Book floods and comprehensible input floods: providing ideal conditions for second language acquisition

Abstract

In the field of second language (SL) learning there is now little argument that one of the ideal conditions for learning is the provision of ample language input, whether it is oral or written. The Fiji “Book Flood” was one of the earliest studies of the effect of the provision of opportunities for regular reading in the classroom on growth in English, an SL, and it strongly supported the above observation. This chapter will examine the debate about the provision of only comprehensible input and the need for learners to focus on form also. It will argue that the Fiji Book Flood provided ideal conditions for both comprehensible input and for focus on form. The findings showed that an enriched diet of regular reading, by students of Grades 4 and 5 in eight schools, accelerated the development of their second language proficiency in reading and listening, relative to those of matched control groups. The experiment was carried on for another year and the gains were sustained; the impact of the experiment was extended to writing and English grammar as well. Interestingly, this enhancement in SL proficiency was found to have a positive effect upon children's proficiency in the first language also.