Purely mechanical drills are of limited use because they do not train learners to conceptualize a meaning and express it linguistically¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r2 · q1
Currency · newest study 2010 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? Audiolingual-style mechanical drills are of limited use because they do not engage learners in the target behavior of conceptualizing a meaning and expressing it through linguistic means. → Robert DeKeyser 2010

Evidence¶

Robert DeKeyser 2010¶

Robert DeKeyser. (2010). Practice for Second Language Learning: Don't Throw out the Baby with the Bathwater. International Journal of English Studies, 10(1). https://www.um.es/ijes doi:10.6018/ijes/2010/1/114021

q1 · i? · theoretical · r2

Theoretical argument reviewing prior critiques (e.g. DeKeyser 1998; Krashen). The article argues repetitive drills fail because they do not teach "the target behavior of conceptualizing a meaning and expressing it through linguistic means".

"It has been argued many times that such drills are of limited use because they do not teach the student s to engage in the target behavior of conceptualizing a meaning and expressing it through linguistic means, let alone doing so in creative ways"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Communication Skills — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Automatization of L2 skills requires extensive practice in a consistent environment, not repetition of grammar rules as in traditional exercises — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• In one experiment with 256 undergraduates, computer-based lesson versions that included practice produced significantly higher posttest scores than versions without practice — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• The review reports that behaviorism cannot deal with complex human behavior and fails to explain linguistic generativity — a broader claim this one bears on
• Across repetition cycles, attention can shift from message meaning to linguistic form, enabling recycled language and self-correction — related
• Task repetition can be used as a form of integrative planning in language learning and teaching — related
• Skill develops through engaging in the target activity itself, not through mechanistic drill of isolated components — a broader claim this one bears on
• A 1982 bilingual-education teacher-training packet asserts, citing Krashen, that repetitive drill and grammar-focused instruction are ineffective for second language acquisition — related