Implicit and explicit knowledge Sample Clauses

Implicit and explicit knowledge. The nature of implicit and explicit knowledge and the interplay between these two phenomena are vital when discussing L2 acquisition. The distinction between these two types of knowledge is also significant in language instruction as it inspires teaching methods based on how people process and store information. In theory, understanding these internal mechanisms will help instructors design more effective strategies for language learning. Historically, however, there has been much discussion within the research community, primarily concerning the issue of their dynamic – or rigid – nature, questioning if implicit knowledge can be converted into explicit knowledge and vice versa. In XxxXxxxxx (2016), for example, the author claims that explicit knowledge cannot transition into implicit knowledge, or more specifically: "it is difficult to see how explicit knowledge and practice could "guide,” "shape,” "aid," or in any real sense "support" the growth of implicit knowledge" (655). The following briefly explains what characterizes these two types of knowledge and how the interaction between implicit and explicit knowledge is considered in modern research. In cognitive psychology, the research field from where the terms explicit and implicit knowledge were coined, the most crucial distinction is whether the knowledge is processed consciously or unconsciously. In this sense, explicit learning can, for example, take the form of learning the exact grammatical rules of a language. In contrast, implicit learning can take the form of simply being able to understand language input and produce language output without knowing the exact grammar that governs the language. Respectively, the learner can verbalize what they have learned, or they cannot verbalize what they have learned (Xxxxx et al., 2009, 3). The question of whether these two types of knowledge and learning can transition from one to the other is, in this respect, significant when discussing language learning. It would, for example, answer the question of whether teaching specific grammar will help a language learner towards being fluent in the person’s target language, as this would require explicitly taught rules to become automated, implicit knowledge. Xxxxx et al. (2019) sought to answer this question through testing L1 Japanese learners of L2 English on their knowledge of English article use. Several acceptability judgement tests were performed, a pre-test and four post-tests, one post-test during the in...