Prabhu's typology of learner effort: reproduction, simulation, construction and deployment¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Prabhu identifies different forms of effort by language learners in the classroom and proposes a typology built on two underlying concepts: imitation, where the learner copies the language knower's (the teacher's) behaviour, and cerebration, the process by which the learner thinks things out in an effort to cope with problems, make sense, work things out and put solutions to test. The typology "comprises reproduction, simulation, construction and deployment", the first two involving imitation and the rest cerebration. The editor's foreword calls the typology a seminal contribution to SLA.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A classroom setting in which learners engage with the teacher as a language knower whose behaviour may be imitated or whose problems may be worked through

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• second and foreign language learners in classrooms

Target Learning Objectives¶

• second language acquisition through learner effort

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Social Learning Theory

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Sadtono, Eugenius, Ed. (1991). Language Acquisition and the Second/Foreign Language Classroom. Anthology Series 28. SEAMEO Regional Language Centre. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED367161