Exploring the Impact of Pre-Task Grammar Instruction on Young Learners’ Form-Focused Episodes: The Role of Individual Variables

Abstract

This exploratory study examines the effect of pre-task grammar instruction (PTGI) on young English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ engagement with two problematic forms–3rd-person subject pronouns (HE/SHE) and the 3rd person agreement morpheme (3ps -s)–focusing on how individual differences–proficiency and language-analytic ability–mediate outcomes. Ten pairs of Basque-Spanish learners (age 11-12) were split into an experimental (PTGI+dictogloss) group and acontrol (task-only) group. After completing Cambridge’s Flyers proficiency test and the MLAT-ES test, participants performed two collaborative oral + written dictogloss tasks targeting the aforementioned forms, which were then coded to analyse the production of target-focused language-related episodes. Results revealed that while PTGI initially promoted greater attention to these structures, this effect diminished over time. PTGI helped stabilise proficiency-related differences across forms, particularly for the more complex 3ps -s structure. Its effects on language-analytic ability were, however, form-specific: while it appeared to support internalisation of HE/SHE pronouns–especially among high-analytic learners–PTGI prompted a modest increase in discussion about the 3ps -s morpheme, suggesting persistent cognitive demands for this form despite instruction. These findings highlight the form-dependent nature of instructional effects and the need to tailor grammar pedagogy to both learner characteristics and linguistic complexity.