English majors’ perceptions of learning english grammar communicatively a study at the university of phan thiet

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
---------------------------

NGUYEN THI THUY LINH

ENGLISH MAJORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF
LEARNING ENGLISH GRAMMAR
COMMUNICATIVELY: A STUDY AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF PHAN THIET
Major: English Language
Course code: 60220201

HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2020


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

---------------------------

ENGLISH MAJORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF
LEARNING ENGLISH GRAMMAR
COMMUNICATIVELY: A STUDY AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF PHAN THIET
Submitted to the
Faculty of English Language
in partial fulfillment of the Master‟s degree in English Language
Course code: 60220201
By

NGUYEN THI THUY LINH
Supervised by

TRAN QUOC THAO, Ph.D.

HO CHI MINH CITY, MAY 2020


The thesis entitled ENGLISH MAJORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING
ENGLISH GRAMMAR COMMUNICATIVELY: A STUDY AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF PHAN THIET was successfully defended and approved on
………………………....…. at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology
(HUTECH).

Academic supervisor: TRAN QUOC THAO, Ph.D.
(full name, title, signature)

Examination Committee
1. ……………………………………………………….

Chair

2. ……………………………………………. …………

Reader 1

3. ……………………………………………………….

Reader 2

4. ……………………………………………………….

Member

5. ………………………………………………………..

Secretary Member

On behalf of the Examination Committee
Chair
(full name, title, signature)


HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE
HCMC, May 11th 2019

MASTER’S THESIS REPORT
Student name: Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh

Sex: Female

Date of birth: 6th January 1991

Place of birth: D o n g N a i

Major: English Language

Student code: 1741900061

I-

Thesis title:
ENGLISH MAJORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING ENGLISH GRAMMAR
COMMUNICATIVELY: A STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PHAN THIET

II-

Objectives and contents:
There are three main objectives in my study.
The first objective is to examine the perceptions of learning English grammar

communicatively among English majors at the University of Phan Thiet.
The study sets a goal to find out significant differences in the perceptions of
learning English grammar communicatively in terms of levels of academic study.
In addition, the third objective is to highlight the relationships among the
components of English majors' perceptions of learning English grammar
communicatively.
III-

Starting date: (as stated in the Decision issued by the University )

........................................................................................................................................................
IV-

Completing date: .........................................................................................................

V-

Academic supervisor: (full name, title) TRAN QUOC THAO, Ph.D.

ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR
(full name, signature)

FACULTY DEAN
(full name, signature)


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I certify my authorship of the Master‟s Thesis submitted entitled “ENGLISH
MAJORS’

PERCEPTIONS

OF

LEARNING

ENGLISH

GRAMMAR

COMMUNICATIVELY: A STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PHAN
THIET”.
In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master program issued
by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh
City University of Technology.
This thesis does not contain material published or extracted in whole, except
the references is made in the text of the thesis.

There is not anyone who has been used without due acknowledgment in the
main text of this thesis.

Ho Chi Minh, May 2020

NGUYEN THI THUY LINH

i


RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, NGUYEN THI THUY LINH, being a candidate for the
degree of Master of Arts in the English Language, accept the requirements of the
University relating to the retention and use of Master‟s Theses deposited in the
Library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master‟s Thesis
deposited in the Library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research,
in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care,
loan, and reproduction for theses.

Ho Chi Minh City, May 2020

NGUYEN THI THUY LINH

ii


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This is an opportunity for me to express my sincere thanks to all the people
who have contributed to my thesis.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my
supervisor: Dr. Tran Quoc Thao for his valuable guidance, comments, and
enthusiastic encouragement that help me complete the thesis, he has also offered me
great motivation during the Master journey not only with his profound knowledge
and experience in the field but also with his care and concern. Without his guidance,
my research would not be completed.
Secondly, I am grateful for the assistance and support of Dr. Nguyen Thi Kieu
Thu, the Dean of English Language Faculty of the University of Technology in Ho
Chi Minh City as well as members of the staff in the postgraduate institute of this
university, who have helped me greatly to complete this M.A course.
In addition, I would also like to express my deep and sincere thanks to the
school-board members at University of Phan Thiet for offering me the days off at
weekends to conduct my study. My sincere thanks also go to the lecturers and
students for generously providing me with support, information, and time, for their
cooperation and willingness in completing the questionnaires, the interviews, and
providing precious information for my research.
Last but not least, this thesis is also a tribute to my mom, my dad and my
brothers, who sacrificed all their lives working hard to bring me up and send me to
school to pursue a good education. Especially, I am deeply grateful to my mom,
who always makes me feel warm with her love as she always waits until I finish my
work and come back home.

