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Avoidance behavior in US university S panish‐language instruction
Author(s) -
Hubert Michael D.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of applied linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.712
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1473-4192
pISSN - 0802-6106
DOI - 10.1111/ijal.12060
Subject(s) - psychology , facet (psychology) , second language , linguistics , imperfect , second language acquisition , language proficiency , grammar , social psychology , mathematics education , personality , big five personality traits , philosophy
The use of communicative strategies ( CSs ) by L2 learners is a well‐documented facet of second language research, with a number of studies suggesting a direct correlation between CS use and L2 proficiency. However, current research regarding learners' use of these strategies has not yet addressed the potential overuse of linguistic avoidance among FL learners. This study attempts to measure avoidance use among US university students of Spanish as a FL . Thirty‐two participants completed two communicative writing assignments, one requiring the use of the preterit/imperfect aspect, and another the subjunctive. Participants were then interviewed regarding their use and/or conscious avoidance of these grammatical forms. Results indicate a great deal of purposeful, conscious avoidance of both of these targeted grammatical forms on the part of participants.