THE IMPACT OF RECASTS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY STRESS IN A SYNCHRONOUS COMPUTER MEDIATED ENVIRONMENT
Although previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of recasts on second language (L2) morphology and lexis (e.g. Li, 2010; Mackey Goo, 2007) few studies have examined their effect on learners' phonological development (although see Saito, 2015; Saito Lyster, 2012) The current study investigates the impact of recasts on the development of lexical stress, defined as the placement of emphasis on a particular syllable within a word by making it louder and longer, in oral synchronous computer mediated communication (SCMC) and face to face (FTF) interaction. Using a pretest posttest design, intermediate learners of English were randomly assigned to one of four groups: FTF recast, SCMC recast, FTF control, or SCMC control. Pre and posttests consisted of sentence reading and information exchange tasks, while the treatment was an interactive role play task. Syllable duration, intensity, and pitch were used to analyze learners' development of stress placement. The statistical analyses of the acoustic correlates did not yield significant differences. However, the observed patterns suggest that there is need for further investigation to understand the relationship between recasts and development of lexical stress.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition