Harriet Bowden | University of Tennessee (original) (raw)

Papers by Harriet Bowden

Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad

This exploratory study evaluated the impact of a Spanish second language (L2) domestic immersion ... more This exploratory study evaluated the impact of a Spanish second language (L2) domestic immersion (DI) program that was developed expediently at a large university in the United States in response to widespread study abroad (SA) program closures due to COVID-19. Spanish language learners (n = 14) participated in an intensive, six-week summer immersion program for a total of 96 contact hours over the duration of the program. L2 development was evaluated via a conceptual replication of Issa et al. (2020), which recently provided compelling evidence of the benefits of short-term SA programs. L2 gains were measured using an acceptability judgment task, a lexical decision task, and an elicited imitation task. Results showed that DI learners had significant L2 gains in some of the same areas as the SA students, including subject-verb agreement and scores on the elicited imitation task. Implications for creating and maintaining DI programs in the current educational landscape are discussed....

Mind and context in adult …, 2005

... thus to be ex-pected both in the rate of acquisition and in ultimate attainment in SLA ... Fi... more ... thus to be ex-pected both in the rate of acquisition and in ultimate attainment in SLA ... Finally, under recent accounts of age effects on SLA (eg, Birdsong, 1992; Birdsong and Molis, 2001 ... may be that we need to employ other process-oriented methods for investigating potential sex ...

Revista De Filoloxia Asturiana, 2005

The Modern Language Journal, 2020

This study examined linguistic development among both intermediate and advanced college-level sec... more This study examined linguistic development among both intermediate and advanced college-level second language (L2) learners during short-term study abroad summer programs in Spain. Participants completed a measure of overall proficiency, as well as assessments of receptive grammatical (morphosyntactic) and lexical (semantic) abilities at the beginning and end of their programs. They also reported their use of and exposure to the target language on a weekly basis while abroad. Analyses explored (a) whether learners in each group made gains in these receptive abilities, and (b) to what extent contact with the L2 and/or initial proficiency accounted for variability in linguistic development across all learners. Results indicated that learners in both groups evidenced significant linguistic gains, in both morphosyntactic and lexical domains for the intermediate-level learners, and in the lexical domain for the advanced learners. In analyses across all learners, L2 contact did not account for variability in either morphosyntactic or lexical development, whereas higher initial proficiency facilitated some morphosyntactic and lexical development. Results suggest that learners at both intermediate and advanced levels can experience linguistic gains during short-term study abroad, and that initial proficiency plays a limited role in explaining variability in gains among these learners.

Hispania, 2017

Experience with a second language (L2) has been shown to facilitate learning of a third or subseq... more Experience with a second language (L2) has been shown to facilitate learning of a third or subsequent language (L3) (Sanz 2000). However, little is known about how much L2 experience is needed before benefits for L3 development emerge, or about whether effects depend on type of L3 instruction. We report two experiments investigating initial learning of semantic role (agent/patient) assignment in L3 Latin by native English speakers at different levels of formal experience in L2 Spanish (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, Very Advanced). In Experiment 1, (N 5 76), learners engaged in a computerized Latin practice session that included metalinguistic information in feedback. In Experiment 2, (N 5 0), feedback indicated only if learners' responses in practice were right or wrong. Development was operationalized as improvement in accuracy and/or reaction time. Results showed that when feedback was metalinguistic, an intermediate level of formal L2 experience was enough to yield an advantage, however only those learners with very advanced L2 experience showed longer-term retention of that advantage. In contrast, in the absence of metalinguistic feedback, very advanced experience was required for any advantage to appear. These results inform classroom accommodations for learners with different levels of previous language experience.

Neuropsychologia, 2013

Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we examined the neurocognition of late-learned second lang... more Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we examined the neurocognition of late-learned second language (L2) Spanish in two groups of typical university foreign-language learners (as compared to native (L1) speakers): one group with only one year of college classroom experience, and low-intermediate proficiency (L2 Low), and another group with over three years of college classroom experience as well as 1-2 semesters of immersion experience abroad, and advanced proficiency (L2 Advanced). Semantic violations elicited N400s in all three groups, whereas syntactic word-order violations elicited LAN/P600 responses in the L1 and L2 Advanced groups, but not the L2 Low group. Indeed, the LAN and P600 responses were statistically indistinguishable between the L1 and L2 Advanced groups. The results support and extend previous findings. Consistent with previous research, the results suggest that L2 semantic processing always depends on L1-like neurocognitive mechanisms, whereas L2 syntactic processing initially differs from L1, but can shift to native-like processes with sufficient proficiency or exposure, and perhaps with immersion experience in particular. The findings further demonstrate that substantial native-like brain processing of syntax can be achieved even by typical university foreign-language learners.

Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad

This exploratory study evaluated the impact of a Spanish second language (L2) domestic immersion ... more This exploratory study evaluated the impact of a Spanish second language (L2) domestic immersion (DI) program that was developed expediently at a large university in the United States in response to widespread study abroad (SA) program closures due to COVID-19. Spanish language learners (n = 14) participated in an intensive, six-week summer immersion program for a total of 96 contact hours over the duration of the program. L2 development was evaluated via a conceptual replication of Issa et al. (2020), which recently provided compelling evidence of the benefits of short-term SA programs. L2 gains were measured using an acceptability judgment task, a lexical decision task, and an elicited imitation task. Results showed that DI learners had significant L2 gains in some of the same areas as the SA students, including subject-verb agreement and scores on the elicited imitation task. Implications for creating and maintaining DI programs in the current educational landscape are discussed....

Mind and context in adult …, 2005

... thus to be ex-pected both in the rate of acquisition and in ultimate attainment in SLA ... Fi... more ... thus to be ex-pected both in the rate of acquisition and in ultimate attainment in SLA ... Finally, under recent accounts of age effects on SLA (eg, Birdsong, 1992; Birdsong and Molis, 2001 ... may be that we need to employ other process-oriented methods for investigating potential sex ...

Revista De Filoloxia Asturiana, 2005

The Modern Language Journal, 2020

This study examined linguistic development among both intermediate and advanced college-level sec... more This study examined linguistic development among both intermediate and advanced college-level second language (L2) learners during short-term study abroad summer programs in Spain. Participants completed a measure of overall proficiency, as well as assessments of receptive grammatical (morphosyntactic) and lexical (semantic) abilities at the beginning and end of their programs. They also reported their use of and exposure to the target language on a weekly basis while abroad. Analyses explored (a) whether learners in each group made gains in these receptive abilities, and (b) to what extent contact with the L2 and/or initial proficiency accounted for variability in linguistic development across all learners. Results indicated that learners in both groups evidenced significant linguistic gains, in both morphosyntactic and lexical domains for the intermediate-level learners, and in the lexical domain for the advanced learners. In analyses across all learners, L2 contact did not account for variability in either morphosyntactic or lexical development, whereas higher initial proficiency facilitated some morphosyntactic and lexical development. Results suggest that learners at both intermediate and advanced levels can experience linguistic gains during short-term study abroad, and that initial proficiency plays a limited role in explaining variability in gains among these learners.

Hispania, 2017

Experience with a second language (L2) has been shown to facilitate learning of a third or subseq... more Experience with a second language (L2) has been shown to facilitate learning of a third or subsequent language (L3) (Sanz 2000). However, little is known about how much L2 experience is needed before benefits for L3 development emerge, or about whether effects depend on type of L3 instruction. We report two experiments investigating initial learning of semantic role (agent/patient) assignment in L3 Latin by native English speakers at different levels of formal experience in L2 Spanish (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, Very Advanced). In Experiment 1, (N 5 76), learners engaged in a computerized Latin practice session that included metalinguistic information in feedback. In Experiment 2, (N 5 0), feedback indicated only if learners' responses in practice were right or wrong. Development was operationalized as improvement in accuracy and/or reaction time. Results showed that when feedback was metalinguistic, an intermediate level of formal L2 experience was enough to yield an advantage, however only those learners with very advanced L2 experience showed longer-term retention of that advantage. In contrast, in the absence of metalinguistic feedback, very advanced experience was required for any advantage to appear. These results inform classroom accommodations for learners with different levels of previous language experience.

Neuropsychologia, 2013

Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we examined the neurocognition of late-learned second lang... more Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we examined the neurocognition of late-learned second language (L2) Spanish in two groups of typical university foreign-language learners (as compared to native (L1) speakers): one group with only one year of college classroom experience, and low-intermediate proficiency (L2 Low), and another group with over three years of college classroom experience as well as 1-2 semesters of immersion experience abroad, and advanced proficiency (L2 Advanced). Semantic violations elicited N400s in all three groups, whereas syntactic word-order violations elicited LAN/P600 responses in the L1 and L2 Advanced groups, but not the L2 Low group. Indeed, the LAN and P600 responses were statistically indistinguishable between the L1 and L2 Advanced groups. The results support and extend previous findings. Consistent with previous research, the results suggest that L2 semantic processing always depends on L1-like neurocognitive mechanisms, whereas L2 syntactic processing initially differs from L1, but can shift to native-like processes with sufficient proficiency or exposure, and perhaps with immersion experience in particular. The findings further demonstrate that substantial native-like brain processing of syntax can be achieved even by typical university foreign-language learners.