The Effect of Explicit Grammar Instruction on French Tense Acquisition by Nigerian University Students

The debate between explicit and implicit grammar instruction in second language acquisition research has generated substantial evidence across multiple language pairs, but its specific resolution for French tense acquisition by Nigerian university learners, who operate in a predominantly formal educational context with minimal naturalistic French exposure, has not been empirically addressed. This study examines the effect of explicit grammar instruction on the acquisition of the French tense system, specifically the opposition between passe compose and imparfait, by first and second year French students at three Nigerian universities: University of Ilorin, Imo State University, and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used, with experimental groups receiving explicit form-focused instruction on the tense opposition and control groups receiving implicit meaning-focused exposure. Timed written production and sentence-level judgement tasks served as outcome measures at pre-test, immediate post-test, and six-week delayed post-test. Results show significantly greater gains for explicit instruction groups on both outcome measures at immediate post-test, with partial but significant retention at delayed post-test. Implicit exposure produced no significant gains on either measure. Aptitude, measured through a language analytic ability test, was a significant moderating variable, with high-aptitude learners benefiting most from explicit instruction. The study supports the case for explicit grammar instruction in the Nigerian French language classroom and provides a structured instructional sequence for tense teaching. Keywords: explicit grammar instruction, French tense acquisition, passe compose, imparfait, Nigerian university students