Verbal reports in SLA

There are two types of verbal reports. Name them.

Answer explanation

Concurrent reports and think-alouds are used during a learning activity, while restrospective reports are used to gain insight in students' learning process after an activity.

During which phase or phases might a teacher use verbal reports? Draw circles around the phase/phases.

Answer explanation

Phase 2 (and 3): to collect data and gain insight in students' language learning process. 'Elicitation' (phase 2) is literally mentioned in the chapter on verbal reports. (Bowles, 2019)

_____-______ are a well-known type of concurrent verbal reports.

A stimulated recall is a ...

• concurrent report

• retrospective report

Answer explanation

'participants are provided with some sort of stimulus (most often an audio- or video-recording of themselves completing the task) to help them recall what they were thinking at the time of task completion' (Bowles, 2019, p. 31).

Why did Bloom prefer a stimulated recall over a regular retrospective report to collect information about students' thought process and learning outcomes?

• provides more structure for the participant

• create an additional learning experience for the student

• more perceived validity in SLA research

• participants are less affected by memory decay

Answer explanation

'He argued that the contents of stimulated recalls should be more reliable and accurate than standard retrospective reports, which lack a stimulus and would be more affected by memory decay, stating, “the subject may be enabled to relive an original situation with vividness and accuracy if he is presented with a large number of the cues or stimuli which occurred during the original situation”' (Bowles, 2019, p.2).

Concurrent reports and think-alouds are generally less suited to gain information about processes and processing during _________ and ________ skills.

Answer explanation

'Since think-alouds are collected during task completion, they are thought to provide richer data than retrospective reports during the input processing and intake stages of L2 learning. However, some types of SLA research, such as oral interaction studies or other sorts of research involving speaking tasks, are not well suited to thinking aloud and are better addressed by stim- ulated recall, since reporting occurs after task completion' (Bowles, 2019, p. 33).

What should you take into account when you organise a think-aloud?

• Influence on task completion.

• Influence on task-performance.

• Influence on thought processing and processes.

Answer explanation

'...with both verbal and non-verbal tasks, thinking aloud does not generally impact task performance or, by extension, alter thought processes' (Bowles, 2019, p.34).

'thinking aloud took significantly longer than silent task completion with all verbal tasks, although effect sizes varied substantially, ranging from small (d = 0.16) to very large (d = 1.16), with the most pronounced increase for reading tasks' (Bowles, 2019, p.34).

What should you take into account when you organise a stimulated recall?

• Influence on task completion.

• Influence on task-performance.

• Influence on thought processing and processes.

Answer explanation

This is causes by

- memory decay

- response to stimulus / facilitative effect on L2 learning process (Bowles, 2019)

What is necessary to guarantee the validity of retrospective reports, such as stimulated recalls?

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