Earticle

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of peer feedback combined with different task sequences on written performance in actual large-sized classrooms motivated by several problems in previous peer feedback studies—validity concerns in research design, peer feedback as only productoriented activity, the lack of effects of feedback on detailed written performance, and primary focus on affective and writing quality. A total of 89 undergraduates were divided into two groups: peer feedback in simple-complex task sequence (PSC) and peer feedback in complex-simple task sequence (PCS). The study employed eleven general and specific measure indices of syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency. The findings were that peer feedback influenced accuracy and fluency, and task sequence influenced syntactic complexity. The PSC increased general and specific accuracy, but decreased fluency, whereas the PCS increased general and specific syntactic complexity, specific accuracy, and fluency. Overall, peer feedback in a simple-complex task sequence improved accuracy in an extended manner, and peer feedback in complex-simple task sequence improved various aspects of written performance. The study suggests peer feedback could be a feasible way to improve actual written performance even in large writing classes when task sequences and task complexity are involved with peer feedback.

This study examines the effects of the sequence of increasing task complexity in different modalities on the learning of the English past tense of Korean secondary learners. Robinson’s (2007) Cognition Hypothesis argued that learners pay more attention to grammatical forms in complex tasks than in less complex tasks. He suggested that tasks should be sequenced in such a way that resource-dispersing dimensions are first increased in complexity followed by an increase in the complexity of resource-directing dimensions. However, little empirical research has been done on how tasks are sequenced according to their cognitive complexity and how task modality affects second language development in the sequence. Fifty-four learners were divided into an integrated (writing with oral interaction) task group (EG 1), an oral-only task group (EG 2) and a comparison group (CG). After the sequence of six tasks was completed, one-way ANOVA revealed the EGs outperformed the CG significantly on the posttest. The mean score of EG 1 was the highest, while the improvement rate of EG 2 was the highest among the three groups. It is hoped that this result will contribute to building a solid basis on which practitioners can make decisions about sequencing tasks and implementing task modality.

Purpose: Implicit motor learning is the capacity to acquire skill through physical practice without conscious awareness of what elements of performance improved. This study investigated whether subacute stroke patients can implicitly learn a perceptual-motor task. Methods: We recruited 12 patients with subacute stroke and 12 age-matched controls. All participants performed a perceptual-motor task that involved pressing a button corresponding with colored circles (blue, green, yellow, red) on a computer screen. The task consists of 7 blocks composed of 10 repetitions for a repeating 12-element sequence (total 120 responses). Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvement in acquisition performance. Reaction times deceased in both groups at similar rate within the sequential block trials (2-5 blocks), and reaction times increased at a similar rate when the task paradigm was transferred from the sequential block trial to the random block trial (5-6-7 blocks). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that patients with sub-actue stroke can implicitly learn a perceptual motor skill. Although explicit instructions should be used to focus the learner's attention rather than provide information about the task, the application of implicit motor learning strategies in the rehabilitation setting may be beneficial.