English language teaching
Aram Pouyan; Sima Modirkhamene; Parviz Alavinia; Farnoush Ahangaran
Abstract
Although processing instruction (PI) has been a very popular grammar teaching method over the last years, there are, however, very limited if any attempts to explore different proficiency learners’ achievements using this approach. This study was, therefore, an attempt to investigate the role of ...
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Although processing instruction (PI) has been a very popular grammar teaching method over the last years, there are, however, very limited if any attempts to explore different proficiency learners’ achievements using this approach. This study was, therefore, an attempt to investigate the role of PI in possibly bringing about enhanced acquisition of three grammatical structures: regular past tense, causatives and relative clauses. In addition, it sought learner’s attitudes towards PI as it is believed that the success of an approach is highly dependent upon the viewpoints of its practitioners and the students being exposed to it. Three proficiency groups of elementary (n = 42), intermediate (n = 38) and advanced (n = 40) EFL learners were compared. The results of a set of independent samples t-tests revealed significant effects for the use of PI in all the groups except for a lack of improvement for elementary learners’ production of the regular past tense structure. The analysis of the attitude questionnaire and learners’ further ideas on the effectiveness of PI revealed their appreciation of the integration of this instructional practice in their target language courses. The results are discussed in relation to effective grammar and writing pedagogy.
Farahman Farrokhi; Fattaneh Abbasi Talabari
Volume 2, Issue 222 , December 2010, , Pages 29-47
Abstract
Language teachers usually face issues regarding the most effective methods of teaching. Teaching language to nonnative speakers of English involves certain problems and challenges at all levels of instruction. Due to the unsatisfactory results of focus on forms and focus on meaning instructions and their ...
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Language teachers usually face issues regarding the most effective methods of teaching. Teaching language to nonnative speakers of English involves certain problems and challenges at all levels of instruction. Due to the unsatisfactory results of focus on forms and focus on meaning instructions and their inevitable inadequacies, focus on form instruction along with its multiple techniques are regarded as a better candidate for classroom instruction. Focus on form instruction does not only pay attention to the importance of the communicative language teaching, but it also maintains the value of occasional and overt study of L2 grammatical forms. It is considered a more promising pedagogical choice than focus on forms and focus on meaning because of its communicatively need-oriented attention to form and its saliency in the language acquisition process. Focus on form may be essential to push learners beyond communicatively effective language toward target-like second language ability. It may also be part of a more efficient language learning experience in that it can speed up natural acquisition processes.
