The role of speech in foreign language learning II

Fifty-nine secondary-school children participated in an experiment in which they were asked to study three English texts. About half the subjects could listen to the spoken version of texts by using a language-laboratory tape recorder. The other subjects used a speech-output system, called the talking book, which allowed a much easier access to the spoken text. The subjects using the talking t:ook could choose to listen to entire segments of texts or to individual words spoken in isolation or extracted from running speech. Only half the subjects using each apparatus were provided with a written copy of the texts. various tests were given before, during and after the three learning sessions. The subjects using the talking book did slightly better on almost all the performance tests. Contrary to our expectations, the results of the performance tests were not related to motivational or personality factors such as field dependence.