Functional approach to language learning (by Abdelfattah Mazari and Naoual Derraz) (original) (raw)
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The Functional Approach to Second Language Instruction
This study aims at investigating the effectiveness of the functional approach to second language instruction in acquiring grammatical accuracy. In other words, the second language instruction that is semantically, interactionally (i.e. the meaning-oriented and interaction-oriented instructional techniques) and structurally based (i.e. the rule-oriented instructional techniques) enhances the acquisition of grammatical accuracy more effectively than the structural approach. The reason for such an investigation has resulted from the fact that many instructors of English use the structural and traditional approaches in teaching grammar. The consequence of using such approaches is the decline of English language among university students. Another reason for this investigation is the globalization of all the aspects of today's life which involves second/ foreign language learners to cope with the discourse of modern civilization, so that they can acquire the cross-cultural understanding worldwide through the multimedia and the other communication channels. This step can be achieved by the functional approach to second/ foreign language instruction. To verify the hypothesis, both the qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used to elicit the required data. The subjects of the study were the students majoring in English at the University of Nyala in Sudan. The data which was collected from the subjects, has been analyzed statistically by using a T-test. The results of the investigation have revealed that the functional approach to second language instruction is more effective in acquiring the grammatical accuracy than the structural approach. The study concludes with pedagogical implications and recommendations for the application of the functional approach in second/ foreign language learning/ teaching.
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2020
Saudi students of English at the tertiary level King Khalid University, encounter so many difficulties in real communicative situations due to the influence of the traditional methods of teaching English at the intermediate and secondary schools. The researcher conducted a questionnaire consists of eight questions in order to find out the main difficulties of the learners. The sample of the pilot study was ten students and the actual population of the study was ninety students from level four and eight. The learners' responses indicate that they lack the needed skills of communication strategies which usually lead to communication breakdown. For example, they change the topic when they feel there are some gaps in their speech. This literally means that students resort to risk-avoiding instead of risk-taking. The findings of the study point out the extent to which the Saudi students' first language influences their tendency of using some of the target language communication strategies. It is recommended that the linguistic competence should be taught implicitly whereas the functional competence should be taught explicitly during spoken English classes which may compensate for their lack of exposure to the target language.
The CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) approach emerged in the late 1960s as a response to the prevailing discontentment with grammar-based instruction and audiolingualism in EFL (English as a foreign language) classrooms. However, the emphasis on fluency versus accuracy in the CLT approach has shown to fall short of the desired competency among non-native speakers of English. Learners typically express the need to know more vocabulary both for reading comprehension and to enable them to write on topics prescribed for their curriculum. This paper aims to identify the major components that can be combined with the communicative approach to support the teaching and learning of English in a non-native context at a Saudi university. The paper will also investigate the effectiveness of using non-native or authentic texts in the EFL classroom with reference to studies conducted in the field. The evidence for the qualitative data is collected from a Questionnaire and informally structured interviews with five volunteers who are faculty members at the university where the study was conducted. The research material used is mainly secondary. The paper will present an exploration of other researchers' work on the issue. The research hypothesis is that the CLT approach as it is being implemented at a Saudi university is ineffective in enabling language acquisition. The research findings indicate that for the CLT approach to be effective in non-native contexts, it has to be adapted to suit the needs of the context in which the English language is being taught.
Assessing the Communicative Functions Experienced by Sudanese Learners of English at Tertiary Level
Abstract This study aims at assessing the communicative functions experienced by Sudanese Learners of English at tertiary level when using grammatical structures communicatively. So, it was devoted to discuss the role that grammar plays in models of communicative competence. At the same time the study explains the role of grammar in communicative purposes. The results obtained are: Sudanese students are incompetent in using grammar well enough for some real-world purpose. Grammar plays a role in language communicative competence for the learners of English language. Learners’ mastery of the language communicative ability is affected when language learners are unable to successfully communicate in L2 without cultural knowledge of what is considered appropriate according to a particular context in the target language. In this study, three dimensions were made to add extra communicativeness to the teaching syllabus. They are not new ideas for L2 teaching, but each one of them has a place in Communicative Language Teaching and will help language learners acquire the knowledge of appropriateness in all facets of their target language. Language communicative ability should be assessed along three dimensions: linguistic form, semantic meaning and pragmatic use.
Journal of Pragmatics, 2011
For more than three decades, the effective use of language to manage communicative deficiency and achieve successful communication has attracted scholars' attention to one of the key issues in second language acquisition (SLA) and sociolinguistics research: the use of communication strategies (hereafter CSs). CSs are used to overcome 'breakdowns', 'gaps' or 'problems' in communication which are 'pervasive and even intrinsic' in language use and communication even for native speakers' (NSs) (Coupland et al., 1991:3). When such troubles arise, the normal flow of interaction is interrupted, and a series of CSs are invoked by participants to compensate the disruption. Appearing in literature first in the early 1970s, the term 'communication strategies' within an L2 (second language) context was coined by Selinker (1972), to connect CSs with 'errors in learner's interlanguage system'. Repairing errors as a conversational mechanism allows speakers to resolve trouble in speaking, hearing, or understanding (Schegloff, 1992). From CSs scholars' point of view, L2 learners can rely on either their own sources to solve problems through using strategies such as paraphrasing, repairing, repetition, pauses, and fillers, or on their interlocutors' resources through requesting help (so the interlocutor not the speaker solves the problem) (Smith, 2003). Tarone (1980:417) believes different conceptual frameworks used by scholars investigating CSs and repair may put researchers to ''see'' different things in the same data. Communication
The aim of this paper is to investigate errors made by second and foreign language (L2) learners so as to understand the strategies and techniques used in the process of second and foreign language learning. Error analysis is a very important area of applied linguistics as well as of second and foreign language learning. It is also a systematic method to analyze learners' errors. Errors are not always bad, rather they are crucial parts and aspects in the process of learning a language. They may provide insights into the complicated processes of language development as well as a systematic way for identifying, describing and explaining students' errors. Errors may also help to better understand the process of second and foreign language acquisition. This study tries to investigate why Pakistani ESL and Iranian EFL learners fail to produce grammatically correct sentences in English, in spite of having English as a compulsory subject at all levels in their learning institutions and schools. What are the reasons for their poor English written performance? In the present study, the writing assignments of university students as well as intermediate English learners were analyzed for 53 the purpose of error analysis. Results of the analysis suggest that students lack grammatical accuracy in their writing and are not sure of the grammatical rules that may apply in their writing in English. The study concludes that they are highly influenced by the rules of their first language (L1).
Communication Problems Facing Arab Learners of English
The major portion of this paper is devoted to presenting the communication problems of Arab learners of English in general, and the problems specific to Arab World University English language majors/graduates. Then, it discusses the notion of communicative competence, and defines strategic competence. It also briefly deals with the various definitions of communication strategies and taxonomies of communication strategies. Finally, the paper concludes by presenting the pedagogical implications of communication strategies.