On the Generalization of Relative Clause Rules in the Acquisition of English as a Second Language among Iranian Young Learners’ Productivity

This paper reports on an experimental study aimed at examining the generalization of instruction in second language learning. A group of Iranian High school students in an English as a second language program served as subjects for special instruction in relative clause formation. The subjects were given a pre-test on combining two sentences into one sentence involving a relative clause in which either the subject, object, or object of a preposition was the relativized noun phrase. Based on the pre-test results, six equal groups were formed, five groups of students considered as experimental groups and one as the control group. Each experimental group was given instruction on the formation of only one type of relative clause. The subjects were then given a post-test. From the results of the experiment, it is argued that maximal generalization of learning takes place from structures which are typologically more marked to those structures which are typologically less marked, and not the reverse. In fact this study can be worked in a big setting through a big circle of education

کلیدواژه ها:

Productivity ، Acquisition ، Relative Clause Rules ، Generalization and maximal generalization of learning