VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT NGUYEN THI THANH LOAN TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS GRAMMAR TEACHING IN THE LIGHT OF COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH TO FIRST YEAR NON-MAJOR ENGLISH STUDENTS AT HAIDUONG MEDICAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu thái độ của giáo viên đối với việc dạy ngữ pháp theo điờng hilớng giao tiếp cho sinh viên không chuyên năm thứ nhất tại Trilờng ĐHKT Y Tế Hải DIlơng) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 HANOL 2009 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT NGUYEN THI THANH LOAN TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS GRAMMAR TEACHING IN THE LIGHT OF COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH TO FIRST YEAR NON-MAJOR ENGLISH STUDENTS AT HAIDUONG MEDICAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (Nghiên cứu thái độ của giáo viên đối với việc dạy ngữ pháp theo điờng hllớng giao tiếp cho sinh viên không chuyên năm thứ nhất tại Trilờng ĐHKT Y Tế Hải Dilơng) M.A MINOR THESIS FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY CODE: 601410 SUPERVISOR: LE VAN CANH, M.A TABLE OF CONTENTS, Dedaration Acknowledgements Abstract Abbreviations CHAPTER bE: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale ‘Aims of the study weWw oN Significance of the study |. Scope of the study 2 Research questions 2 6. Molhods of the study 2 H.
Design of the study 2 CHAPTER Il: LITERATURE REVIEW 2. Definitions of attitudes 2. Definitions of teachers’ attitudes ww 2. Factors affecting teachers’ attitudes 2.
The interplay between (cnchars’ alliludes and thoi (caching, 2. Previous studies on teachers’ attitudes to grammar. The interplay between teachers’ attitudes and their grammar teaching 2. Conclusion l4 CHAPTER WL: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.
An Overview on the Context of Study 15 3. Classroom absarvations CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 4. Data analysis and Discussion 19 42.1, ‘Teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and grammar 19 leaching 42.2, Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching grammar 23 communicatively 4.3, Factors affecting teachers’ attitudes towards grammar tỷ1 and grammar teaching 4.1, Communicative grammar teaching 4. Non-communicative grammar teaching 4.
Cơnelusion CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 5. Summary of major findings 5. Limitations of the study 5.4, Suggestions for further study 3. Conclusion References Appendix what they do in the classroom.
reeman (2002) puts forward that English and foreign language teaching is tediation between how the tzachor conceives of, and repres s, conteni to students.9) and the past "becomes one more vantage point on current activity. Thms, prior experiences are likely to be integrated into the teacher's present thinking, This means that the grammar Icarning cxpericnee of a teacher affects the teacher's belief about the value of learning and teaching grammar. This view is supported by Bailey et al. (2996) who studied language teachers’ own experiences as language learners and cxamined the potential impact theso exporicnces had ơn cach individual's teaching philosophy and practice, They townd that teachers had been witnesses to both ‘good’ and ‘bad! teaching and these different styles of teaching influenced teachers and contributed to their beticts about tho kind of teachers thoy waned to be in the falure.
As language teachers, we usually have a ‘purposetill selection of the best traits of the teachers we most admired’ ¢p. ‘Thns, teachers would adapt a grammar teaching approach that they experienced as effsotive in helping them to acquire grammar knowledge and tend to ignore approaches that they could not benefit from daring their grammar learning stage Johnson. (1994) also found that pre-service ESL teachers’ beliefs were based largely on their images of their own formal and informal language Icaming cxpcricnecs, and such images represented their dominant model of action during their teaching practices. Experiences in teachers own grammar learning play a central role in formulating teachers’ images and thus affect their beliefs about and practices of granuren pedagogy.
‘The argument that a teacher's experience in Isarning and teaching grammar plays a major part in fornmiating his own grammar pedagogic practices is supported by Borg (1998) who found that his subje s cxpariomee of her own Tanguay ducation played 4 powerful role in defining her position and her belief about grammar teaching, She learnt her own LI at a time when England adopted the anfi-grammar system. ‘hus, her LI education did vot involve her into detailed and formal anelysis and desoriplion of the language. At the same time, her foreign language learning experience also affected her greatly. Ier experience of learning French was meta-linguistically-rich and grammar played a central role in hor French lessons.
It was frustrating for the subject and did not enable her to develop any comununicative competence in French. Such negative feelings about studying grammar limited her teaching practices to dealing with grammar only superficially and promoting the use of metatanguage was not a priority in her lesson. Classroom absarvations CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 4. Data analysis and Discussion 19 42.1, ‘Teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and grammar 19 leaching 42.2, Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching grammar 23 communicatively 4.3, Factors affecting teachers’ attitudes towards grammar tỷ1 and grammar teaching 4.1, Communicative grammar teaching 4.
Non-communicative grammar teaching 4. Cơnelusion CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 5. Summary of major findings 5. Limitations of the study 5.4, Suggestions for further study 3.
Conclusion References Appendix 2.1, Definitions of “attitudes” There are various definitions of “altiludes”. The Oxford Advance mers’ Dictionary of Current English(1995:66) defines attitudes as “.the way that you think and feel about somebody or something, the way that you behave towards somebody or something that shows how you Ihink and feel”. This definition centers mainly on how a person believes, feels and then behaves in a certain way that reflects his established belief and feeling. Richardson (1996) provides comprehensive definition, which is adopted in this sindy, attitudes aud belicfs can be used interchangeably, "Attitudes and belics arz a subsct of a group of constructs that name, define, and describe the structure and content of mental states that are thought to drive a person's actions" (p.
