Typology in the classroom: Fostering Motion-Event awareness in Spanish-speaking ELLs

The aim of the present paper is to address the implications of the direct instruction of the linguistic typology of verbs of motion in second-language English learners. Results of a small-scale research study are reported in which students were exposed to typology instruction with the goal of increasing proficiency and target-like production. To these ends, it was hypothesized that pre- and post-intervention writing samples would differ significantly in the appropriate use of expressions of motion, particularly those expressions employing English manner-of-motion verbs. Results confirmed this hypothesis and demonstrated that students achieve greater proficiency in motion-event expression when exposed to explicit instruction including negative evidence and aspects of the Conceptual Approach (White, 2012).