Innovation in Language Learning

Considering that interference is a major concern for second language teachers and that new teaching and learning strategies are in need, this study aims at assessing the validity of extra activities carried out online(ICT-based activities) to students evidencing a higher awareness of interference. This concept encompasses various phenomena, which have been object of ongoing studies, both in terms of empirical research as well as in terms of pedagogical processes. Language transfer manifests itself at phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic levels. However, culture and cultural differences are at the core of these occurrences. Thus, false friends may be adequately understood as significant examples of semantic interference. Conducted at two higher education institutions in Portugal, this project was developed along distinct phases. Firstly, lecturers discussed false friends with students in three different classes, providing examples and eliciting their previous knowledge on the subject. Secondly, two of these classes (class A and class B) had to do a worksheet on the false friends discussed in class, as well as other common false friends; the remaining class (Class C) did not do this worksheet. Thirdly, classes A and C alone solved specifically created online exercises on the same group of false friends included in the referred paper worksheet. These online exercises had to be solved within two weeks. Finally, after this period of time, all three classes were tested by means of a small quiz. Only those students that attended the class where false friends were discussed, did the online exercises (in the cases of Classes A and C) and did the test were considered for this study. Expected results are that students who completed the extra exercises using ICT resources perform better than those who did not.