In this paper I investigate the effectiveness of explicit teaching methods on L2 attainment in a context where the participants live and work in a target language-speaking environment and the learning takes place at work. Two groups–experimental and control–were set up. The experimental group received instruction which consisted of explicit teaching of the present perfect and the past simple tenses. The control group received skills training without any directed focus on grammar. A simple t-test was carried out to compare the results of pre-tests with the results of post-tests. Its results reveal that only the experimental group made significant gains on the post-test, suggesting that explicit instruction is more effective in some contexts. Correlation analyses failed to find significant relationships between biological-experiential factors (e.g. age, length of residence) and language gains on the post-test.
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