How Juries Get Hung: Problems With the Evidence for a Focus on Form in Teaching

Abstract

This paper will discuss the claim that attention to linguistic accuracy and/or instruction in grammar is necessary for early stage learners. The arguments for a focus on form revolve around three recurring topics or themes: fossilization, improved language performance, and the role of error correction. The paper will conclude that research evidence to date does not suggest that a focus on form is either necessary or beneficial to early stage learners. Nonetheless, it will be suggested that there is room for more research and that research on the effects of a focus on form might best be conducted in a foreign language context and not a second language context.