Exploring the effectiveness of DMFonF on English vocabulary and grammatical plural constructions among Malaysian preschoolers
This study explores the effectiveness of a novel second language instruction approach in a Malaysian preschool context. This approach is called Developmentally Moderated Focus-on-Form (DMFonF), an instructional intervention that integrates a communicative approach to second language teaching w...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2023
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/22960/1/Gema_23_4_4.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/22960/ https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1621 |
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| Summary: | This study explores the effectiveness of a novel second language instruction approach in a
Malaysian preschool context. This approach is called Developmentally Moderated Focus-on-Form
(DMFonF), an instructional intervention that integrates a communicative approach to second
language teaching with a ‘focus on form’ and a psycholinguistic theory of second language
development, the Processability Theory. In this study, the development of six Malaysian preschool
children (mean age =5.6) were investigated in a 10-week longitudinal study. Three children in the
group received DMFonF in their English lessons and the other three children received no
intervention. Data collection sessions were conducted at three different points over the 10 weeks
to evaluate the children’s English development. The first data collection point, a pre-test, was
conducted physically before the DMFonF intervention to establish the lexical and grammatical
baseline of the children’s English development. The second data collection was conducted online
after the first set of six face-to-face lessons with DMFonF. The third and final data set was also
collected online after the completion of the second set of four online lessons. Results show that
the children who received DMFonF instruction acquired English lexical and grammatical plural
constructions, specifically the plural suffix -s and the plural noun phrase agreement (i.e., numeral
quantifiers+ noun+ suffix-s) as taught in the DMFonF lessons; the children in the control group,
however, acquired English lexical items but their grammatical skills did not change. The outcome
of this study suggests that DMFonF is effective in triggering grammatical development and in
further facilitating the learners’ lexical acquisition. |
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