Abstract

Students often have a difficult time understanding native speakers of their target language. This thesis examines two theories that may help students better understand NSs: spaced versus massed practice and the use of technology to enhance input. The study had the students of four sections of German 101 at BYU, divided into a spaced practice group that watched authentic German videos five minutes a day, six days a week for seven weeks and a massed practice group that watched authentic German videos for half an hour, one day a week for seven weeks, then gave them an immediate and a delayed listening comprehension posttest to see which improved more, along with several surveys to learn more about extraneous variables and the student experience with the activity. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups, but this is likely due to the many limitations of the study. The two biggest limitations were that of the 75 potential participants, only 13 allowed for their information to be used and had usable information, and that all of those 13 participants did too well on both posttests to be able to differentiate between them, so no conclusions were able to be drawn from this study.

Degree

College and Department

Humanities; Center for Language Studies

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