Audio Lingual Method or The Structural Approach- Meaning, Types of Structure, Procedure of teaching, Principles, Aims, Characteristics, Merits & Demrits

 Audio Lingual Method or The Structural Approach

This approach came into existence in the sixties in Tamil Nadu and was further popularized by Central Institute of English Hyderabad. This approach has found recognition in the schools of Uttar Pradesh under the guidance of the English Language teaching Institute Allahabad.

The structural approach is the result of researches made in the field of teaching English as a foreign language. The American linguists supported this method. They regarded English as a living and evolving thing and not merely as a form of expression. It is also known as "Aural Oral Approach", "Aural Linguistic Approach" and "Structural Approach"

The Aural-Oral Approach means, "teaching a language by giving opportunities to the students to hear and speak the language." 

"Structural approach is a scientific study of the fundamental structures of the English language, their analysis and logical arrangement."-Brewington 

Menon and Patel has defined it as "the structural approach is based on the belief that in the learning of a foreign language, mastery of structures is more important than the acquisition of vocabulary."

The Structural Approach is based on the belief that in the learning of a foreign language, mastery of structure is more important than the acquisition of vocabulary. It is believed that learning through listening and speaking is much suitable to the students. 

Structures are the baste language patterns (there are about 275 of language patterns which constitute the core). Every structure embodies an important grammatical point. Structures are graded in a manner that each structure follows naturally from the one immediately preceding. Drills form an important part of the structural approach.

Types of Structures 

Structures are tools of a language. They should not be confused with sentences Structures had not to have any grammatical background, whereas sentences are grammatical order of words Structures can be divided into following four categories

1. Sentence Patterns: A sentence pattern is a model for sentence, which will be of the same shape and construction although made up of different words. eg. He reads a story. Shut the window. Stand up.

2. Phrase Patterns: Phrase pattern is a group of words which has meaning even without being a sentence. This structure also follows order of words and this order cannot be changed, e.g., on the table, for six years, the old woman.

3. Formulas: Groups of words used regularly on certain occasions are called formulas eg.. Good morning, Excuse me. Thank you.

4. Idiomatic Structures: Groups of words that must be learnt as a whole because it is not always possible to understand the meaning from the knowledge of the separate words are known as idiomatic structures, e.g., inspite of in order to, live form hand to mouth.

Selection of Structures 

Those structures should be selected which have the following characteristics:

1. Usefulness: Usefulness of a structure depends on how frequently it occurs in spoken and written form and how far it provides for the further building up of the language

2. Simplicity: The simplicity of a structure depends on its form and meaning. 

3. Teachability: It is easy to teach structures that are easily demonstrated in a realistic situation rather than those structures, which are abstract and cannot be demonstrated. 

4. Surrender Value: When one structure leads to another, it is said to chair This way one item can be correlated with the other. have a surrender value. For example, this is a chair and this is the leg of the

5. Structures should be up to the level of the learner's age

6. They should be upto the level of the learner's capacity to learn. 

Procedure of Teaching

In this approach, every structure is taught separately Steps can be as under :

(i) First of all, presentation of item is made in appropriate situations by the teacher.

(ii) Practising of oral drill by the student of these situations.

(iii) Presentation of the item in some new situations.

(iv) Oral drill by the students of situations which were created in the third step.

(v) Overall Drill.

Principles of Structural Approach

According to F.L. French the three principles of structural approach are :

(i) Importance of the child's activity rather than the activity of the teacher.

(ii) Importance of speech for firmly fixing word as speech is the basis of acquiring other skills like reading and writing.

(iii) Importance of language habit formation because it helps to arrange words in suitable English sentence pattern in order to replace the sentence pattern of the child's mother tongue.

Besides this some other principles should be followed : 

(i) Mastery of structures,

(ii) Meaningful situation, 

(iii)Use of text books, and

(iv) Method and situation of teaching.

Aims of Structural Approach 

Aims of Structural Approach are as follows:

(i) To lay the foundation of English through drill and repetition of about 275 graded structures.

(ii) To enable the children to attain mastery over an essential vocabulary of about 3000 root words for active use. 

(iii) To correlate the teaching of grammar and composition with the reading lessons.

(iv) To teach the four fundamental skills namely understanding, speaking, reading and writing.

Characteristics of Structural Approach 

Characteristics of Structural Approach are as follows

(1) It is very important in forming language habits.

(ii) It is important for the speaking point of view. Structures are presented orally and the students practice them through a number of oral drills, then reading and writing skills are introduced.

(iii) Practice of structural approach makes pupils active.

(iv) The approach involves selection and grading of structures to be taught, the difficult and complex structures are taken up at a later stage

(v) It is a multi-skill approach. It aims at achieving the four fold linguistic aims of teaching English.

Merits of Structural Approach

Main merits of structural approach are as follows:

(i) It facilitates the learning of English by imparting the knowledge of its structures.

(ii) It creates appropriate environment for learning the language.

(iii) Due to much oral drilling, whatever is learnt in the class, remains stable in their mind.

(iv) It develops and improves speech habits of students.

(v) This is an interesting method of teaching English because teaching aids are used which motivate the students and they learn English easily.

(vi) This method enables to make proper selection and gradation of the learning material.

(vii) It encourages students for free exposition or expression of thoughts.

(viii) The four pillars of language learning-listening, reading, writing and speaking are accomplished by this method.

(ix) This approach is useful in teaching of prose and poetry.

(x) It is based on scientific principle. The work of the teacher is systematic which amounts to 'economy of efforts'.

Demerits/Limitations

Limitations of this methods are as follows

(i) This approach is more suitable for lower classes because at higher level, the students feel bored by repetition of drills. 

(ii)This approach is material-centered, while the modern concept of education gives emphasis on child-centered education and activities. 

(iii) Selection and gradation of structure do not help to eradicate the problems of English.

(iv) This approach is not suitable for teaching text books prescribed in curriculum.

(v) This method minimizes language learning because entire language can not be learnt by mutation and repetition.

(vi) This method is not suitable for teaching prose, poetry, grammar and pronunciation.

(vii) It tends to overlook the linguistic habits already formed while learning the mother tongue.

(viii) Only well-graded and well-selected structure pattern can be taught through this approach.