Effects of Input Frequency Distribution Manipulation through Input-driven Instruction on Korean Students English Argument Structure Construction Learning and Passage-level Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Assuming the usage-based and constructionists approach to language learning as its theoretical background, this study explored effects of input frequency distribution manipulation on learning of English argument structure constructions (EASC) by Korean secondary school learners of English and their passage-level reading comprehension based on input-driven learning approach. 92 Korean secondary school students were divided into three groups: skewed input distribution group (SID), balanced input distribution group (BID) and control group (CONT). Three target EASCs―caused-motion construction (CMC), double object construction (DOC) and transitive resultative construction (TRC)―and six target verbs for each construction were chosen to be used during 12 input-driven learning sessions. In the SID, the most prototypical verb for each construction was presented 8 times while, in the BID, all six verbs were equally distributed. All target stimuli were included in passage-level readings with a couple of comprehension checkup questions and no explicit instructions about target constructions were provided throughout the input sessions. Finally, all groups took three tests―two tests for measuring construction knowledge and one for checking reading comprehension performance―in the pretest and posttest. The results showed that there were no significantly advantageous effects of the skewed input frequency distribution over the balanced input distribution. However, in the translation test, the SID showed greater improvement with the TRC than the BID. With regard to the effects of input-driven learning, both the SID and the BID showed the greatest improvement with the DOC and the least with the CMC. Although most participants gained the high scores with the TRC in the English-to-Korean translation test, which ran counter to expectation, the results should be further explored in that Korean resultative constructions have differing properties from English in terms of syntactic and semantic properties. In terms of students reading performance, the results indicated that there were moderate correlations between EASC knowledge and reading comprehension as a whole. All in all, the study showed that, for Korean secondary learners of English, there were no notable differences in the effectiveness of skewed and balanced input at learning EASC. However, it revealed the effects of input-driven learning in learning EASC, which in turn is closely related to their English reading performance.