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The Effects of Processing Instruction on the Acquisition and Processing of Grammatical Gender in German

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Title: The Effects of Processing Instruction on the Acquisition and Processing of Grammatical Gender in German
Language: English
Authors: Nick Henry (ORCID 0000-0002-3791-1735)
Source: Language Teaching Research. 2025 29(4):1426-1457.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 32
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, German, Grammar, Psycholinguistics, Difficulty Level, Language Processing, Comparative Analysis, Color, Cues, Memorization, Task Analysis, Reaction Time, Distinctive Features (Language), Mnemonics, Form Classes (Languages), Classification, Undergraduate Students, Introductory Courses
DOI: 10.1177/13621688221096368
ISSN: 1362-1688
1477-0954
Abstract: This study investigates the effects of Processing Instruction (PI) on the acquisition of grammatical gender and gender-marked pronouns in German. PI was compared to Traditional Instruction, i.e. a traditional, vocabulary-oriented approach using color cues (TI) and a Categorization and Memorization task (CM). The results of an immediate posttest showed that the PI group outperformed both TI and CM with respect to gender assignment on both a gender selection task and a writing task. The PI group also scored higher and responded faster than the TI and CM groups on a comprehension task that required accurate processing of gender-marked pronouns. However, differences between the three groups were not sustained on delayed posttests. These results extend the findings of previous research on PI (e.g. Benati, 2004) by showing that PI can be applied to target forms that are low in communicative value and must be learned item-by-item like grammatical gender in German. Results also lend support to psycholinguistic research that suggests that second language (L2) learners have difficulty acquiring grammatical gender because they do not process nouns together with gender information (Arnon & Ramscar, 2012).
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1469976
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nick+Henry%22">Nick Henry</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3791-1735">0000-0002-3791-1735</externalLink>)
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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  Data: This study investigates the effects of Processing Instruction (PI) on the acquisition of grammatical gender and gender-marked pronouns in German. PI was compared to Traditional Instruction, i.e. a traditional, vocabulary-oriented approach using color cues (TI) and a Categorization and Memorization task (CM). The results of an immediate posttest showed that the PI group outperformed both TI and CM with respect to gender assignment on both a gender selection task and a writing task. The PI group also scored higher and responded faster than the TI and CM groups on a comprehension task that required accurate processing of gender-marked pronouns. However, differences between the three groups were not sustained on delayed posttests. These results extend the findings of previous research on PI (e.g. Benati, 2004) by showing that PI can be applied to target forms that are low in communicative value and must be learned item-by-item like grammatical gender in German. Results also lend support to psycholinguistic research that suggests that second language (L2) learners have difficulty acquiring grammatical gender because they do not process nouns together with gender information (Arnon & Ramscar, 2012).
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        Value: 10.1177/13621688221096368
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      – SubjectFull: German
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      – TitleFull: The Effects of Processing Instruction on the Acquisition and Processing of Grammatical Gender in German
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