Investigating the effect of enhanced input on the use of English passive in Afrikaans-speaking adolescent learners of English as L2

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When English as a second language (L2) is learnt via classroom instruction, the extent towhich learners become proficient depends, in part, on the education system in place and,more specifically, on the methods of instruction. This study set out to compare the efficacyof two focus-on-form methods of L2 instruction, namely enhanced input and traditionalteacher-centred instruction, in teaching one typically problematic aspect of English grammarfor L2 learners, namely the use of the passive form. The participants comprised two groupsof grade 11 Afrikaans-speaking learners in a secondary, Afrikaans-English parallel mediumschool in the southern region of Gauteng, South Africa.One day before the onset of instruction on the English passive, all potentialparticipants completed a pre-test to assess their existing knowledge of the English passive,in order to allow the members of one group to be paired with the members of the othergroup. Eight pairs could be found; a total of 16 learners thus participated in the study. Bothgroups then received 14 lessons (7 hours in total) on the English passive: The Enhancedgroup received (written) input enhancement in groups, whereas the Traditional group as awhole did copying exercises and received explanations on the formation of the passivestructure. Participants wrote a post-test immediately after the end of the instruction periodand a delayed post-test nine weeks later.The results of the immediate and delayed post-tests did not indicate a significantdifference between the two groups; neither did the learners' scores improve significantlyfrom the pre-test to the post-tests. Reasons for this lack of improvement are suggested.Classroom observation indicated that learners in the Enhanced group enthusiasticallyparticipated in the activities, whereas the Traditional group appeared to be bored after a fewlessons.The study also set out to ascertain whether different methods of assessment on theEnglish passive lead to different test marks. It seemed that assessment tasks requiring littlewriting (such as multiple choice questions) result in higher marks than tasks requiringlearners to formulate answers on their own.Although this was a small-scale study, the results suggest that under bettercircumstances (e.g., more time for instruction and a larger group of participants) it might beuseful to conduct similar types of studies to test the effects of enhanced input and/orassessment methods when South African schools change from Outcomes Based Educationto the new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement system in 2012.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University