Premium
Learner‐Generated Attention to Form
Author(s) -
Williams Jessica
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
language learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.882
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1467-9922
pISSN - 0023-8333
DOI - 10.1111/0023-8333.00103
Subject(s) - psychology , focus on form , meaning (existential) , linguistics , focus (optics) , cognitive psychology , language proficiency , mathematics education , grammar , philosophy , physics , optics , psychotherapist
Recent studies have suggested that the incorporation of some attention to form into meaning‐centered instruction can lead to improved performance in processing input and increased accuracy in production. Most have examined attention to form delivered by instructors or instructional materials. This study examines the production of 8 classroom learners at 4 levels of proficiency to determine the extent to which learners can and do spontaneously attend to form in their interaction with other learners. Results suggest that the degree and type of learner‐generated attention to form is related to proficiency level and the nature of the activity in which the learners are engaged. They also indicate that learners overwhelmingly choose to focus on lexical rather than grammatical issues.