Structural Approach

1. Concept of Structural Approach Structural Approach is an approach which views language learning as learning a set of habits. The focus of language teaching in the Structural Approach is on speech (Askes, 1978, Richards and Rodgers, 1995). The Structural approach isn’t a method but it’s an approach. In the implementation, this approach can be used correlated with another methods, such as Grammar Translation Method. Prof. C.S. Bhandari has rightly remarked: "It is not proper and correct to call the Structural Approach a method of teaching. It is not a method; it is an approach. Any methods can be used with it".

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The Principles of Structural Approach. a. Forming language habits. The Structural Approach gives due importance to the forming of language habits. The learners should acquire the habit of arranging words in English standard sentence patterns through language drills. b. Important of speech. The Structural Approach regards speech as more important than reading and writing. Speech is the necessary means of fixing firmly all ground work. c. Importance of pupil's activity. The Structural Approach puts more emphasis on pupil's activity than on the teacher's. It is the child who is the learner, so he must be actively involved in the teaching-learning process.

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Characteristics of the Structural Approach

The concept of English structure system depends upon three main characteristics which are briefly discussed below in order of importance. a. Word Order. Word Order or the "patterns of form" is of primary importance in learning English language. It is the order of words in a pattern that makes true meaning clear. b. Presence of Function Words. The structural devices make use of another important principle. This is the essential use of 'function words' or "structural words". Observe the following structures: -

I drink the milk.

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I shall drink the milk.

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I shall be drinking the milk.

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I shall have drunk the milk.

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I have drunk the milk.

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I have to drink the milk.

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I might have drunk the milk.

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I can drink the milk.

In the second sentence, the word 'shall' tells the action is going to happen and the third and the fourth sentences convey the meaning of futurity in a different way. The fifth sentence makes use of 'have' which tells us that the action is now over. Similarly, the meaning is modified by the use of structural words 'have to', 'might' and 'can' in the sixth, seventh and eighth sentence. c. Use of a small number of Inflections. Another important characteristic is that English language makes use of a small number of inflections as compared to other languages. Inflectional changes are prominent in the following examples:

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In Verbs

: I play: he plays; I am playing; I played.

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In Nouns

: one boy, two boys, that boy's cap; one man, two men.

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In Adjectives

:great ... greater ... greatest good ... better ... best

The advantages and disadvantages of structural approach The structural approach is emphasis on the four fundamental skills such as listening, understanding, speaking, reading and writing. Furthermore, by using structural approach the student will get good ability in grammar because the child automatically learns grammar, word order, and use of words. Finally, the student enables speak English correctly because the concept promotes everyday English.

Unfortunately, the structural approach also has the disadvantages. The structural approach is not emphasis in reading and writing ability, so the students are neglected. Moreover the structural approach continuous teaching of structure and their repetition make the atmosphere dull. The important thing, this concept is suitable for lower class students and is not suitable for the higher classes.