Focus on Form Instruction-Theoretical Review of Research Abroad

摘要

FOF instruction, which incorporated certain degree of attention to form into primarily meaning-focused context, has become a hot research issue in the field of SLA. This paper intends to review the theoretical research abroad in terms of FOF instruction. The definition, types, cognitive foundations of FOF instruction will be respectively presented which might offer some pedagogical implications for teachers at home. The key point in the FOF instruction is how to allocate learners' focal attention to meaning and linguistic forms. Learners' fundamental focus should on meaning, and incidental focus should be directed to linguistic forms when comprehension is affected by the non-target-like utterances. FOF instruction, in terms of types, can be divided into planned FOF and incidental FOF. The cognitive bases which motivate FOF instruction are Interaction Hypothesis and Noticing Hypothesis.