Premium
The Evidence is IN: Drills are OUT
Author(s) -
Wong Wynne,
Patten Bill
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1944-9720.2003.tb02123.x
Subject(s) - fluency , foreign language , psychology , second language acquisition , linguistics , comprehension approach , language education , mathematics education , language assessment , pedagogy , philosophy
This article focuses on an aspect of traditional instruction — the form‐only activities commonly called “drills,” “mechanical practice,” or “pattern practice.” The authors first distinguish language as an internalized system from language as a productive skill and review the nature of mechanical pratice. They contend that despite claims made about communicative language teaching and its goals, drills and form‐only foreign language activities are still widely used in today's classrooms. After reviewing research on the utility of drills, the authors conclude that these activities are not necessary or beneficial for foreign language acquisition or the development of fluency and should be discarded from instructional practice