grammar instruction

Introduction This study evaluates interactive digital practice modules for grammar acquisition in German as a foreign language, focusing on verb-complement patterns involving verb meaning, complement selection, case marking, and prepositional choice. Drawing on construction-based pedagogy, it examines digitally supported retrieval practice, self-paced learning, response checking, and structured comparison. Methods The study analyzed an archived dataset of 61 Arabic-speaking university learners who participated in a six-week quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design. The experimental group used interactive digital modules, while the control group received conventional instruction. Because the recovered test forms differed in length, scores were converted into percentages, although this adjustment could not ensure measurement equivalence. Results Both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements in percentage scores from pretest to posttest. However, the difference in learning gains between the experimental and control groups was not statistically significant. Discussion The findings suggest that grammar learning improved under both instructional conditions without establishing a significant advantage for the digital modules. Because digital delivery and pedagogical organization varied simultaneously, their independent contributions could not be determined. Furthermore, percentage-based score conversion did not address potential differences in test difficulty, content coverage, or measurement precision. The study highlights the importance of comparable assessment instruments, transparent outcome measures, and designs capable of distinguishing technological effects from pedagogical effects in digitally mediated second language grammar instruction.

The purpose of this literature synthesis was to identify the level of research evidence for specific writing instructional practices and opportunities for next steps in research. Instead of relying on how study authors described their instruction, this synthesis aggregated studies by the effects on specific component skills of writing (spelling, handwriting, grammar, vocabulary, discourse elements, higher-order cognition, and self-regulation). These specific components were chosen based on a comprehensive and empirically derived theoretical framework – the Direct and Indirect Effects Model of Writing. The literature search included studies with a controlled intervention design, resulting in 162 studies (74% in grades K–5). Studies were reviewed for their design quality, instruction provided, proximal outcomes measured, participant characteristics, and instructional context. Robust positive effects were found for explicitly teaching students discourse elements, spelling, handwriting, and multiple components to a variety of students. More research is needed for vocabulary, grammar, typing, higher-order cognition, and implementation. There is promising evidence of effective instruction in the component skills of writing. Future research that better describes instruction and the unique contextual challenges of different populations holds promise for addressing the need for writing instruction.

هدف این سنتز ادبیات، شناسایی سطح شواهد پژوهشی برای روش‌های خاص آموزش نوشتن و فرصت‌های گام‌های بعدی در پژوهش بود. به جای اتکا به توصیف نویسندگان مطالعات از آموزش خود، این سنتز مطالعات را بر اساس تأثیر آن‌ها بر مهارت‌های اجزایی خاص نوشتن (املاء، خوشنویسی، دستور زبان، واژگان، عناصر گفتمان، شناخت مرتبه بالاتر و خودتنظیمی) تجمیع کرد. این اجزای خاص بر اساس یک چارچوب نظری جامع و مبتنی بر شواهد تجربی – مدل اثرات مستقیم و غیرمستقیم نوشتن – انتخاب شدند. جستجوی ادبیات شامل مطالعاتی با طرح مداخله کنترل‌شده بود که منجر به ۱۶۲ مطالعه (۷۴٪ در پایه‌های K–5) شد. مطالعات از نظر کیفیت طرح، آموزش ارائه‌شده، پیامدهای نزدیک اندازه‌گیری‌شده، ویژگی‌های شرکت‌کنندگان و زمینه آموزشی مرور شدند. آثار مثبت قوی برای آموزش صریح عناصر گفتمان، املاء، خوشنویسی و چندین مؤلفه برای انواع مختلفی از دانش‌آموزان مشاهده شد. برای واژگان، دستور زبان، تایپ، شناخت مرتبه بالاتر و اجرا به پژوهش بیشتری نیاز است. شواهد امیدوارکننده‌ای از آموزش مؤثر در مهارت‌های اجزایی نوشتن وجود دارد. پژوهش‌های آینده که آموزش و چالش‌های زمینه‌ای خاص جمعیت‌های مختلف را بهتر توصیف کنند، امیدبخش پاسخگویی به نیاز آموزش نوشتن هستند.