The current study is designed to investigate the use of classwide peer tutoring for controlled grammar practice activities in a university English as a Foreign Language classrooms. In total, this study included 128 Korean university student participants. This research employed a quasi-experimental approach with two distinct groups. Across four different grammar lessons, 67 learner participants experienced classwide peer tutoring, while 59 learner participants experienced the traditional approach to controlled grammar practice activities. In doing so, the effectiveness of the two teaching approaches, as well as student perceptions, were analyzed. The results indicated no difference in the effectiveness between classwide peer tutoring or the traditional approach in the short-term or long-term. Furthermore, the results showed there was no significant difference between lower proficiency students and higher proficiency students. However, the results did indicate students found classwide peer tutoring to be more satisfying, interesting, and comfortable than the traditional approach to controlled grammar practice activities. Implications and classroom suggestions from these findings are included.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the grammar practice activities used in 14 recently published pre-intermediate and intermediate English language teaching textbooks. More specifically, this study analyzed the types of grammar practice activities that occurred, the order of such types, and the prevalence and composition of interrelated series of grammar practice activities. Results indicate that mechanical activities were less common than the other controlled alternative, meaningful activities, and also the least common type overall. Also, the results show that pre-communicative grammar practice activities were the most numerous grammar practice activities and comprised approximately 40% of all grammar practice activities. Additionally, it was found that grammar practice activities generally progressed from form-focused grammar practice activities to meaning-focused grammar practice activities. Last, it was found that multiple series of interrelated grammar practice activities were present with 54 distinct series appearing across the 42 lessons examined, and comprised almost half of all 246 grammar practice activities recorded as well.