Insights into Processing Instruction

How to teach grammar? This question has been dealt with from various perspectives. This book deals with a pedagogical grammar intervention called Processing Instruction (PI). PI is a psycholinguistic approach based on VanPatten´s Input Processing model. In short, PI involves the identification of inefficient processing strategies and the creation of special activities (Structured Input activities), which consider the processing problems and “force” learners to use more efficient processing strategies. Its main aim is to help learners make better form-meaning connections and thus, help them gain richer intake. The study presented in this book examined the relationship between two variables, age of onset and contact with English outside of school, and the effects of PI on the acquisition of English third person singular -s. The results suggest that PI was so effective that it has overridden the differing effects of age of onset and the previous amount of contact with English outside of school. In conclusion, the present study provides further evidence for the power and effectiveness of PI.