A Study On The Relationship Between Explicit/implicit Learning And The Cultivation Of Language Awareness

The discussion on explicit learning and implicit learning is a hot issue and a critical part in the field of cognitive psychology and is recently being conducted in the field of psycholinguistics, applied linguistics and second language acquisition. The two kinds of learning exist side by side. Studies of cognitive psychology show that except explicit learning, human beings can also apply another kind of learning which is quite different from explicit learning to finish a complex learning task. This kind of learning is called implicit learning. Implicit learning is defined as automatic learning without awareness of what is being learned. Explicit learning is a more explicit process where various mnemonics, heuristics and conscious learning strategies are employed to induce a representational system.Language awareness, which is a concept put forward in language teaching and learning, has always been a hot topic in the field during the past three decades. Language awareness refers to the development in learners of an enhanced consciousness of and sensitivity to the forms and functions of language. For language awareness occupies a vital position in language learning, deep researches have been conducted on the psychological mechanisms and representation modes of it. But yet only little comprehensive and thorough explanation has been achieved. Recuring to the theory of explicit and implicit learning in the field of psychology study, we try to probe into the study of language awareness from a new perspective, aiming to get a further understanding and grasp of the generation, cultivation and development of language awareness.Previous studies on implicit learning indicated that the generation of language awareness is an implicit learning process. The intuitive insight and wholeness of language awareness have a highly positive correlation with the automaticity and unconsciousness of implicit learning. Based on the previous studies, this thesis has done some empirical study on the relationship between explicit learning and language awareness. The innovations of this thesis may be found in two aspects: first, studies on the correlation between language awareness and explicit learning have been neglected while the present study is hoping to lay the groundwork for new understanding and inspiration for the cultivation and development of language awareness; second, in consideration of the abstractness and ambiguity of language awareness itself and the connotation and characteristics of language awareness, and on the basis of previous methods of quantizing language awareness, this thesis for the first time utilizes oral quiz to test language awareness.This thesis consists of four chapters besides introduction and conclusion. The full text is organized as follows:Chapter 1 is the literature review. In this part, the author makes an introduction to the origin and development of the concept of explicit learning, implicit learning and language awareness. This chapter gives a retrospective study on the relevant subjects at home and abroad in order to present the achievements and limitations of the previous studies and to propose the questions for the study in this thesis.Chapter 2 expounds the theoretical framework. First, the definitions, characteristics of implicit and explicit learning, and their theoretical basis in second language acquisition are illustrated. Seeing that explicit grammar instruction is going to be used to represent explicit learning, definitions and connotation of explicit/implicit grammar instruction are stated. Moreover, the definition, generation and development of language awareness are expounded.To investigate the relationship between language awareness and explicit learning, a survey about language awareness in English is made in Chapter 3.A self-designed oral test is adopted and the survey is made on the third-year students of the English department from Ludong University. SPSS software is used and qualitative studies are also done to analyze the results. The survey shows that language awareness is found to be high-positively correlated with explicit learning and there are differences between the high score group and low score group.Chapter 4 presents further discussions of the results and some implications are touched upon. The relationship between language awareness and explicit learning is systematically stated and the relationship between language awareness and implicit learning is analyzed and summarized. Explicit grammar instruction has a positive role in the cultivation of language awareness, although grammar itself doesn't directly reflect the level of language awareness. Indeed explicit grammar instruction is a kind of typical manifestation of explicit learning mode. Although the generation of language awareness requires an automatic and unconscious implicit mechanism, explicit learning also bears an indirect relationship with language awareness. Not only does implicit cognition play an essential role in the cultivation of language awareness, but also explicit learning mode plays an important role in the development and improvement of language awareness, for explicit learning could realize its role through startuping implicit learning based on the following two conditions: consciously and timely teach or introduce the language rules such as grammatical rules to students; apply different teaching approaches and create all-rounded teaching environment, such as whole language teaching. The study also shows the synergistic effect between explicit learning and implicit learning in the cultivation of language awareness, and thus shed some light on the future language awareness.Finally comes the conclusion of the whole thesis. It is written in the expectation that it will make a little contribution to the study of language awareness and provides some inspiration and new methods for language awareness teaching.Despite the limitations, the present study may provide a new vision for the cultivation and development of language awareness. But further studies still need to be undertaken to ensure the scientificity of the quantization of language awareness and perfect foreign language teaching and learning.