Journal Article

Does form-focused instruction really make a difference? Potential effectiveness in Jordanian EFL learners’ linguistic and pragmatic knowledge acquisition

Smadi, Oqlah Mahmoud, Al-Qeyam, Fatima Rasheed, Bataineh, Ruba Fahmi

2017

Overview

This study examines the potential effectiveness of form-focused instruction (henceforth, FFI) in developing Jordanian EFL learners’ linguistic and pragmatic knowledge. Forty-seven college students of nursing were divided into two groups: an experimental group of twenty-seven students received FFI on grammatical structures (viz. the simple present, gerunds, modal auxiliaries, questions, the present perfect and conditionals type II) and speech acts (viz. apology, request, and suggestion) and a control group of twenty students taught per the guidelines of the prescribed textbook. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). The findings revealed that FFI positively affects students' linguistic and pragmatic knowledge, more so for pragmatic than linguistic knowledge. Several pedagogical implications and recommendations are put forth.

• Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg,Springer,Springer Nature B.V,SpringerOpen
• Subject: Accuracy / Analysis of covariance / Apologies / Applied Linguistics / Attention / Classrooms / College Students / Communication (Thought Transfer) / Communicative Competence (Languages) / Competence / Consciousness Raising / Control Groups / Cultural Differences / Education / English (Second Language) / English as a second language / English as a second language instruction / English as a second language learning / English Learners / Experimental Groups / Foreign Countries / Form-focused instruction / Gerunds / Grammar / Knowledge / Knowledge Level / Language Education / Language Skills / Language Teachers / Language Usage / Linguistic Competence / Linguistic knowledge / Multivariate analysis / Nursing / Nursing Education / Original Article / Periodicals / Pragmatic knowledge / Pragmatics / Second Language Instruction / Speech Acts / Statistics / Students / Teaching / Teaching and Teacher Education / Teaching Methods / Tertiary education