چکیده:
This experimental study examined the effectiveness of using focused and unfocused tasks on Iranian
intermediate EFL learners’ performance in producing noun, adjective, and adverb clauses. In addition,
the aim of this study was to explore the effects of form-focused instruction and the feedback students
received from their teacher after doing focused grammar tasks. Data consisted of the scores of the pre-test and posttest as well as the data obtained through the administration of the tasks of translation to undergraduates at Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch over a period of one semester. After the administration of the Nelson proficiency test, 60 participants out of 106 were selected. Then all groups were given a sample TOEFL, which stood as pre-test and posttest to assess the clause performance of all groups. The focused and unfocused tasks were administered to the experimental groups, while the control group followed the exercises in the course book. Analysis of the data pointed to a strong correlation between implementing focused tasks, attention to form, and finally the performance of the learners in different types of clauses. The study also pointed out the relationship between the role of correcting errors and the subsequent consciousness-raising (C-R) on the part of the students. In conclusion, practicing focused tasks had an important role to play in promoting learners’ grammar performance.
خلاصه ماشینی:
"89-100), 2011 Improving Learner Performance in Producing Grammatical Structures Seyed Reza Beh-Afarin 1*; Kobra Soulati Asl 2; Marjaneh Khayyer3 1 Islamic Azad University, Tehran North Branch 2,3 Islamic Azad University, Tehran North Branch Received: 15 November 2010 ; Accepted: 8 May 2011 ABSTRACT This experimental study examined the effectiveness of using focused and unfocused tasks on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ performance in producing noun, adjective, and adverb clauses.
The evidence ob- tained from the studies supports the effectiveness of focus on form instruction on the acquisition of language aspects; learners who received more focus on form were most accurate in their lan- guage use (Williams 2001; Norris and Ortega cited in Johnstone 2002; Burgess 2002; Garcia Mayo 2002; DeKeyser 2003; & Macaro & Mas- terman 2006).
Recent studies (Fotos, 1994; Doughty & Wil- liams, 1998; Williams, 2001; Garcia Mayo, 2002; Ellis, 2003; Ellis, 2005; Barbieri & Eckhardt, 2007) have focused on methods for integrating grammar instruction within communicatively focused language teaching that could enable learners to recognize the properties of target structures in context, and to develop accuracy in their use.
However, there were no significant differences in A modular approach to designing a task-based syllabus (Ellis 2003b) LEVEL Beginning Intermediate Advanced Communicative module Unfocused tasks Code-based module PPP Focused tasks comparing means of the pre-test and posttest stages of the unfocused tasks and the control group."