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Widening Contexts for Processability Theory: Theories and issues
Edited by Anke Lenzing, Howard Nicholas and Jana Roos
[Processability Approaches to Language Acquisition Research & Teaching 7] 2019
► pp. 285–300

Chapter 12
Exploiting the potential of tasks for targeted language learning in the EFL classroom

This chapter reports on a classroom study showing how communicative tasks that include a focus on the developmental readiness of the learners promote the acquisition process. The study explores the effects of the use of such tasks with young German learners of English. It is based on the idea that a positive effect on language development is possible using an approach that engages learners in the active use of grammatical features for which they are developmentally ready. The study focuses on the acquisition of ‘third person singular ‑s’. In a pretest, a number of the learners involved had shown that they were developmentally ready for this feature. After an instruction period that included work with communicative tasks focussing on this feature, oral speech production data were obtained through task-based interaction in a posttest and a delayed posttest. The data indicate that providing learners with these kinds of opportunities to use a ‘learnable’ feature repeatedly and flexibly promotes the acquisition of that feature.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.A developmentally moderated approach to language teaching
  • 3.A classroom study
    • 3.1Research design
    • 3.2The use of third person singular ‑s
    • 3.3Illustrating the task-based interaction of learners
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 28 November 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/palart.7.12roo
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Mayo, María del Pilar García & María Luquin
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Keßler, Jörg‐U. & Anke Lenzing
2022. Grammar in Foreign and Second Language Classes. In The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Nicholas, Howard, Manfred Pienemann & Anke Lenzing
2022. Teacher decision-making, dynamical systems and processability theory. Instructed Second Language Acquisition 6:2 ► pp. 219 ff. DOI logo

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