Input Enhancement:
Given the centrality of noticing to the process of acquisition in directing the learners’ attention to language forms and features, Sharwood Smith’s (1991: 121, 1993) Input Enhancement has been under investigation as an approach that is consistent with noticing in raising the learners’ awareness (Norouzian & Eslami, 2016; Dastjerdi &
Farshid, 2011). According to Sharwood-Smith (1991: 119), it is “the process by which language input becomes salient to the learner”, to direct the learners to how the language system works. Polio (2007) defines input enhancement as a process in which teachers, materials designers and developers visually enhance materials; for instance, they use colouring, boldfacing, italicising, underlining, capitalising to highlight certain aspects and features. Leow (2007: 38) offers a broader definition in which she refers to it as “any effort to draw learners’ attention to certain language features” whether this selective attention on the learners’ part should be handled reactively (Doughty & Williams, 1998) or proactively (Ellis, 2001). Input enhancement together with input flood, consciousness raising tasks (Sharwood Smith, 1981), implicit feedback (recasts) are considered some of the techniques employed by implicit methods of teaching according to Kasper (2001). Schmidt (2001) attests input enhancement is about bringing the TL features to the focal attention of L2 learners (see studies Sykes, 2009; Li, 2012; Sykes, 2013; Fukuya & Zhang, 2002; Leow, 2000), where certain language features are attended to, and thus they become ready for internalisation from the input.
Attitude/Motivation in Language Learning:
It has been widely reported that attitudes play a vital role in the learners’ adoption of L2 standards for linguistic action (Locastro, 2001: 70). Gardner and Lambert (1972) point out that language learning behaviour is largely influenced by the learner’s attitude towards the TL and the TL community as well as the culture. Masgoret and Gardner (2003: 172) argue “individuals who expressed an interest in learning the language in order to interact, meet, socialise, become friends with members of the other community would be more open than individuals who did not express such reasons.” More
particularly, Kasper and Schmidt (1996) claim the learners’ disposition to adopt L2 pragmatic norms is likely to be sensitive to their attitudes towards the TL and its community. Furthermore, it has been contended that these learners are likely to accept the reconstruction of their self and allow for the emergence of their new identity in the light of the TL norms and practices (reconciliation between identities).
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