Notional-functional syllabus: strengths and weaknesses

Analytic or synthetic?

Strengths and weakness of the notional-functional syllabus

Product or process based?

Pragmatic considerations

Grading

Needs analysis

The notionalfunctional syllabus therefore shares the structural syllabus’s perceived weakness of being a synthetic one (exposure to graded language and gradual accumulation of forms).

Notional-functional syllabuses must also bear the brunt of this criticism, as it is comprised of a list of items to be learnt. Therefore, it is product based - that is, focussing on what language is learnt.

The term ‘needs’ is not as straightforward as it might appear. Therefore, while the notional-functional syllabus may be praised for encouraging analysis of learner needs, it can also be criticized for its failure to examine the needs of other stakeholders.

A further problem for notional-functional syllabuses was presented with regard to grading. Structural syllabuses had traditionally been graded according to frequency of occurrence, linguistic complexity, and natural order of acquisition.

Notional-functional ones are both product-based, synthetic syllabuses, such praise is also applicable to the latter. However, content is not arranged by structure but function, such formal strategies may not be so useful and more difficult to use them to create new sentences.