Utilisation of Consciousness-Raising Tasks for Teaching English Articles: Pedagogical Implications

Abstract

Pakistani students have major problems with the accurate use of English articles, like most users of English as a second language. There are myriad pedagogical approaches for teaching grammar and articles, such as deductive and inductive methods. Earlier studies discussed at length the reasons learners face difficulty learning and using the correct articles; however, a research gap exists regarding effective pedagogical methods for learners in Pakistan. This quantitative study reported results on challenges in learning English articles based on the effectiveness of Consciousness-Raising Tasks (CRTs) that were applied to 68 BS English first-semester students at Government Girls Postgraduate College, Quetta. CRTs are pedagogical strategies through which the learner works out consciously specific features of language about particular linguistic properties. To assess students’ understanding and proficiency in grammar before and after implementing CRTs, a pre-test and post-test design was employed. The data was analysed using SPSS. The results emphasised the significant potential of CRTs as an effective pedagogical tool for teaching English grammar in Pakistan. It further highlights the requirement for language teachers to incorporate CRTs into their teaching approaches to enrich language learning outcomes.

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