Teachers' cognition about teaching and learning of simple past tense : can processing instruction help?

This study examines how teachers perceive the difficulties and strategies of acquiring simple past tense, and the pedagogical implications. Findings show that teachers’ understanding of the nature of the acquisition problem of tense, and their use of teaching approach are instrumental in shaping students’ learning outcomes. What is fortunate is that they understand the need to improve the existing teaching approach which is too form-oriented. Unfortunately, they do not seem to have much knowledge about how to do so. Findings in the literature should not be limited to researchers; there is a pressing need for teachers to understand the nature of the acquisition problem, possible reasons leading to the difficulty, and ways to help students master both the forms and meaning of simple past tense.