Interpreting the research
The studies reviewed above provide evidence to support the intuitions of teachera and learners that instruction based on the ‘Get it right from the beginning’ proposal has important limitations. Learners receiving audiolingual or grammar – translation instruction are often unable to communicate their messages and intentions effectively in a second language. The results from these studies provide evidence that learners benefit from opportunities for communicative practice in contexts where the emphasis is on understanding and expressing meaning.
It is important to emphasize that in the Savignon study, all students continued to receive their regular, grammar-focused instruction. They differed only in terms of the presence or absence of an additional communicative practice component. In other words, this study offers support for the hypothesis that meaning-based instruction is advantageous, not that form-based instruction is not. The contributions of communicative practice and grammar-focused instruction will be discussed in more detail in relation to the ‘Get it right in the end’ proposal.