| Abstract |
In the foreign languages learning, the use of the multimodality (sound, text, image) directly in foreign language (target language) seem an asset if the combination word/image is coordinated (Merlet, 1998). Several work highlights the importance of the indices taken by the individual for the catch information vis-a-vis a complex object (Pudelko, 2002 ; Sweller, 2003). However, the nature of these indices seems particular depend on individual and would result from the interaction of several factors: characteristics and personal abilities such as the age, the lived experiments and the social environments in which he evolved. The reference to the significance at the time of the learning seems essential to already connect new information to those known and proves more effective than the simple recourse to the formal aspects (Baddeley, 1994). Our work fit in these fields of research; they attempt to highlight the elements constituting the objects of the world that would be used as assistance with the learning of a knowledge on these objects. We are interested more particularly in the lexicon learning in L2. The experiments reported here concern a population of French children (8-11 years) subjected to a series of tests in foreign languages: a task of recognition of words followed a phase of training in a picturesque context (each word indicated an object drawn in the screen), in English vs. Chinese as foreign languages, oral method vs. written. The data collected are the performances of the children (rate of correct designations of the indicated objects) comparisons with the courses of consultation of the board coloured at the time of the phase of training. The results reveal differences in treatment according to the age of the children and according to the degree of transparency of L2 compared to L1. |
| Summary |
Theoretical framework The question of the help in the learning of a new language is at the base of our work into didactic cognitive of the languages (Billieres & Spanghero-Gaillard, 2005). The formats of presentation of the vocabulary in a multi-media environment occupy us here more particularly. One could highlight the need for the joint and univocal presentation of the drawing and the text so that the picturesque referent compensates indeed an explanatory speech (Merlet, 1998). Previously, other research had highlighted the bond between nature of the encoding of information and the quality of its recall (Craik & Lockhart, 1972). Thus, the reference to the direction, via the image, at the time of the contact with an unknown word more surely leads to a memorizing of this word than if it is presented only in its linguistic form. However, the linguistic shape of the lexicon in L2 for learning beginners has also incidences on memorizing: more one word will be transparent in L2 compared to L1, more it will quickly be understood (Goswani, Gombert & Fraca de Barrera, 1998) and therefore, memorized. However, is the cognitive treatment of linguistics associated with a picturesque referent carried out same manner whatever the L2, and whatever the degree of proximity of the system of L2 and L1? The experiments which we undertook try to propose of the brief replies to this question Methodology Experimental protocol Each participant is in front of a verbal material (words) in context picturesque in English L2 (Dat, 2006) or in Chinese L2 (Chareix, 2006). The material in English L2 was proposed with 70 children divided into three groups with the written oral method vs; the material in Chinese L2 was proposed, with 63 children according to the same protocol. From the material computerized (Beausse- Lades, 2004) the word (sound or visual) activated by the participant using the cursor, is presented jointly with the picturesque referent so that the image gives access to the significance. The picturesque board represents the landscape of an island in which twelve static objects were programmed so that in the passing of the cursor they appear surrounded of red. At this moment, the participant clicks and it hears or sees linguistic designation corresponding to drawing. The participant has 5 minutes to consult all the twelves drawings. The words writing are presented under the drawing. The participant can consult once as many and in the order which it wishes the picturesque scene after which it is immediately subjected to a recall task : he hears or sees the word and he must indicate the corresponding drawing. Results We recorded two types of data. On the one hand, clicks of consultation of the drawings (training phase) were automatically recorded. In addition, we collected the maid/bad answers at the time of the recall task. The results obtained let appear a great diversity in the course of consultation of the board of drawings. However two remarks can to be made. It would seem that the order of consultation follows a direction impelled by the order of presentation of the drawings at the time of the demonstration phase. The second remark relates to the individual course of consultation which lets appear an organization different according to the L2 : there is a reading of the whole of the items in English L2 and a consultation of the items two by two or by three for the words presented in Chinese. The data resulting from the recall task were treated statistically. They reveal two sets of results: those related to the method of encoding and those related to L2. In English L2 the performances with the writing are higher than those recorded in oral examination. It is the opposite for Chinese L2: the performances are in this case higher in the oral examination. The variable age makes it possible to note that if in L2 English the oldest participants as well records the best performances with the writing as with the oral examination, in Chinese L2, we notice that the performances with the writing are increasingly weaker whatever the age. Discussion Our results encourage to underline the difference in treatment of the objects to be learned according to on the one hand the age from the participant and on the other hand the degree from resemblances between L1 and L2. The preponderance of the encoding writes with the age compared to the oral encoding in lexical memorizing confirm studies in L1 (Boudin & Fayol, 1994). The condition of transparency between L1 and L2 appears necessary. Indeed, if the recourse to the writing communication were systematic, we should have recorded results in Chinese in method written for the children oldest superiors with those recorded with the oral method ; but is not the case. In the treatment of the written Chinese ideograms, the analysis phoneme/graphem is not of any help. On the other hand, with the oral examination, whereas their strategy of consultation of the words is completely comparable with that used with the writing, the performances are definitely higher. Questioned afterwards, the participants revealed a strategy of memorizing based on phonic resemblances between French (L1) and Chinese (L2). These declared strategies feed interpretations of the good performances recorded in English L2, in particular on the transparent words between French and English (Dat, 2006). Thus, one could interpret the results according to degree of formal resemblance between L1 and L2. The phonetic or graphic resemblance is used as assistance with the linguistic memorizing shapes and a recognition evaluated at the time of the recall task. In addition, it is not because a word is often consulted that its recognition is better. However, we did not locate strategies of lexicon learning itself. The strategy of consultation of the words by the individual reveals a strategy of discovered objects placed at the disposal on the drawing. This manner of proceeding looks like much more discovered of the environment that to one strategy of appropriation of a vocabulary. |
