Inductive and deductive approaches to teaching EFL grammar: Teachers’ attitudes

master's thesis

• Author: Leonarda Blašković
• Mentor: Stela Letica Krevelj (mentor)
• Committee member: Jasenka Čengić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Renata Geld (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2022-06-09, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

Teaching choices are significantly influenced by teachers’ attitudes and teaching conditions.
This study explored teachers’ attitudes towards teaching grammar, focusing on the difference
between deductive and inductive approaches to teaching in a foreign language classroom at
the high school level. Furthermore, the study aimed to compare (a) teachers’ attitudes towards
specific approaches and (b) their actual classroom practices, in order to see if there was a
mismatch between the two. Finally, the study analyzed which teaching conditions act as
additional factors influencing teaching choices. Teaching conditions included learners’
interests, learners’ language level, available materials and aids, time necessary for preparation
and time necessary for realization, as well as anything that teachers had to add. The study was
conducted on 65 participants, using an online questionnaire. The participants were high
school EFL teachers from Croatia. They were presented with seven teaching scenarios, which
they had to rate according to (a) how good they considered the approach and (b) how often
they used it in their classroom. Additionally, the participants were asked to indicate how
much specific teaching conditions influenced their teaching choices. The assumption was that
teachers would find the inductive approaches more appropriate and effective, but would report
using deductive approaches more often, due to specific unfavorable teaching conditions.
Results showed that most teachers preferred inductive approaches. For most of the
hypothetical scenarios presented in the questionnaire, the preferences did match the reported
teaching practices. However, the discrepancy occurred in scenarios which were closer to the
inductive end of the spectrum. The teachers who preferred the inductive approach in theory,
mostly opted for the deductive approach in practice, due to teaching conditions which acted as
interfering factors.

• Keywords: deductive approach; grammar; inductive approach; teachers’ attitudes; teaching conditions
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:462378
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: TEFL; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2022-06-15 22:21:19