Comparing the effectiveness of TBLT and PPP on L2 grammar learning: a pilot study with Chinese students of Italian L2

The difference between implicit and explicit knowledge of language and the need to measure both are widely acknowledged in the recent literature. Therefore, the present study aims at assessing both when comparing the relative effectiveness of explicit FonFs and reactive, incidental FonF on L2 grammar learning. After a needs analysis and the collection of autentic samples of language, three target tasks were chosen and clitic pronouns were selected as target structure. A between-group, pretest–posttest design was adopted, randomizing 20 Chinese learners of Italian L2 in two experimental groups. Participants were pretested on both their explicit and implicit knowledge of the target structure, employing an untimed grammaticality judgment test and a self-paced reading test, respectively. The two groups were exposed to either a TBLT or a PPP module, and then immediate and delayed posttests were delivered, with the same format as the pretest. Moreover, the students’ performance in role-playing the target tasks was assessed. Despite the limited sample size, descriptive statistics hint at encouraging results, as subjects exposed to TBLT showed a similar improvement in grammar knowledge to that of the PPP group, while outperforming it on real-life tasks.