A Comparative Study between the Effectiveness of Focus on Form vs.Focus on Meaning regarding Reading Skill Instruction

Many empirical investigations have demonstrated that explicit Focus on Form (FOF) methods are more effective thanimplicit Focus on Meaning (FOM) methods (Norris & Ortega, 2000), because in FOF instruction learners’ attention isdrawn to linguistic form while FOM instruction requires learners attention to communicate (Ellis, 2001). However,this piece of research focused on both the effectiveness and feasibility study of FOF vs. FOM in reading classes. In thisquasi- experimental study, 20 adult EFL learners of intermediate level were divided into two experimental groupswhich received two different types of instruction. During a ten-session treatment, the first group was provided with FOFinstruction (Dictogloss task), while the second group was provided with FOM instruction (Discussion task). The resultsrevealed a significant difference between two experimental groups. The FOF group scored significantly higher than theFOM group. Dictogloss task as a type of FOF instruction has features as discovery learning, noticing hypothesis,awareness raising and negotiation that contributed to the superiority of the FOF instruction. It is hoped that theimplications of this study will be helpful for language teachers, syllabus and material providers in designing tasks anddeveloping learners’ reading skill.

Keywords:

Focus on Form (FOF) , Focus on Meaning (FOM) , Reading Skill