Spanish Subjunctive: Instructional approach to better linking form-meaning connections during online comprehension.

Processing Instruction, Subjuntive acquisition English speakers, form-menaing connection issue

Research Mentor: Ms Adriana Barahona, She/Her/Hers
Department, College, Affiliation: Modern Languages Department, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: agordillobarahona@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Major in spanish
Major in Lingusitic studies
Stadistics
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 4 to 6 , Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, September 5 through Friday. 11:30 to 1:30 pm

Zoom Link:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91689559700

Meeting ID: 916 8955 9700
Passcode: UROP

Project Description

To answer the question about what can be done to facilitate acquisition, and in concordance with the lack of linking between form-meaning connections, the main purpose of this study is to investigate which in-context use (text versus images) has more sensitivity in L2 learners, and which one facilitate better interpretation of meaning when processing Spanish subjunctive mood in referential tasks. From previous literature, most of Spanish subjunctive studies have presented to learners a context that offer: 1. separate sentences, 2. specific trigger words that concentrate in the subordinate clauses, these experiments have been beneficial for learners because they acknowledge the use of subjunctive sooner, thus, they use the correct morphological form. Nonetheless, these studies have not solved the issue of linking form-meaning.

The present study offers an alternative and reach to determine which (images or texts) in-context has more acceptability and accuracy in L2 learners. This study will provide two types of samples, some in texts, others in images, and will test to which these two options students have more sensitivity, accuracy and acceptability when identifying the Spanish subjunctive use. Hypothesis from this investigation anticipates learners to have a bigger accuracy, and acceptability judgment from images than text. Following VanPatten (1996) who stated how images facilitate communicative content at no cost of attention, thanks to images learners target more semantic meaning than form. Also, Collentine (1998, 2010) discussed how images might provide a better communicative content. At the end, this research assists to innovate new instruction methodologies in classrooms and gives attention to explore more ways to create form-meaning connections in inflectional morphology cases to L2 Spanish learners.

To this end, the research questions and hypothesis that guided the present study are threefold:

Research question 1. Do L2 Spanish learners exhibit online sensitivity during online L2 interpretation of Spanish subjunctive mood, when doing acceptability (reading times) and accuracy (comprehension) referential activities with images and text (independent variables) in-context use?

Research question 2. To which in-context use do students show more sensitivity, texts, or images (independent variables), when processing Spanish subjunctive during online comprehension?

Research question 3. Can the processing of images facilitate the process of linking form-meaning connections during Spanish Subjunctive interpretation?

Research Tasks: Condition 2: in-context use text
Condition two will have a very similar procedure to condition one. The big change here is that instead of an image shown in-context use, there is going to be provided just text. Aims mentioned before in condition one, in this condition will remain ‘meaning’ is the primary target. Underneath, there is a sample of how this trial will be given and organized.
1. There is going to be a sentence provided before learners read the text, this short information prepares learners for the information contained next:
- Instruction: Consider this question when you read the text
What is the customer’s final goal?

2. After focusing attention on learners, a text will be provided:
A man goes to buy car. The seller says:
a) -Seller: Este carro es menos de quinientos dólares (This car is less than five hundred dollars).
b) -Customer: Lo sé. Vine precisamente a comprar éste (I know, I precisely came to buy this one)
3. Subsequently, the sentence provided at the the first part of the experiment will be shown again to learners: - what is the customer’s final goal?

4. After, there will be two sentences that are going to be shown to learners, first sentences use an indicative verb, the second one uses subjunctive verb, as follows:
a) Quiere un coche que cuesta menos de quinientos dólares.
[He wants a car that *costs-IND less than five hundred dollars]
‘He wants a car that costs less than five hundred dollars.’

c) Quiere un coche que cueste menos de quinientos dólares.
[He wants a car that *costs-SUB less than five hundred dollars]
‘He wants a car that costs less than five hundred dollars.’

Same than in condition one, self-pace reading will help to study the reading times of learners in each trial. Reading times will provide the acceptability measure. The idea in these samples is to provide an in-use context, that carries information about what is the situation like. This sample used is the same as condition one, samples between images and texts are going to be different in the study, however here, in furtherance of explaining the experiment, it been chosen the same sample.

5. After reading each sentence, learners will need to decide which verb is more appropriate. The explanation about cuesta and cueste, as match and mismatch has been given in condition one. Following the same procedure, at the last part of the trial, there is going to be displayed a comprehension question, to examinate learners’ accuracy judgment when carrying information needed to decide between indicative or subjunctive mood. Beneath, there is a sample of the question:
Did the man know the cost of the car?
c) Yes
d) No


Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Microdoft word, excel, basic computer skills, I will train assistance in using super Lab. If possible knowledege in data analysis.