Applying“First Principles of Instruction”as a Design Theory of the EFL Classroom:Findings from an Empirical Study

How to benefit the learners learning English as a foreign language(EFL)from the aspect of instructional design aroused the concerns of many teachers and researchers.The main purpose of this study is to address the question of how teachers can design and implement EFL classroom that benefit the learners.Specifically,the“First Principles of Instruction,”advocated by Merrill(2002),was applied by the English teachers to conduct their day-to-day pedagogical practices.The corresponding effects of this theory in designing EFL classroom activities were reported in this study.Two research questions are formulated as follows:(1)Does the“First Principles of Instruction”benefit the EFL classroom designing in the aspect of student achievement?If yes,what is the effect?(2)How do the English teachers perceive the“First Principles of Instruction”to design EFL classroom?While observing the EFL classroom activities and interviewing the college English teachers,an empirical study was done to perceive how college English teachers could best apply these principles to design EFL classroom activities.