Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices In Teaching Grammar (A Qualitative Study)

Oleh :
Reza A. Sabiq - S891008073 - Sekolah Pascasarjana

The objectives of the research are (1) to explore teachers’ beliefs in teaching grammar; (2) to reveal how those beliefs are reflected in their teaching practices; and (3) to figure out the factors influencing those beliefs and practices. Five English teachers from two State senior High Schools in the eastern part of Kabupaten Cirebon participated anonymously in this study, which was a qualitative research using Grounded Theory method. The data for this research were taken via in-depth interview, passive participant observation and document analysis. In analyzing the qualitative data, the writer conducted the Constant Comparative Method to derive theory from the data. The results of this research reveals that: (1) teachers believe that grammar is the structural patterns or rules which construct a language, that it is more important for writing activities rather than speaking and that the role of grammar teaching in the context of the current curriculum is part of teaching the text. On the importance of grammar teaching in the context of the current curriculum, there are teachers who believe that grammar is no longer the first priority in teaching English and there are those who believe that although it is no longer the first priority, it is still very important to teach it. (2) There are two main groups of teachers in terms of practicing grammar teaching which are in line with their beliefs on the importance of grammar in the context of the curriculum. The first group of teachers practice it as an internalized and subordinated part of teaching the text and the second one practice it is as a stand-alone part among other features of a text. (3) There were five identified factors as influencing teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching grammar: experience, understanding of current curriculum, collegiality, references and workshop/training. It can be concluded that teachers’ practices in teaching grammar are greatly influenced by their beliefs. There is also considerable gap between the curriculum and theory on one side and teachers’ beliefs and practices on the other side. The first group of teachers show more consistency with curricular demands and theoretical insights. It remains important for teachers to continue reflecting and enriching their knowledge and competence. Suggestions are also addressed to policy makers to integrate grammar in the curriculum in a more enhanced way, and teacher education institutions to extend their roles in shaping teachers’ beliefs.