A Focus-on-Fit Approach: The Explicit Instruction of Grammar to TOEFL Candidates in an EFL Context

Abstract

This study reports how to teach grammar depends on students’ needs. Focus-on-form may not be useful for teaching-to-testing programs like preparation for TOEFL test with a limited time frame during which grammar cannot be learned through extensive communicative tasks. Instead, they need an intensive explicit grammar instruction. Hundred and fifty TOEFL candidates underwent explicit grammar instruction during 20 sessions. The result showed students performed better after explicit grammar instruction. Besides, a good performance prior to explicit grammar teaching predicts better performance after an intensive grammar instruction. These results value focus-on-fit rather than focus-on-form approach when teaching is directed towards testing.