THE PRODUCTION EFFECT IN CHILDREN LEARNING MODERN STANDARD ARABIC VOCABULARY AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

Abstract

This thesis investigates the production effect (PE), a phenomenon where actively producing words (reading aloud, writing) leads to better learning compared to passive exposure (reading silently). While extensively studied in adults, the PE's impact on children's foreign language acquisition remains unclear. This research explores the influence of the PE on noun acquisition in child learners of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).

A pilot study was conducted to examine the Production Effect (PE) in 72 English-speaking children with basic knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Participants engaged in an online MSA word-learning task under two conditions: listening only and listening then repeating. Testing occurred immediately, 24 hours, and nine weeks after learning. Results indicated minimal accuracy differences between the conditions, suggesting no significant production effect. However, cross-linguistic similarities between English and Arabic influenced response times, with faster responses for similar words, highlighting the role of linguistic overlap in L2 vocabulary acquisition.

Experiment 1 explored the PE using a larger set of 64 MSA words while controlling for age and language background. Participants (6-year-old bilingual children) learned new words in either listen-only or repeat conditions. Testing occurred immediately, one week later, and two weeks later. Delayed tests revealed an overall improvement in performance across both groups. However, the experiment did show a significant effect of production.

Experiment 2 expanded the investigation by including a writing condition alongside listening and repeating. This experiment focused on 8-year-old bilingual children. Testing was conducted immediately after learning, one week later, and two weeks later. The writing condition significantly enhanced retention and recall, particularly in delayed tests. These findings suggest that the PE's learning effects on children's MSA word acquisition are moderated by various factors, including age of the learners, the specific learning materials and the length of time between learning and testing.

Overall, this thesis contributes to understanding the PE in children's additional language learning. The results highlight the potential benefits of writing as a production mechanism in enhancing vocabulary learning in MSA children. The research also identifies factors influencing the effectiveness of the PE, paving the way for further investigation in the field of learning mechanisms and the development of more effective pedagogical approaches.