Krom this definition, attitudes are defined within the framework of social psychology as a subjective or mental preparation for action. Attitudes are outward and visible postures. Attitudes determine what each person will see, hear, think and do. Attitudes can be positive and negative According to Good (1973), attitndes are “The predisposition or tendency to react specifically towards an object, situation, or valuc, usually accompanied by foclings and emotions, attitudes cannot be directly observed but must be inferred from overt behavior, both verbal and nonverbal” Lastly, Petty and Cacioppo (1986) describe attitude and behavior comprehensively as “individuals” general evaluations about himself/herself, others, other objects, events and problerus” 2.2, Definitions of feachers’ attitudes, It is known that attitudes have a profound impact on teacher practices and behaviors.
‘Teachers’ attitudes mean teachers’ view and behaviors in school. ‘here is now agreement in genoral cducation studios that lcaching is a cognitive activity and that teachers’ beliefs gteatly impact their instructional decisions m the classroom (e., Shavelson, & Stem, 1981; Tillema, 2000). Within second language education, teaching is also now viewed as a complsx cognitive activity (Borg, 2003). Indeed, rescarch has indicaled thal teachers possess ø vøsl array of complex belief about pedagogical issues including, belietS about students and classroom practices (Berliner, 1987; Borg, 1998, 2003: Bums, 1992; Shavelsoné& Stem, 1981).
Classroom absarvations CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 4. Data analysis and Discussion 19 42.1, ‘Teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and grammar 19 leaching 42.2, Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching grammar 23 communicatively 4.3, Factors affecting teachers’ attitudes towards grammar tỷ1 and grammar teaching 4.1, Communicative grammar teaching 4. Non-communicative grammar teaching 4. Cơnelusion CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION 5.
Summary of major findings 5. Limitations of the study 5.4, Suggestions for further study 3. Conclusion References Appendix 4. Scope of the study: As it has beon stated abave, the study is only designed to investigale the teachers? attitudes towards grammar teaching through communicative approach at Haiduong Medical Technical University.
5, Research questions: ‘What are the teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and gramunar teaching? What are the factors affecting teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and grammar caching cormunnigalively? What is the interplay between teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and their grammar teaching communicatively with reference to the New Headway Pre- Intermediate? 6 Methods of the study: In order to do the research, I selected a number of reference books and atticles. Six teachers of Linglish at Llaiduong MIU were interviewed about their attitudes towards grammar teaching communicatively. In addition, a classroom observation was carried out to investigate how teachers dealt with grammar using the course book New Headway Pre Intermediate. Al the collected data were analyzed and discussed 7.
Design ef the study: The minor thesis consists of 3 chapters: Chapter 1 is the introdetion, which presents the rationale, aims, significance, scope, methods and design of the study, Chapter Il, Literature Review, is aimed at exploring theoretical background for the thesis. This chapter will focus on six main points. definitions of attitudes and teachers” attitudes, factors affecting teachers’ attitudes; previous studies on teachers’ attitudes towards grammar; the inlerplay between Icachers’ attitudes and their teaching in general and their communicative grammar teaching in particular. Chapter IIL, Research Methodology.
presents an overview on the context of the study, participants, instruments used to collect the data, and the procedure of data collection. Chapter LV, Data Analysis and Discussion, is devoted to a detailed deseription of data analysis and a discussion of the findings of the study, Chapter V is Iho conclusion of the thesis, which concludes some major ndings, gives some implications, limitations of the study and suggestions for fiuther study. CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale: English language plays many roles in the modem era of globalization, In Vietnam, English is taught as a compuisory subject in many schools and universities.
For many teachers of English, leaching Fnglish means leaching grammar. Linguists have pointed out a lot of methods to teach English, At present, there are many different views on grammar teaching, One of the most effective ways to teaching English grammar is through an approach called Communicative Language Teaching (CET). In my workplace, Haiduong Medical Technical University, English teachers have used many teaching methods, CLT is not a new approach for them to teach their students English grammar. However, different teachers have different attiludes.
Some louchers view grammar teaching: as unr sary while some other teachers are obsessed by it. Some teachers have positive attitudes, but some have negative altitudes towards grammar teaching through CLT. In order to understand the reason why the teachers in my university have various attitudes, I would like to study the teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and grammar teaching in gencral and their attitudes towards grammar teaching through CLY approach with their textbook, New Meadway Pre Tnlermediate in particular 2. Aims of the study: ‘The aims of the study are as follows: - To investigate into teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and grarmvar teaching.
- To find out factors affecting teachers’ attitudes towards grammar and grammar teaching communicatively. - To find out the interplay between teachers” attitudes towards grammar and their grammar touching conmmumestively with reference 10 the New Headway Pre- Intermediate. Significance of the study: It is hoped that this study will be of some us in understanding tcachers’ attitudes towards grammar teaching to first-year non English major students through CLT in Maiduong Medical Technical Universily. The findings of the study will also contribule to iy understanding of haw gratamur should bs treated communicatively in the context of my university.
beliefs are said to form a structured set of principles and are derived from a teacher's prior sxperine , school practices, and a Icacher’s individual personatity (Borg, 2003) Furthermore, and as noted by Shavelson and Stem (1981), what teachers do in the classroom is said to be governad by what they believe and these beliefs offen serve to act asa filler (hrough which instructional judgments and decisions are rede Johnson (1994) has suggested that teachers’ attitudes or belief are neither easy to define nor study because they are not directly observable, What we do know is that isachors?
