The Role of Grammar Instruction in the Second Language Classroom
The Role of Grammar Instruction in the
Second Language Classroom
An Annotated Bibliography
Introduction The past twenty years have seen a dramatic shift in language classrooms from a focus on grammar rules and drills to more “communicative” approaches to teaching language. Left behind in the resulting tumult has been the question: Does teaching grammar have any impact on second language learners’ rate of accuracy? Stephen Krashen and others maintain that “comprehensible input” is sufficient for successful language acquisition and so explicit grammar teaching is not needed. Others have challenged this view, arguing that research shows a definite positive effect for grammar instruction. This annotated bibliography will review Krashen’s model of language acquisition and examine the major research that claims to find a positive correlation between instruction and language acquisition.
Summaries
Fotos, S. (1993). Consciousness raising and noticing through focus on form: Grammar task performance vs. formal instruction. Applied Linguistics, 11, 129-158.
In this study Fotos sought to determine whether a focus on form, either through grammar consciousness-raising tasks or formal grammar lessons, would result in learners noticing specific grammatical forms in context. She studied 160 Japanese university EFL learners who were divided into three classes. The lessons for one class (the “grammar task” group) included various grammar consciousness-raising tasks; the second (the “grammar lessons” group) had formal grammar lessons, and the third (the “communicative task” group) contained no grammar content. Three different grammatical structures were presented: (a) indirect object placement, (b) adverb placement, and (c) relative clauses. Post-tests were given after each structure was presented, with one test given one week after the lesson and another two weeks after. The post-tests consisted of a story or dictation exercise in which the structure occurred, and
Second Language Classroom
An Annotated Bibliography
Introduction The past twenty years have seen a dramatic shift in language classrooms from a focus on grammar rules and drills to more “communicative” approaches to teaching language. Left behind in the resulting tumult has been the question: Does teaching grammar have any impact on second language learners’ rate of accuracy? Stephen Krashen and others maintain that “comprehensible input” is sufficient for successful language acquisition and so explicit grammar teaching is not needed. Others have challenged this view, arguing that research shows a definite positive effect for grammar instruction. This annotated bibliography will review Krashen’s model of language acquisition and examine the major research that claims to find a positive correlation between instruction and language acquisition.
Summaries
Fotos, S. (1993). Consciousness raising and noticing through focus on form: Grammar task performance vs. formal instruction. Applied Linguistics, 11, 129-158.
In this study Fotos sought to determine whether a focus on form, either through grammar consciousness-raising tasks or formal grammar lessons, would result in learners noticing specific grammatical forms in context. She studied 160 Japanese university EFL learners who were divided into three classes. The lessons for one class (the “grammar task” group) included various grammar consciousness-raising tasks; the second (the “grammar lessons” group) had formal grammar lessons, and the third (the “communicative task” group) contained no grammar content. Three different grammatical structures were presented: (a) indirect object placement, (b) adverb placement, and (c) relative clauses. Post-tests were given after each structure was presented, with one test given one week after the lesson and another two weeks after. The post-tests consisted of a story or dictation exercise in which the structure occurred, and
Bibliography: Krashen, S. & Terrell, T. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. San Francisco: The Alemany Press. Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. (1990). Focus-on-form and corrective feedback in communicative language teaching: Effects on second language learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 12, 429-446. Long, M. (1983). Does second language instruction make a difference? A review of research. TESOL Quarterly, 17, 359-382. Pica, T. (1983). Adult acquisition of English as a second language under different conditions of exposure. Language Learning, 33, 465-497. Pica, T. (1985). The selective impact of classroom instruction on second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 6, 214-222. Pienemann, M. (1984). Psychological constraints on the teachability of language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 6, 186-214. Van Patten, B. (1988). How juries get hung: Problems with the evidence for a focus on form in teaching. Language Learning 38, 243-260.