The Effect of Increased Time-On-Task on L2 Performance

The Effect of Increased Time-On-Task on L2 Performance

A Causal Variable Affecting Second Language Acquisition

    

It is generally believed that increased time on task enables language learners to acquire their second language with relative ease and success. This is particularly important for community college English as a Second Language (ESL) students for whom it is seemingly difficult to acquire the English language within a short period. The fact is that language acquisition is a complicated process, and it takes several years to gain mastery in a second language. It follows logic then that ESL students be asked to spend more time on task in classroom settings, be it directly interacting with the instructor, collaborating on problem-solving tasks in small groups, or performing in experimental settings. However, English as a Second Language students (ESL) at most community colleges spend approximately four (4) hours in the classroom compared to those colleges that offer at least six (6) hours of formal instruction per week. For this reason, it is recommended that the time ESL students spend in the classroom studying the English language to advance their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills be increased to 8 hours per week. It may be advantageous to offer additional two hours to ensure ESL students' improved performance, which can yield increased retention and a higher graduation rate.

We realize that the conclusion that increased time on task actually improves performance in a second language must be drawn on empirical evidence. Therefore, it is important to conduct an experiment to collect the data necessary to corroborate the above claim and offer increased contact hours to ESL students at community colleges. We believe that increasing the number of contact hours is a causal variable that facilitates successful acquisition of a second language. If it turns out, for example, that the extra hours of instruction/interaction facilitates ESL students’ linguistic growth, then it would necessitate increasing time-on-task in the classroom.

It is important to note that Length of Residence (LOR) is also considered a causal variable affecting success or failure in a second language. Critics of the LOR approach have argued that it presupposes the knowledge of the time it generally takes to acquire a second language, and yet this knowledge does not correspond to L2 performance, making it unnecessary to employ LOR to index ultimate attainment. Klein (1993: 115), for example, has suggested that “duration of stay is an uninteresting variable, and that what matters is the intensity, not the length of interaction.” It is, therefore, more important that ESL students spend more time on task in a structured, controlled, and guided learning environment where the intensity of interaction can be increased under the instructor’s supervision to ensure enhanced L2 performance.

To examine the role of experience in determining successful acquisition of a second language, Flege (2001) studied different groups of Chinese adults living in the United States who differed in LOR. 62 Chinese participants were asked to identify word-final English consonants, to judge the grammaticality of English sentences, and to comprehend English using the University of Michigan English Language Institute Listening Comprehension Test (LCT). The results of his study indicate that “the lack of an effect of LOR in some previous studies may have been due to sampling error. It appears that adults’ performance in an L2 will improve measurably over time, but only if they receive a substantial amount of native speaker input.” (2001: 527) This further strengthens the claim that more time on task can improve second language learners’ performance.

Further evidence is found in a study conducted by the California Department of Education (2004), which examined the relationship between the amount of formal instruction ESL and ESL-Citizenship learners received and their performance on Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) reading tests. It should be noted that this was a longitudinal study conducted over four (4) years, involving 495,619 ESL and ESL-Citizenship adult learners.  The researchers conclude that there was a causal relation between the amount of instruction and the students’ higher scores on CASAS reading tests. Results of the study clearly indicated that ESL and ESL-Citizenship adult learners CASAS reading test scores improved significantly after receiving more hours of instruction compared to those learners who received fewer hours of instruction and did not obtain greater gains on the reading tests. The findings of this study further support our position that more, not fewer, hours of instruction will be beneficial for our ESL students. 

Based on this evidence, we propose conducting an experiment, offering the extra hours of formal instruction, to determine whether it leads to improved L2 performance. This goal, we believe, is plausibly attainable, as the experimental six hour course study will involve only two classes in a given semester and two more in the following semester whereby the two experimental groups will get the extra hour of formal instruction per week. We reiterate though that six (6) hours of instruction would facilitate a more rapid progress than would four (4) hours of instruction.

ESL students can be randomly placed into two experimental groups in each semester. Both pre and post tests will be administered to the students to measure their progress during the course. With IRB approval, data will be collected and analyzed, and a paper will be submitted to a refereed journal to disseminate the findings of the study. It is hoped that the results of the study will validate the hypothesis that increased time on task is indeed a causal variable determining successful acquisition of a second language. 

References

Flege, J & Liu, S. (2001) The effect of experiment on adults’ acquisition of a second language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 23, 527-52.

Klein, E. (1993) Toward Second Language Acquisition: A Study of Null-prep.         Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Press.

CASAS. Dyna Reports. Research and Reports. State Reports. California 2004. www.casas.org