The Effect of Computerized Instruction on

Learning English Prepositions

Pinkan 2015-031-005e
Why do I choose this topic?
Up until now, English
prepositions are still
difficult to be mastered
even for advanced
learners
What makes it difficult to learn?
In Indonesia, we know it
as “di” instead of “in, on,
at”
Statement of problem
There are only few studies
that prove the efficacy of
eCALL in learning English
Prepositions Statement of purpose
This present study aims to
investigate the
effectiveness of
computerized instruction
on learning English
Prepositions in EFL context
 This study will give beneficial
information for EFL teachers
regarding the use of eCALL to apply
explicit instruction in teaching

Significance of
English prepositions

the study
 Does explicit grammar online instruction
effectively increase learners’ spatial sense
comprehension as measured by the picture
comprehension task of in, on, and at?

Does explicit grammar online instruction

effectively increase learners’ temporal sense
comprehension as measured by the picture
comprehension task of in, on, and at?

Does explicit grammar online instruction

effectively increase learners’ ability to use the
spatial sense as measured by the picture
description task of in, on, and at?

Research
Does explicit grammar online instruction
Questions effectively increase learners’ ability to use the
temporal sense as measured by the picture
description task of in, on, and at?
Underlying
Theories
 eCALL
4 important instructional factors that are covered by eCALL

1 2
Provide immediate Can be used to present
corrective feedback explicit rule instruction

3 4
Allow teachers and
Can be a tool for
researchers to trace
modeling target language
students’ performance
 Prepositions

Definition Difficulty for learners

• Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary • Each preposition has different

(2010) interprets a preposition as “a meanings (polysemy) if it is
word of group of words, such as in, applied in different contexts
from, to, out of and on behalf of, used
before a noun or pronoun to show a
place, position, time or method”.
 In, On, At

Definition Difficulty for

learners
Prepositions are classified into 3  The use of one preposition rather
uses; spatial, temporal, and than another will change the
abstract (Cambridge Dictionary) relationship between two objects
in a sentence (Matula 2007)

• Each preposition can be used not

only for spatial relations but also
temporal relations (Matula 2007)
 The Competition Model
There will be two kinds of competing polysemes in this part:

at-to target polyseme in the She is on the

sentence The police shot train
bullets at the terrorist

at-to position polyseme

in the sentence We
stopped at the rest area She is in the train
before continuing our
trip
 Matula’s dissertation (2007)
• Explored the effect of incorporating a cognitive
presentation of the spatial and temporal senses of
the English prepositions on, in, and at.

Wong, Zhao, and MacWhinney (2018)

• Evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive linguistic
approach to preposition instruction with online

Previous Studies implementation

Wijaya and Ong (2018)

• Investigate the effect of cognitive linguistics-
grounded instruction on learning the prepositions in,
on, and at.
Methodology
 Methodology

Participant Data Research Instruments Data Collection Procedure Data Analysis Procedure
Initial pool: 34 students
The scores of pre-test and Pre-test and Post-test. Each A Mann-Whitney U test (p=.05)
OPT ≥ 40 (pre-intermediate level) Day 1: OPT part 1 (30 minutes)
post-test consisted of: to compare the scores between
 21 students of tenth and : Pre-test (30 minutes)
of both experimental and  Picture Comprehension groups
eleventh grade Day 2 : OPT part 2 (30 minutes)
control group Task (PCT) A Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test (p=
 11 in experimental group & 10 : Treatment (45 minutes)
(15 numbers: 9 .05) to compare the scores
in control group : Post-test (30 minutes)
spatial; 6 temporal) within groups
 Picture Description Task
(PDT)
(20 numbers: 10
spatial; 1 temporal)
Findings
 Picture Comprehension Task
9.00
8.50
8.00
7.5 7.6 Pre-test
7.50 Post-test
7.00 6.9 6.8
6.50
Experimental CTRL

Spatial Picture Description Task

6.50
Sense 6

5.5
5.50 Pre-test
5.1 Post-test
4.9

4.50
Experimental CTRL
 Picture Comprehension Task
5.40
5.20
5.00 4.9
4.8
4.80 Pre-test
4.60 4.5 Post-test
4.4
4.40
4.20
4.00
Experimental CTRL

Temporal Picture Description Task

Sense 9.00
8.2
8.00
Pre-test
7.3 Post-test
7
7.00
6.5

6.00
Experimental CTRL
Conclusion
The findings show that the experimental
group does not seem to be more superior to
the control group.

Although the result was not as expected, it is

argued that explicit grammar instruction is
still needed to teach prepositions since it can
assist learners’ understanding of grammar
structures in prepositions.
 Spatial and temporal senses
only
1
 Investigation on abstract
Suggestions sense

No delayed post-test
2 Delayed post-test is
needed

Limited number of subjects

3  A greater number of
subjects

Include Cognitive Linguistic

Limitations 4 approach
Thank you

Company name here