Student teacher beliefs on grammar instruction. (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Graus, Johan; Coppen, Peter-Arno
• Is Part Of: Language teaching research. Volume 20:Number 5(2016)
• Page Start: 571
• Page End: 599
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: English as a foreign language -- form-focused instruction -- grammar teaching -- teacher beliefs -- teacher cognitions -- teacher education; Languages, Modern -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- Periodicals; 407.1
• DOI: 10.1177/1362168815603237
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1362-1688

Abstract

The role of grammar teaching in foreign language education is a controversial one both in second language acquisition (SLA) research and language pedagogy and, as a result, a potential source of confusion to student teachers. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the beliefs on grammar teaching of student teachers of English as a foreign language enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate teacher education programmes at Dutch universities of applied sciences. To this end a questionnaire was developed and validated based on four construct pairs from SLA literature: meaning- versus form-focused instruction, focus on form (FonF) versus focus on forms (FonFs), implicit versus explicit instruction, and inductive versus deductive instruction. Overall, respondents ( n = 832) were found to prefer form-focused, explicit, inductive instruction, and FonFs. However, higher-year undergraduates' and postgraduates' results showed a trend towards a preference for more meaning-focused and implicit instruction, and FonF. When learner level was factored in, however, these forms of language instruction were considered subordinate to more traditional form-focused approaches for teaching higher-level language learners.