Study Of Contextual Support In Learning L2 Forms: EFL Learning Of The English Present Perfect

Recent SLA studies have shown that context plays an important role in the learning of linguistic forms. Yet, in most EFL/ ESL settings, language structures presented to the learners have not been properly contexualized in the absence of external contextual supports. Therefore learners might resort to their existing knowledge of context in order to make sense of newly encountered linguistic forms, including the use of L1 contextual knowledge.Hence, the present study aims to address the issue how L2 forms might have been learned in EFL settings. Through investigating the contextual knowledge that Chinese learners utilize when they use the English present perfect, this study attempts to find out whether learned L2 forms have been properly contextualized in learners' mind.The results of the study consist of two kinds of data: the qualitative think-aloud protocols and the statistical findings in a sentence grammaticality / acceptability test It has been found that the contextual knowledge supporting the use of the English present perfect, referred to as the internal context in the study, is largely problematic, because 1) features contained in such contexts have not been properly linked with the functions of the present perfect form and 2) the internal context might have been affected by Chinese contexts supporting the use of Chinese equivalent to the target perfective use. Consequently, the internal context does not aid the use of the present perfect properly, posing difficulties for the learners in their decisions as to which context they should use the English present perfect form.The findings of the present study confirm the hypothesis that L1 contextual knowledge might be used to support the use of L2 forms and afford pedagogical implications such as the teaching of English should be conducted in such a way that provides sufficient contextual support to the learning.