The Effect Of Input Processing Instruction On Chinese College Students' Relearning Of The English Definite Article

This study has examined the effect of input processing instruction on the relearning of different rules of the English definite article by Chinese non-English major learners in a classroom setting. Input processing instruction was proposed by VanPatten (1996) based on the essential role that comprehensible input has in the development of second language acquisition (Krashen, 1987; Ellis, 1990; Terrell, 1991). In this study, input procesing instruction was compared with traditional production-oriented instruction. Input processing instruction involved grammar explanation and comprehension practice using structured input that induces learners to alter existing processing strategies so as to make correct meaning-and-form connections, while traditional instruction was characterized by explanation of grammar rules followed by written and oral practice.59 college freshmen participated in the five-week experiment performed for the study of input processing instruction. With their scores of pretest, the subjects were divided into two groups respectively receiving the treatment of different rules of the English definite article, and each group was randomly divided into two subgroups respectively receiving input processing instruction and traditional instruction. The results have demonstrated that within each group, the subgroup receiving input processing instruction performed as well as that receiving traditional instruction. This study, therefore, supports previous researches (Allen, 2000; DeKeyser & Sokalski, 1996; Salaberry, 1997; Collentine & Farley, 1998) showing that input processing instruction can improve the learning of grammar features, but cannot outperform traditional instruction on every grammar feature. In addition, the results showed that between the subgroups exposed to the same instruction but different rules of the English definite article, the subgroup exposed to the regular rules of the English definite article made more remarkable progress than that exposed to the less regular rules of the English definite article. It means that the nature of grammar features will influence the efficacy of input processing instruction.