Same hours, different time distribution: any difference in EFL?

Abstract

The effects of the distribution of instructional time on the acquisition of a second or foreign language are still not well known. This paper will analyze the performance of adult students enrolled in three different types of EFL programs in which the distribution of time varies. The first one, called 'extensive', distributes a total of 110 hours in seven months (the students receive four hours of instruction per week during the school year, starting in October and finishing in May). The second program is the 'semi-intensive', which offers the same number of hours distributed in three to four months, where the students receive instruction from eight to ten hours per week (depending on the semester where this course is implemented). Finally, the intensive course offers 110 hours in five weeks during the summer (25 hours of instruction per week). The results from our analyses suggest that concentrating the hours of English instruction in shorter periods of time is more beneficial for the students' learning than distributing them in many months.