Chapter Report

Kelompok 8
1.Yunia Sri Lestari
2.Anisa Firda
3.Novi Nur Hasanah

Chapter 8 Does Instruction make a difference?

There are 4 possible positions :
1.Instruction makes no difference
2.Instruction is contrained
3.Instruction is beneficial
4.Instuction is necessary
1.Instruction makes no difference

In the Acquisition-Learning hypothesis of the Monitor Theory, Krashen (1982,and

elsewhere) distinguishes between conscious learning and unconscious acquisition of an
L2 and argues that these two processes are autonomous and unrelated. Of the two, he
argues that acquisition is the more important one, the process responsible ultimately for
language use (see acquisition/acquisition versus learning, Monitory Theory). According
to Krashen(1982) formal instruction has a very limited role in SLA since the learned
knowledge that is the result of instruction does not help learners in the acquisition of the
target language.
Evidence for instruction making no difference emerges from studies conducted to
investigate the effects of formal instruction on the route of acquisition and accuracy. By
route we mean acquisition orders and developmental sequences. The former refers to
the order in which particular morphemes such as plural -s, past tense -ed, and thirdperson -s are acquired over time.
Other researchers (e.g., Cook, 1991) have also argued that instruction is not
necessary as learners have access to Universal Grammar principles and therefore do not

need instruction. Acquisition of an L2 occurs through the interaction between these

universal principles and input. Thus, learners reset parameters not because they are
taught, but because the available evidence in the input leads them to do so.
2.Instruction is contrained

Pienemann (1998) has also advanced a series of hypotheses concerning the effects of
instruction on SLA. He has argued that instruction will not enable learners to acquire any
developmental features out of sequence because processability constrains acquisition and thus
any instructional efforts.
Here is the developmental sequence for ESL question formation:
- Stage 1 = SVO (He live here?)
- Stage 2 = wh- + SVO (Where he is?)
- Stage 3 = Copula inversion (Where is he?)
- Stage 4 = AUX (Where has he been?)
(SVO = subject-verb-object; AUX = Auxiliary)
According to Pienemann, each stage implies certain output processing procedures
that the learner has acquired. However, the stages are hierarchical in order and cannot be
skipped.
In Piemans view :
- instruction can promote language acquisition in that if the learner is at stage 2
- the learner can be taught to produce the structure in stage 3.
Therefore, according to Pienemann, instruction can facilitate the SLA process if it
coincides with the point at which the learner isready to acquire the next stage.

3.Instruction is beneficial

Instruction is beneficial for adults (intermediate and advance stages) as well as for children.
Instruction is beneficial both in acquisition-rich environments (i.e., contexts in which learners are
exposed to the target language outside the classroom context) and acquisition-poor

environments(i.e., contexts in which learners are exposed to the target language only in
aclassroom context).

4.Instuction is necessary

This position was somewhat popular in the 1980s, especially among foreign
language educators in the United States (e.g., Higgs & Clifford, 1982), but has since
fallen to the wayside in mainstream SLA research. First, nonnativeness is a widely
accepted phenomenon (see Can L2 learners become native-like?); learners just dont
seem to become native-like in a variety of domains. Second, the concept of instruction
being necessary is not operationalizable in L2 research. How would someone prove that
instruction is necessary, especially given that most L2 learners are not native-like
anyway? One would have to find learners who were native-like and only became like that
because of instruction. Because of all the other intervening variables (e.g., immersion,
input and interaction, personality traits), it would be impossible to demonstrate the actual
effects of instruction. In short, the idea that instruction is necessary or learners cant learn
without it is untenable.