Effects of instruction on the acquisition of the Spanish verbs "ser" and "estar" with high school English-speaking students

A comparison of methodological approaches

Abstract

The present research examines the effect of three types of instruction on the acquisition of the Spanish verbs ser and estar with high school English-speaking students of a low-intermediate level of S/FL. In the experimental study, the effects of a traditional instruction (TI) focused on production are compared with those of two types of input processing instruction (PI). This study also examines the effect of the order of presentation of the components of PI (rule explanation before or after practice activities). The effects of these three types of instruction are compared with those of the no-instruction control group. The results of the statistical analysis highlight the positive effects of PI and of its inductive version on the acquisition of the obligatory functions of ser and estar.