SLA RESEARCH ON SELF-DIRECTION: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES

central to general language use. At this moment of the discussion, I will focus on the first
of these roles and later I will refer to the second one.

As part of the initial stages of language learning, declarativisation can be defined
as the development of declarative representations of linguistic knowledge.
Declarativisation in Johnson corresponds to what in other frameworks, as the one
presented in this study, is called noticing and structuring.

7.2.2.1 Noticing and renoticing

In his definition of declarativisation, Johnson, following Schmidt and Frota
(1986), describes noticing as a process to convert input into intake. For the purposes of
this study, I will add that, as Batstone states (1994, 137), noticing is a conscious process.
Thus, noticing is the conscious process by which input is turned into intake. Batstone
uses the terms bottom-up and top-down processing to the focus of grammar∕lexis and
schematic knowledge respectively when understanding language. By extension, I think
that these terms can also be applied to processing language for learning purposes. Thus, a
bottom-up learning process is a common strategy in the DEC approach while top-down
learning processing is mainly present in PRO approaches to language learning.

Focusing in a teaching perspective, declarativisation takes the form of product
teaching, to use Batstone’s terms (ibid.), which he defines as “focusing learner’s
attention to pre-specified forms and their meaning” (137), In other words, product
teaching is primarily based on the manipulation of forms (51). Within this discussion, for
obvious reasons, I will refer to this declarativisation as product self-teaching or simply
product learning, which mainly implies bottom-up processing. As I see it, the main
difference, although not the only one, of course, between product teaching and product
learning is the awareness element that is necessary in the latter but not in the former⁴.

According to Johnson, declarativisation corresponds to the first P (presentation)
of the traditional PPP approach (presentation, practice, and production). He mentions six
common classic ways in which presentation is usually carried out; explanation, key
sentences, dialogues, passage and teacher action. These “conventional techniques” do
not seem to be recommended by Johnson, who uses terms such as the following to
qualify them: “difficult metalanguage”, “small number”, “traditional...resulting) in
highly inauthentic interaction^,,(1996, 107).

Interestingly, all the learners taking part in the Oaxaca 97/project opted to use

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