The Immediate vs. Delayed (Memory) Effects of Focus-on-form on Grammatical Competence in Context of CMC

The Immediate vs. Delayed (Memory) Effects of Focus-on-form on Grammatical Competence in Context of CMC

Whereas the professional literature abounds with the values of focus-on-form instructions in second language classrooms in recent years, few researchers have investigated both immediate and delayed effects on grammatical competence regarding the benefits of the focus-on-form instructions in context of on-line CMC (Computer-Mediated Communication). Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the immediate and delayed (memory) effects of input-based and output-based off-line instructions on the acquisition of L2 English conditional sentences in context of on-line CMC. The findings showed that the output-based off-line instruction was more effective than the input-based off-line one in the on-line CMC contexts on the immediate test, but the results were reverse on the delayed (memory) test. In addition, input- based or output-based instruction led to gains only in the particular skills being practiced (i.e., comprehension or production), which would support the skill-building theory. Theoretical position and pedagogical implications will be discussed.