Problem solving brought to task

Abstract

The field of second and foreign language teaching has now matured to the point where a shift in approach or methodology no longer automati cally entails the rejection of all that went before. The field still, however, manifests a marked tendency to propose and accept the implementation of new approaches without the necessary support of trialling and empirical evidence. A shift presently being mooted is related to consciousness raising. Although its advocates, Rutherford & Sharwood Smith (1988), have advised caution before the implementation of the principles thereof, Ellis (1991) has proposed that consciousness raising in the form of prob lem-solving should be used in the Japanese school system without offer ing any empirical support for the efficacy thereof. The study reported herein attempts to evaluate the efficacy of problem-solving as compared to an orthodox deductive approach. The results indicate that although both approaches enable the students to understand the grammatical rules, the time-consuming problem-solving procedure results in little time being available for practice and a consequent lack in oral proficiency. The implications of these findings are discussed.