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Combining form and meaning

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Paul SeedhouseORCiD

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Abstract

One of the most controversial areas of L2 pedagogy concerns the extent to which classroom teaching should focus on form and accuracy, or meaning and fluency. This article illustrates the problems inherent in an extreme focus on either of these alternatives. It is argued that current language teaching theory views a ‘dual’, simultaneous focus on form and accuracy as well as meaning and fluency as highly desirable. However, evidence is lacking as to whether and how such a dual focus can be achieved in practice. There follows an account of a search of a database of L2 lesson transcripts for such evidence, followed by an analysis of the features of an authentic example of dual focus.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Seedhouse P

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: English Language Teaching Journal

Year: 1997

Volume: 51

Issue: 4

Pages: 336-344

Date deposited: 14/04/2008

ISSN (print): 0951-0893

Publisher: Oxford University Press

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/elt/51.4.336

DOI: 10.1093/elt/51.4.336

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