Processing Instruction Revisited: Does it Lead to Superior Performance in Interpretation and Production?

There have been plenty of research studies which have demonstrated the efficacy of focus on form (FonF) approach in language teaching. However, processing instruction as a kind of FonF approach has not been given due attention. As such, the present study is an attempt to shed more lights upon the effects of the processing instruction (PI) on EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners’ acquisition of passive voice by comparing PI to dictogloss and an output instruction. The participants recruited for the study were 51 pre-intermediate  level  EFL  students.  The  pretest  revealed  that  there  was  no  significant  difference between  the  groups  regarding  passive  voice  knowledge.  As  to  the  treatment,  the  first  group  (n=17) received processing instruction, the second group (n=17) was exposed to dictogloss tasks, and the third (n=17)  was  given  meaningful  output  instruction.  In  the  immediate  posttest,  two  types  of  tasks (interpretation  and  production)  were  used  to  assess  the  participants’  English  passive  voice comprehension  and  production.  The  findings  indicated  that  the  processing  instruction  group outperformed dictogloss and meaningful output instruction in both tasks, and thus it had a significantly positive effect on the comprehension and production of the English passive voice.