3 acquisition of English phonology and lexis, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and the age factor in L2/L3 acquisition

María Martínez Adrián, Universidad del País Vasco - UPV-EHU

María Martínez Adrián is an Associate Professor at the University of the Basque (UPV/EHU). Her current teaching involves undergraduate courses in English Language and Linguistics in the B.A. in English Studies, as well as postgraduate courses in the Master's program in Language Acquisition in Multilingual Settings. Her main research interests are cross-linguistic influence in L2 and L3 acquisition, the acquisition of morpho-syntactic features and the acquisition of productive and receptive vocabulary.

M. Juncal Gutiérrez-Mangado, Universidad del País Vasco - UPV-EHU

Dr. M. Juncal Gutiérrez-Mangado is Associate Professor at the University of the Basque Country where she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on linguistics and language acquisition. She is a member of the Language and Speech research group (www.laslab.org), highlighted by the Basque Government for excellence in research. She has published on the acquisition of morphosyntax and movement-derived structures in well-known journals and has edited several books with Cambridge Scholars and John Benjamins.

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Published

23-12-2020

How to Cite

Villarreal, I., Gómez Lacabex, E., Gallardo del Puerto, F., Martínez Adrián, M., & Gutiérrez-Mangado, M. J. (2020). Hot Potatoes activities to improve grammatical accuracy across different proficiency courses. Journal of English Studies, 18, 253–277. https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3969

Issue

Vol. 18 (2020)

Section

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