The effectiveness of activating in English as a foreign language

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study undertaken with secondary students focusing on the effectiveness and appropriateness of activating prior knowledge strategies in the EFL classroom. In the study two types of groups were compared: an experimental group which were presented with activating activities in their EFL lessons; and a control group which followed the normal routine (no activating activities) for the same amount of time following the same book and carrying out similar tasks. The results obtained by the two groups as for the number of vocabulary items produced and the accuracy of grammatical structures were compared together with a survey about their personal impressions in order to determine the value of these activities to facilitate EFL acquisition. The findings suggest that activating prior knowledge might be a useful strategy to increase the language competence of learners immersed in regular EFL classes, especially in terms of vocabulary acquisition and recalling. Equally, activating activities have proved valid in order to raise the students´ interest and motivation, and, consequently, improving their results.