Meaning versus Form in Computer-assisted Task-based Language Learning: A Case Study on the German Dative

We report on a study which investigated the effects of three types of feedback realized in instructional dialogues with a computer-based language learning system for German. The interaction was framed within a directions giving task and the linguistic form in focus was the dative case in prepositional phrases. The feedback types differed with respect to the focus they put on form versus meaning and the explicitness of feedback in response to learner errors. The results of the study suggest that a stronger focus on form is related to greater accuracy gains in using the form. The integration of incidental focus on form within a primarily meaning-based task increases accuracy as well, however to a lesser extent.