Formal instruction is at the heart of the debate in language acquisition and has been subject to controversy and discussion among researchers. Recent studies have witnessed a reaction to the hypothesis that comprehensible input is sufficient for second language (L2) acquisition and, conversely, they emphasize the role of instruction. This paper investigates the definition of the role of different types of form-focused instruction in L2 English acquisition. Two research questions were defined for the study: 1) Do differences in the type of instructional treatment lead to differences in language learning? 2) Do differences in the types of instruction also display different long-term effects? The subjects were three groups of adult college students from the Shahrekord University who were enrolled in a general English course. They received three types of instructions: Focus-on- Meaning (FonM), implicit Focus-on-Form (ImFonF) and explicit Focused on-Form (ExFonF). The target linguistic features were passive syntactic structures. These features were selected based on the results of placement tests indicating that the participants had difficulty in those domains. The findings of the study indicate that the instructional treatment lead to differences in language learning in the short-term. The results for the long term effects display a complex picture of gains depending on the instruction, the nature of the target linguistic features and the modes of assessment tasks. The implications of the findings for both research and pedagogy are presented.
목차
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION PARTICIPANTS INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ASSESSMENT TASKS PROCEDURES DATA ANALYSIS RESULTS Does Type of Instruction Make a Difference? Does Type of Instruction have Long Term Effect? DISCUSSION CONCLUSION THE AUTHOR REFERENCES APPENDIX
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.