Why Explicit Knowledge Cannot Become Implicit Knowledge

In this essay, I review one of the conclusions in Lindseth (2016) published in Foreign Language Annals . That conclusion suggests that explicit learning and practice (what she called form‐focused instruction) somehow help the development of implicit knowledge (or might even become implicit knowledge). I argue for a different interpretation of the results based on the nature of language as mental representation and the nature of acquisition. I argue that explicit knowledge cannot become implicit knowledge or help its development as characterized by Lindseth. Instead, the results can be interpreted as learners simply getting faster with explicit knowledge

Annals · Body of knowledge · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Descriptive knowledge · Explicit knowledge · Implicit knowledge · Implicit Learning · Interpretation (philosophy · Knowledge level · Knowledge management · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Mental representation · Procedural knowledge · Computer Science · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Philosophy · Psychology · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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