Classroom-oriented research: processing instruction (findings and implications)

This paper firstly presents and examines the pedagogical intervention called Processing Instruction. Secondly, it reviews and discusses the main findings of the empirical research conducted to measure the relative effects of Processing Instruction. Current research trends with the Processing Instruction research framework will be outlined. Experimental research investigating the effects of this pedagogical intervention to grammar instruction has primarily made use of listening and reading measures (so-called off-line measures) to elicit how learners comprehend and process sentences. On-line measurements such as eye tracking and self-paced reading have now been incorporated into Processing Instruction research to measure language processing more directly. Finally, this paper provides specific guidelines and procedures for teachers on when and how to use Processing Instruction.