The role of input in second language acquisition : |more comprehensible input supported by grammar instruction or more grammar instruction?

Abstract

The present study investigateg the combined effects of different amountg of comprehension-based and fonn-focused instruction on skill-based proficiency and knowledge of grammatical structures of beginner-level EFL students. Specifically, the study addresses the following research questions: 1) Does a basically comprehensionbased program of instruction supported by fonn-focused instruction help beginnerlevel EFL learners improve/develop their listening, reading and writing abilities more than a basically form- focused program of imtruction? 2) Does a basically fonn-focused program of instruction help beginner-level EFL learners improve their knowledge of grammatical structures more than a basically comprehension-based program of instruction? One experimental and one control group, each containing 20 lycee prep level Turkish EFL students, participated in the study. The subjects in the experimental and control groups were randomly selected from among lycee prep classes in two different schools. The experimental group enrolled in a program of comprehension-based instruction supported by fonn- focused instruction; whereas, the control group enrolled in a basically form-focused program of instruction. Both the experimental and control woups had 29 hours of EFL instruction per week for 21 weeks. At the end of the treatment, the groups were given the Key English Test (KET), and the grammar component of the Oxford Placement Test to see the effects of these two different types of instruction on their reading, listening, writing skills and knowledge of grammatical structures. The results indicated that the program of comprehension-based EFL instruction supported by foan-focused instruction was more effective than a basically fonn-focused program of instruction in helping beginner-level students develop their listening, reading, and writing skills as well as their knowledge of grammatical structures.