A comparative study of form-rules and content-meaning techniques
G. D. Little
University of South Carolina
1993
201
Ph.D.
University of South Carolina
1993
This study compares two instructional techniques, using a set of nine Arabic sounds that are unfamiliar to English-speaking learners of the language. The Arabic sounds /h/, /x/, /s/, /d/, /t/, /c/, /c/, /q/ and usd/\partial/usd are briefly described and some differences between Arabic and English phonologies are pointed out. The rationale for choosing these sounds is that, because they are markedly different from their English counterparts, learners of Arabic as a second/foreign language often experience communicational problems. The subjects of the study are two randomly chosen groups of adult American students who were beginning to learn Arabic. The first technique is termed Form-Rules Instruction (FRI). As the phrase implies, FRI focuses on the form and rules of the target language phonology. FRI represents the formal instruction with the explicit teaching of phonological rules and features. The second technique is called Content-Meaning Instruction (CMI). CMI focuses on the content and meaning of the target language material presented in the class. CMI is aligned with naturalistic learning where the message conveyed through the target language (Arabic) is the major goal of instruction. The purpose of the comparison is to determine the superiority of one technique over the other in teaching the production and recognition of the target sounds. Individual sounds are compared to determine the learning order of particular sounds. The major finding of this study is that FRI is superior to CMI in teaching second-language phonology. In addition, this study supports previous findings that sound production and recognition do not operate as a single process. Instruction focusing on word-initial and word-medial positions appears to yield better results than that focusing on word-final position. The findings of this study confirm previous claims that formal instruction is conducive to proficiency in second-language phonology. Instructional activities that are part of formal instruction are recommended for teaching unfamiliar sounds of second/foreign languages.