| 
return to program
Title
Balancing Grammar and Communication in EFL Teaching: A Study of Teachers' Beliefs about Grammar Instruction and Error Correction
Presenter
Hiep Chau
Abstract.
Although ample research has been done on the controversial roles of grammar instruction and error correction in second language (L2) learning, few studies look at what L2 teaching practitioners across cultures perceive about these issues. Such a comparison could suggest areas for adjustment in current teacher training and language education practices. This study surveyed 233 L2 teachers teaching in Vietnam (n=106) and in the United States (n=127). Online and paper-based questionnaires were used to explore their beliefs regarding grammar instruction and error correction. An exploratory factor analysis of their responses to the questionnaire identified seven underlying factors (importance of grammar instruction, priority of communication, positive attitude to grammar instruction, relative importance of error correction, importance of grammatical accuracy, positive attitude to error correction, and relative importance of grammar in comprehension and communication). These factors were then used to investigate discrepancies in beliefs among teachers working in Vietnam and the United States.
Research findings indicated that teachers from the two countries shared a common belief about the importance of grammar instruction and error correction, but significantly varied in their perceptions about two factors: priority of communication and importance of grammatical accuracy. Teachers in the USA tended to emphasize speaking and communication skills more than their Vietnamese counterparts, while the latter were more concerned about grammatical accuracy than the former.
There is a strong tradition of grammar education in Vietnam, and, certainly, educators can agree that grammatical accuracy is vital for successful language learning. However, given the recent national EFL curriculum reform that focuses on the communicative approach, the above results suggest that EFL teacher training programs in Vietnam may want to consider ways to encourage more balance in teachers’ thinking about grammatical accuracy and communicative abilities in the classroom. In this way, future practitioners should take an important role in developing a complementary tradition of communicative skill to accompany that of grammatical accuracy.
Key words:- error correction in second language, grammar instruction and error correction, grammatical accuracy is vital for successful language learning
References
Basturkmen, H., Loewen, S., & Ellis, R. (2004). Teachers’ stated beliefs about incidental focus on form and their classroom practices. Applied Linguistics, 25, 243-272.
Borg, M. (2001). Key concepts in ELT: Teachers’ beliefs. ELT Journal, 55, 186-188.
Ellis, R. (2006). Current issues in the teaching of grammar: An SLA perspective. TESOL Quarterly, 40, 83-107.
Ferris, D., & Roberts, B. (2001). Error feedback in L2 writing classes: How explicit does it need to be? Journal of Second Language Writing, 10, 161-184.
Schulz, R. (2001). Cultural differences in student and teacher perceptions concerning the role of grammar instruction and corrective feedback: USA-Colombia. The Modern Language Journal, 85, 244-258.
Truscott, J. (1996). The case against grammar correction in L2 writing classes.
Language Learning, 46, 327-369.
Bio Data
Hiep Chau is a lecturer in the English Department of Cantho University, Vietnam. He earned his Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts, Boston in 1999. He is currently a doctoral student in the Second Language Studies Program at Michigan State University. His research interests include ESL writing, grammar instruction, writing-speaking relationship and intercultural communicative competence.
contact asian_efl_journal@yahoo.com
|
xx