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Beyond Drills: Optimizing Grammar Practice for Transfer

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Title: Beyond Drills: Optimizing Grammar Practice for Transfer
Language: English
Authors: Majid Nikouee, Takashi Oba
Source: TESL Canada Journal. 2025 42(1):183-192.
Availability: TESL Canada Federation. 408-4370 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC V5G 4L7, Canada. Tel: 604-298-0312; Fax: 604-298-0372; e-mail: admin@tesl.ca; Web site: https://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Grammar, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Language Fluency, Transfer of Training, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Classroom Research, Cognitive Psychology, Language Processing, Linguistic Theory, Learning Activities, Communicative Competence (Languages), Instructional Effectiveness, Secondary School Students, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Japan
ISSN: 0826-435X
1925-8917
Abstract: This article explores how principles from cognitive psychology, particularly transfer-appropriate processing (TAP) and skill acquisition theory, can inform the design of grammar practice in second language (L2) instruction. While grammar instruction often emphasizes declarative knowledge, enabling learners to use grammatical forms accurately and fluently in spontaneous communication requires a shift toward procedural knowledge developed through meaningful, repeated practice. Drawing on TAP, we argue that grammar activities should simulate the cognitive demands of real-world language use to promote transfer. We review key distinctions in the transfer of learning across skills, contexts, and tasks and highlight how practice conditions such as task modality, communicative relevance, and cognitive complexity affect the transferability of grammatical knowledge. We also discuss the role of "desirable difficulties" in optimizing grammar practice, proposing that varied, distributed, and strategically scaffolded activities enhance retrieval and fluency. The article concludes by describing two classroom-based studies, which demonstrate how TAP-informed practice can support learners' oral grammatical accuracy. We contend that L2 teachers should reconsider traditional grammar exercises in favour of communicative, context-rich tasks that better prepare learners for authentic use. Our aim is to bridge the gap between theory and classroom practice to improve the effectiveness of L2 grammar instruction.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1481047
Database: ERIC
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  Data: TESL Canada Federation. 408-4370 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC V5G 4L7, Canada. Tel: 604-298-0312; Fax: 604-298-0372; e-mail: admin@tesl.ca; Web site: https://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl
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  Data: This article explores how principles from cognitive psychology, particularly transfer-appropriate processing (TAP) and skill acquisition theory, can inform the design of grammar practice in second language (L2) instruction. While grammar instruction often emphasizes declarative knowledge, enabling learners to use grammatical forms accurately and fluently in spontaneous communication requires a shift toward procedural knowledge developed through meaningful, repeated practice. Drawing on TAP, we argue that grammar activities should simulate the cognitive demands of real-world language use to promote transfer. We review key distinctions in the transfer of learning across skills, contexts, and tasks and highlight how practice conditions such as task modality, communicative relevance, and cognitive complexity affect the transferability of grammatical knowledge. We also discuss the role of "desirable difficulties" in optimizing grammar practice, proposing that varied, distributed, and strategically scaffolded activities enhance retrieval and fluency. The article concludes by describing two classroom-based studies, which demonstrate how TAP-informed practice can support learners' oral grammatical accuracy. We contend that L2 teachers should reconsider traditional grammar exercises in favour of communicative, context-rich tasks that better prepare learners for authentic use. Our aim is to bridge the gap between theory and classroom practice to improve the effectiveness of L2 grammar instruction.
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        StartPage: 183
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      – SubjectFull: Teaching Methods
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