Teachers' Practices and Awareness of Grammar Teaching Principles

Abstract

Despite consensus on the important role of grammar instruction, there are debates about teaching it. Teachers' perceptions about grammar and how it should be taught influence their teaching. Classroom observations indicate that regardless of teachers' experience and proficiency, their grammar teaching practices are not usually void of problems. Identifying language teachers' areas of weaknesses in grammar teaching, finding such problematic areas, raising their awareness and providing solutions in line with effective grammar teaching principles can enhance the effectiveness of grammar instruction. This qualitative study aimed at identifying the main problems in the grammar teaching practice of 34 experienced Iranian English teachers through observing their classes, exploring their awareness of effective grammar instruction principles using a semistructured interview and finding mismatches between their grammar teaching knowledge and practice. The most frequently observed problems in grammar lessons and teachers' corresponding beliefs were reported, and suggestions for alternative practices were made. The findings suggest that teacher educators should provide more focused training to preclude posttraining grammar teaching complications, and language teachers should be more reflective about the effectiveness of their grammar teaching practices.