小坂 拓海

Abstract The Chunk-and-Pass model suggests that language acquisition involves learning to appropriately chunk language input into multiword sequences and to form more abstract linguistic representations. While the theoretical model has gained widespread attention in the language sciences, there are limited studies that adopt this model, particularly in the context of second language (L2) learning and teaching research. This study examines the effects of Chunk Reading Strategy Training (CRST), which was developed based on the model, on multiword processing in low-proficiency Japanese learners of English. A treatment group received CRST, while a control group underwent standard block-format reading training. A phrasal decision test assessed online multiword processing at pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest stages. The results indicated improvement in response times post-intervention for the treatment group, and only in the delayed posttest for the control group. This study, therefore, discusses the theoretical implications and limitations of CRST.

Abstract This study examines context effects on lexical processing by low-proficiency Japanese learners of English during sentence comprehension, and the role of individual differences in verbal working memory (WM). Thirty Japanese learners of English as a second language (L2) and 27 speakers of English as a first language (L1) were recruited for a self-paced reading task with high and low context sentences to assess lexical processing abilities, and a reading span task to measure WM capacities. Bayesian modeling indicated that, at the group level, L2 learners had slower lexical processing times for low context sentences compared to high context ones, especially in the spillover region, while L1 speakers showed no difference. At the individual level, higher WM capacities among L2 learners appeared to mitigate these context effects, supporting the interactive-compensatory model (Stanovich in Read Res Q, 10.2307/747348, 1980; Remedial Spec Educ 5(3):11–19, 10.1177/074193258400500306, 1984). The findings highlight context effects on L2 lexical processing and the crucial role of WM in managing these effects among L2 learners.