The Effect and Durability of Processing Instruction and proficiency-based Structured Input Activities as a Pedagogic Choice to Teach Complex Structures: Effects on Grammar Gains and Writing Accuracy

Aimed to change the way input is perceived and processed, processing instruction (PI) tends to help learners focus on particular grammatical forms and alter their inappropriate processing problems so that they make a better form-meaning connection. As an attempt to extend the existing research on the use of PI, the present study was carried out to examine the Iranian EFL learners’ grammatical achievement having been exposed to structured input activities. Three groups of learners were selected based on their level of proficiency, namely, elementary learners (n = 20) who were instructed the simple past tense –ed, intermediate participants (n= 20) who were taught the causative structure and the advanced participants (n= 20) who were instructed the relative clause structure through a pre-planned PI package. Results were analysed through a comparison of the pre-test and post-test scores obtained by both interpretation and production tests. Findings revealed the superiority of the PI groups at all levels of proficiency when compared to their peers instructed through the traditional teaching method in the control group. Furthermore, within-group comparisons revealed some variation in terms of their interpretation and production performance, with the advanced group learners experiencing more variation compared to the intermediate and elementary peers. It is reasoned that PI helps advanced level learners attain higher control over partially acquired structures. The study proposes a number of theoretical and practical implications for EFL practitioners and teachers in terms of effective pedagogy in grammar instruction.