Impact case study database

Development of the Continuation Task based on theory of Interactive Alignment

In 2015, prominent applied linguists in China, Professors Chuming Wang and Min Wang, used the theory of Interactive Alignment as the basis of a new method for teaching a foreign language: the Continuation Task [5.1]. This method builds on the core idea of the theory of Interactive Alignment – that alignment mediates mutual understanding during dialogue – and extends it further by postulating that the same process of alignment can be harnessed to facilitate second language acquisition through the tendency of learners to align to the language of competent speakers.

Wang and Wang suggested that, in a learning context, a passage of text in the target language can provide both the language and the situation to which to align. When the task instruction is to continue the incomplete story in the passage in the most logical way possible, the learner must consciously align with the situation in order to conceive of an ending, and can simultaneously pick up linguistic elements from the text provided, thus aligning with the language. The two forms of alignment would reinforce each other, as predicted by the model of Interactive Alignment, and thus yield improved ability in the language [5.1].

The paper publishing the Continuation task [5.1] cites 6 papers from the Edinburgh Neuroscience group (out of 29 references). Furthermore, Professor Min Wang states that the Continuation Task “ drew heavily on the body of work from University of Edinburgh researchers, specifically the theory of Interactive Alignment (Pickering & Garrod, 2004) [3.5] and the underlying experimental work conducted by Branigan, Pickering and colleagues (such as Branigan, Pickering, & Cleland, 2000) [3.1] . The core premise of the Continuation Task is drawn directly from the theory of Interactive Alignment, and as such, the Continuation Task could not exist in its present form if the theory of Interactive Alignment and its associated empirical underpinnings had not been published” [5.2].

Impact on educational policy

In the mid-2010s, the Chinese Ministry of Education (MoE) led a programme to revise the secondary school curriculum to cultivate higher-level thinking and learning skills. This led the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) to reform the national university entrance exam (the Gaokao, taken by 600,000 students each year), to better reflect the new teaching objectives. Since proficiency in foreign languages, and English in particular, is considered a highly valuable skill in China, there was a particular openness to improved practices in teaching English. To identify suitable new tasks for this purpose, the NEEA consulted educationalists and linguists and commissioned research. Following an MoE review of the task, the Continuation Task was adopted into the Gaokao in 2016 [5.3].

Dr Jie Zheng, leader of the research project that validated ratings for the new Gaokao tasks noted: the Continuation Task “ fits the objectives of the revised teaching syllabus very well. […] Students need to fully understand the given text and take notice of important messages in order to extend the story […]. They can also, consciously or unconsciously, pick up linguistic resources in the original text to help them continue writing. The creation of proper content requires creative and logical thinking. These skills are very important in the new teaching syllabus and will be helpful for their further academic studies in university” [5.3].

Dr Zheng furthermore highlights that “ The psychological theory underpinning the task was an important consideration when adopting the task, as it provides a strong scientific basis for the cognitive processes that the task completion engages”. [5.3].

Zhejiang Province adopted the Continuation Task during the new Gaokao’s pilot stage (2016-2019). By the end of 2020, 5 x 600,000 = 3,000,000 students had been tested using the task. Further provinces including Shandong, Yunnan, Beijing and Tianjin adopted the task during the second stage, which began in 2020 [5.3].

Impact on educational practice

As the Gaokao effectively determines admission to tertiary education in China, considerable importance is placed upon it by teachers and students. To ensure students are appropriately prepared, all 591 secondary schools in Zhejiang Province now use the Continuation Task in daily teaching.

Use of the Continuation Task in secondary school teaching also extends beyond Zhejiang Province. A conference on the task was held in Guangzhou Province in 2015 [5.4], attended by 140 English teachers. A subsequent survey revealed that at least 50 primary and secondary school teachers had implemented the Continuation Task into their everyday teaching [5.5]. Further uptake of the task in secondary school teaching is enabled by its inclusion in professional development courses; for example, Prof Min Wang has lectured on the use of the task to approximately 90 secondary English teachers from Shaanxi Province every year since 2014, and thus had reached approximately 540 teachers by 2019 [5.2].

The Continuation Task has also been incorporated into routine language teaching practice in University courses. 8 universities (Dalian, Ji’nan, Suzhou, Xi’an Jiaotong, Northwest, Chongqing, Guangdong and Sun Yat-Sen) have provided certificates attesting to using the task for teaching foreign languages, with Dalian praising the “ strong operability” of the task and stating that it has “ facilitated students’ English learning effectively and efficiently” [5.6]. At Xi’an Jiaotong University alone, approximately 5,040 students have already benefited from this method (3 teachers * 8 classes per teacher * 35 students per class * 6 years).

Use of the Continuation Task in universities is facilitated by a series of textbooks (authored by Prof Min Wang; ISBN 978-7-5135-7944-5) focused on teaching written English, which provide students with exercises based on the Continuation Task. According to the publisher’s information in August 2020, the series has sold 23,008 copies since publication in 2016, and been purchased by 26 universities [5.7].

The success of the Continuation Task in improving foreign language teaching was recognised in Education and Teaching Achievement awards in Guangdong and Shaanxi Provinces in 2018. These prizes are awarded to teams and individuals who have greatly improved teaching quality through original and practical methods [5.8]. Such prizes are important criteria for promotion, and as such, demonstrate the prestige with which the method is considered.

Impact on students’ English ability and career prospects

In their original publication introducing the Continuation Task, Professors Wang and Wang demonstrated that Chinese students made 32% fewer grammatical errors and used a wider vocabulary in English when producing a completion to a story presented in English (i.e. allowing Interactive Alignment) than when the same story was presented in Chinese (not allowing Interactive Alignment) [5.1]. Moreover, a recent study of 131 Chinese undergraduate students with comparable baseline ability demonstrated that when taught using a method based on the theory of Interactive Alignment and using the Continuation Task, students achieved a 16% improvement from the baseline test scores in writing proficiency, compared with 3% improvement in students who had been taught using the traditional method (p < 0.001) [5.9].

The higher English proficiency achieved by the students taught using the Continuation Task [5.9] will not only help them communicate better with English speakers, but also confer improved career and economic opportunities, as proficiency in English can lead to demonstrable advantages on the Chinese job market. Published studies have shown that English proficiency has positive effects on college graduates’ starting salary, probability of changing permanent residence status from rural to urban and on future earnings potential. These returns are even higher for women than for men [5.10a, b].