Effects Of Proficiency-based Pair Pattern On Focus On Form And The Learning Of The Target Form-An Empirical Study In The Chinese EFL Context

More and more second language researchers argue that some degree of focus on form (Long, 1991; Long & Robinson, 1998) in meaning-centered instruction is beneficial to both input processing and production accuracy (see Doughty & Williams, 1998a for a review). However, how to achieve this goal is still a big challenge. The use of collaborative tasks, in which learners are usually assigned to work in pairs or small groups, is one of the effective ways, for these tasks can push learners to reflect on their language use (see Swain, Brooks& Tocalli-Beller, 2002 for a review). Studies concerning collaborative tasks and focus on form usually analyze learner interaction in terms of language-related episodes (LREs) (Williams, 2001; Leeser, 2004; Watanabe & Swain, 2007). In addition, several studies have investigated the impact of proficiency on focus on form (Williams, 2001; Leeser, 2004; Watanabe & Swain, 2007). However, these studies were usually carried out in an L2 or laboratory environment. Little is known about how the proficiency of each dyad member affects focus on form in a foreign language classroom context.Mainly based on the Noticing Hypothesis and the Interaction Hypothesis, the present study investigated whether the proficiency-based pair pattern (higher-higher, higher-lower, or lower-lower) affected learners'attention to form and whether their focus on form have the same effect on the learning of the target structure in the Chinese EFL learning context. Fifteen pairs of learners from an intact college English class in one of the universities in Chongqing, China participated in the study. The oral interactions of the participants were recorded while they were doing a passage reconstruction task. All the LREs were transcribed and identified. In addition, a pretest and two posttests concerning the target structure--- the passive voice were conducted. An analysis of the data reveals that the proficiency-based pair pattern does not significantly affect the number and outcome of LREs. This finding is different from the results gained from an L2 environment. Leeser (2004) found that, in an adult L2 Spanish class, as the overall proficiency of a pair increases, the learners produce a greater number of LREs and correctly resolve more LREs. However, the present study shows no significant effect for the proficiency-based pair pattern on the number or outcomes of the LREs. Furthermore, there is statistically significant effect of focus on form on the learning of the target structure for the higher-lower and lower-lower proficiency dyads, but no significant difference has been observed for the higher-higher proficiency dyads. In addition, a further analysis of the data indicates that in higher-lower proficiency dyads, neither higher proficiency learners nor lower proficiency learners obtain significant benefit from the focus on form instruction. This result not only confirms that focus on form is beneficial for language learning (e.g. Lightbown & Spada, 1990; Doughty & Varela, 1998), but also demonstrates that learners with different proficiency levels benefits differently from focus on form instruction. The present study also suggests that in a Chinese college English classroom, the pairing of the similar proficiency level students in collaborative tasks is more helpful to benefit from the focus on form instruction than that of different proficiency levels.