Using Causal Explanation Speaking Tasks to Assess Young EFL learners’ Speaking Ability: The Effects of Age, Cognitive, and L2 Linguistic Development

ABSTRACT This paper examined to what extent causal explanation speaking tasks (CESTs) are cognitively appropriate for assessing young language learners’ (YLLs) L2 speaking. Ninety-six YLLs (48 from Grade 4 and 6 each) in China performed two CESTs in both L1 (Chinese) and L2 (English). They also completed receptive and productive L2 vocabulary size tests. We examined how their CEST performance scores, choice of causal antecedents, and speech utterances were related with language modes of the tasks (L1 vs. L2), grade levels, and L2 vocabulary sizes. L2 CEST performance scores were found to have significant positive correlations with L2 productive vocabulary size. CESTs were found to be generally cognitively appropriate for YLLs because their high scores in L1 performance indicated that performing CESTs is within their L1 capacity. By examining causal connectives used by YLLs, we found that learners from both age groups had cognitive ability sufficient to verbalise causality. Yet YLLs’ cognitive ability to interpret and verbalise mental states is still developing and reasoning between causal antecedents that have competing causal relationship with the final state can be cognitively challenging. We discussed the findings with reference to the design of cognitively appropriate CESTs that can assess both language and thinking skills. 本文研究了因果解释口语任务从认知层面来说是否适宜测评儿童语言学习者的二语口语能力。九十六名中国的儿童语言学习者(四年级与六年级各四十八名)分别用第一语言(汉语)和第二语言(英语)完成了两个因果解释口语任务。他们还完成了接受性和产出性二语词汇测试。我们分析了他们的因果解释口语任务的表现分数、对前因的选择和语言产出这三者与完成任务所使用的语言 (一语和二语)、所在年级和二语词汇量之间的关系。我们发现因果解释口语任务的二语表现分数与二语产出性词汇量之间呈显著正相关。他们用第一语言完成因果解释口语任务所获得的高分数说明完成这项任务在他们的一语能力范围之内,因此我们认为因果解释口语任务对于儿童语言学习者来说总体上是认知适宜的。通过分析儿童语言学习者使用因果连词的情况,我们还发现这两个年龄组的学习者拥有充分的认知能力来口头表达因果关系。不过儿童语言学习者理解和口头表达心理状态的能力尚处于发展阶段,他们对具有相互竞争关系的前因进行逻辑推导时会存在认知上的挑战。我们对研究结果的讨论主要涉及如何设计认知适宜的并能够同时测评语言和思维技能的因果解释口语任务。