The Effect of Intensive and Extensive Focus on Form on EFL Learners’ Written Accuracy

A number of Second Language Acquisition researchers argue that since focus on form facilitates second language development, therefore special attention to focus on form in the case of adult learners seems to be necessary. This area of research has been one of the hotly-debated issues in SLA literature. The main purpose of the present quasi-experimental study is to investigate the effects of intensive and extensive focus on form instructions on EFL learners' written accuracy. For the purpose of the study 40 learners of English at pre-intermediate level were chosen randomly as the participants of the study and assigned into two groups of experimental which received different types of instruction for 2 months. A narrative task and written production focused and unfocused tasks were employed to collect data from the participants. The collected written data was quantified in terms of the accuracy measure introduced by Ellis (2008).T-test was employed as the statistical means of analysis. The results of the study revealed significant differences between the performances of two groups in terms of the accuracy in focused written production task. The study carries significant implications for second language teachers, SLA researchers as well as task designers.

[1]  Rod Ellis,et al.  Doing focus-on-form , 2002 .

[2]  Justin E. Jernigan Output and English as a Second Language Pragmatic Development: The Effectiveness of Output-focused Video-based Instruction , 2012 .

[3]  Rod Ellis,et al.  A typology of written corrective feedback types , 2008 .

[4]  Asghar Salimi,et al.  The impact of explicit instruction on foreign language learners’ performance , 2010 .

[5]  Michael H. Long Does Second Language Instruction Make a Difference? A Review of Research , 1983 .

[6]  Asghar Salimi,et al.  The Effect of Incidental Focus on Form and Scaffolding on SL Learners’ Accuracy , 2012 .

[7]  P. Skehan A FRAMEWORK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION , 1996 .

[8]  Bill VanPatten,et al.  Processing instruction: An update , 2002 .

[9]  R. Schmidt The role of consciousness in second language learning , 1990 .

[10]  Focus on Form or Focus on FormS: Which Method Is More Effective? , 2007 .

[11]  R. Ellis Introduction: Investigating Form‐Focused Instruction , 2001 .

[12]  F. Farrokhi,et al.  Incidental Focus on Form Techniques in Iranian EFL Classrooms: A Comparison between Expert and Novice Teachers. , 2011 .

[13]  Asghar Salimi,et al.  The Effect of Task Complexity on EFL learners’ Written performance , 2011 .

[14]  Rod Ellis,et al.  INPUT-BASED APPROACHES TO TEACHING GRAMMAR: A REVIEW OF CLASSROOM-ORIENTED RESEARCH , 1999, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics.

[15]  R. Ellis Task-based language teaching: sorting out the misunderstandings , 2009 .

[16]  Tomohito Ishikawa,et al.  The Effect of Task Complexity and Language Proficiency on Task-Based Language Performance , 2006 .

[17]  J. Norris,et al.  Effectiveness of L2 Instruction: A Research Synthesis and Quantitative Meta‐analysis , 2000 .

[18]  Mansoor Tavakoli,et al.  The Effectiveness of Explicit and Implicit Corrective Feedback on Interlingual and Intralingual Errors: A Case of Error Analysis of Students' Compositions , 2011 .

[19]  Title Feedback on second language students ' writing , 2006 .

[20]  Rod Ellis,et al.  The Study of Second Language Acquisition , 1994 .

[21]  John Truscott,et al.  Review Article The Case Against Grammar Correction in L2 Writing Classes , 1996 .

[22]  Younghee Sheen The Effect of Focused Written Corrective Feedback and Language Aptitude on ESL Learners´ Acquisition of Articles. , 2007 .

[23]  Stephen Krashen,et al.  The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications , 1986 .

[24]  Output Tasks, Noticing, and Learning: Teaching English Past Tense to Iranian EFL Students. , 2012 .

[25]  Michael H. Long The Role of the Linguistic Environment in Second Language Acquisition , 1996 .

[26]  Jean Chandler,et al.  THE EFFICACY OF VARIOUS KINDS OF ERROR FEEDBACK FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE ACCURACY AND FLUENCY OF L2 STUDENT WRITING , 2003 .

[27]  John Bitchener,et al.  The Effect of Different Types of Corrective Feedback on ESL Student Writing. , 2005 .

[28]  D. Ferris THE CASE FOR GRAMMAR CORRECTION IN L2 WRITING CLASSES: A RESPONSE TO TRUSCOTT (1996) , 1999 .

[29]  R. Schmidt Cognition and Second Language Instruction: Attention , 2001 .

[30]  Massoud Rahimpour,et al.  Implementation of Task-Based Approaches to Language Teaching , 2008 .

[31]  Rod Ellis,et al.  Planning and task performance in a second language , 2005 .

[32]  Rod Ellis,et al.  Task-based Language Learning and Teaching , 2003 .

[33]  Marta Benítez Fernández-Espartero The use of blogs as international feedback in the efl clasroom: a way to focus on form through conscious reflection , 2011 .