A Study of Problem-Based Pedagogy for Fostering English Grammar Acquisition in a Web-Based Context: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The purpose of the pilot study is to initially explore the impact of the problem-based approach (PBL), a learner centered approach, on English learners’ acquisition of English grammar. The target grammar feature is adjective comparison. There were two groups: the experimental group (23 participants) receiving the PBL training, while the control group (24 participants) received teacher interpretation of instructional treatment. After the treatment, the two groups of participants completed the follow-up test. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to detect if a significant difference existed between the PBL and non-PBL treatments. The ANCOVA results revealed a significant difference between the PBL and non-PBL groups on the first section of the follow-up test score. Implications and future research are also presented.