PUB DATE 1998-00-00

This exploratory study examines the efficacy of Focus on Form (i.e., brief instruction on linguistic forms while learners engage in meaning) at the pragmatic level. Specifically, comparing Focus on FormS (interactions followed by explicit debriefing on pragmatic forms) and Focus on Form (interactions followed by debriefing on meaning), the researchers investigated to what extent these two paradigms of language instruction affected learners ' ability to request. Three groups (Focus on FormS {FonFS}, Focus on Form {FonF}; Control) of university level English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students took DCTs for pre- and post-tests. Two groups (FonFS and FonF) received an "interaction enhancement" treatment, which consisted of rehearsal, performance, and debriefing stages. While no significant differences were found among the three treatment groups, these inconclusive findings should not be seen as evidence of the failure of FonF in the realm of second language pragmatics instruction. The brevity o