Focus on Form

The previous chapter has considered classroom instruction primarily in relation to meaning-focused interaction, accompanied by negotiation for meaning when breakdowns in communication occur. However, as has been shown, there is reason to believe that meaning-focused interaction alone may not result in the desired levels of communicative competence in learners because while interaction may result in a better ability to communicate, interaction without any attention to linguistic accuracy does not necessarily improve linguistic accuracy. One approach to L2 instruction that has been proposed to develop learners who can communicate fl uently but also accurately is focus on form (Long, 1991, 1996), which occurs when learners briefl y pay attention to linguistic items within a larger meaning-focused context. In this way, learners are still engaged in interaction, which is benefi - cial for communicative fl uency, but they are also developing their linguistic competence by attending to the accurate use of language during communication. Interest in focus on form has grown since its original inception, and today is considered ‘a leading paradigm for SLA research on the interface between theory and practice’ (Han, 2008, p. 45). This chapter will discuss the theoretical and empirical support for focus on form and the more implicit methods of instruction that it advocates.