iii


ABSTRACT

Being good at English grammar helps ESL/EFL learners communicate

accurately and effectively; however, EFL learners in many contexts still do not pay
much attention to learning English grammar communicatively (EGC). Therefore,
this study aimed at examining the perceptions of learning EGC among English
majors at the University of Phan Thiet (UPT). This study involved 136 English
majors at the Faculty of Foreign Languages at the UPT in answering the closedended questionnaire and 15 students in the semi-structured interview.
The findings revealed that most of the students expressed positive perceptions
and strong agreements towards learning EGC. The result showed that most English
majors highly appreciated the roles of learning EGC; it was very important and
extremely necessary to improve the ability of oral communication. It was found out
that the goals of learning EGC were to develop communicative competence (spoken
language). Moreover, the activities for learning EGC were helpful and brought
effectiveness for learning English for oral communication purposes only. From the
analyzed data, it indicated that there were no significant differences in perceptions
of learning EGC between the freshmen and sophomore; and their relationships were
significantly correlated positively. It is hoped that these results will help students
have a better understanding of learning English for oral communication in a real-life
situation. Thus, the study not only inspires learners to have more motivation for
learning English but also knows how to apply activities effectively for lifelong
learning. (236 words)

Keywords: Grammar, English grammar communicatively, English majors,
Perception.

iv


TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ...................................................................... i
RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS ...........................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... iii

ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. x
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................. xi
LIST OF APPENDICES .......................................................................................xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................... xiii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1
1.1. Background to the study .................................................................................. 1
1.2. Statement of the problem ................................................................................ 4
1.3. Aims and objectives of the study ..................................................................... 5
1.4. Research questions .......................................................................................... 5
1.5. The scope of the study ..................................................................................... 6
1.6. The significance of the study ........................................................................... 6
1.7. Definitions of key terms .................................................................................. 7
1.8. Organization of the thesis ................................................................................ 8
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................. 10
2.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 10
2.2. Grammar teaching.......................................................................................... 10
2.3. The role of grammar in CLT ......................................................................... 12

v


2.4. The position of grammar instruction ............................................................. 13
2.5. The goals of learning and teaching grammar communicatively.................... 14
2.6. Approaches to teaching grammar .................................................................. 18
2.6.1. The deductive approach .......................................................................... 18
2.6.2. The inductive approach ........................................................................... 19
2.7. Activities for teaching and learning grammar communicatively .................. 21
2.7.1. Information gap ...................................................................................... 24

2.7.2. Role-play ................................................................................................ 24
2.7.3. Game ...................................................................................................... 25
2.7.4. Dialogue ................................................................................................ 26
2.7.5. Group work ............................................................................................ 26
2.8. EFL learners‟ perceptions of learning English grammar communicatively .. 28
2.9. Previous studies ............................................................................................. 29
2.10. Conceptual framework ................................................................................. 34
2.11. Summary ...................................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 37
3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 37
3.2. Research design ............................................................................................. 37
3.3. Research site .................................................................................................. 38
3.4. Sample and sampling procedures .................................................................. 39
3.5. Research instruments .................................................................................... 42
3.5.1. Questionnaire ........................................................................................... 42
3.5.2. Semi-structured interview ........................................................................ 44

vi


3.6. Data collection procedures ............................................................................ 45
3.7. Data analysis procedures................................................................................ 46
3.7.1. Quantitative data ...................................................................................... 46
3.7.2. Qualitative data ....................................................................................... 47
3.8. Reliability and validity .................................................................................. 49
3.9. Summary ........................................................................................................ 51
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................... 52
4.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 52
4.2. Results and discussion ................................................................................... 52
4.2.1. Results ...................................................................................................... 52

4.2.1.1. English majors‟ perceptions of learning English grammar
communicatively ............................................................................................. 52
4.2.1.1.1. Perceptions of the roles ................................................................ 54
4.2.1.1.2. Perceptions of the goals ................................................................ 59
4.2.1.1.3. Perceptions of the activities ......................................................... 61
4.2.1.2. Several differences in English majors' perceptions of learning English
grammar communicatively in terms of levels of academic study .................... 67
4.2.1.3. Relationship among the components of English majors' perceptions of
learning English grammar communicatively ................................................... 69
4.2.2. Discussion ................................................................................................. 70
4.2.2.1. English majors‟ perceptions of learning English grammar
communicatively ................................................................................................... 71
4.2.2.1.1. Perceptions of the roles ................................................................. 71
4.2.2.1.2. Perceptions of the goals ................................................................ 74

vii


4.2.2.1.3. Perceptions of the activities .......................................................... 76
4.2.2.2. Several differences in English majors' perceptions of learning English
grammar communicatively in terms of levels of academic study ........................ 80
4.2.2.3. Relationship among the components of English majors' perceptions of
learning English grammar communicatively ........................................................ 81
4.3. Summary ........................................................................................................ 82

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................... 83
5.1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 83
5.2. Conclusions .................................................................................................... 83
5.3. Implications ................................................................................................... 86

5.4. Limitations of the study ................................................................................. 88
5.5. Recommendations for further research .......................................................... 88
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 90
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................ 98
Appendix A: Adopted Items for Questionnaire .................................................... 98
Appendix B1: Questionnaire (English version) .................................................. 103
Appendix B2: Questionnaire (Vietnamese version) ............................................ 108
Appendix C1: Interview Protocol (English version)............................................ 113
Appendix C2: Interview Protocol (Vietnamese version) ..................................... 115
Appendix D1: A Sample of Excerpt of the Interview Transcripts (English version)
..............................................................................................................................117
Appendix D2: A Sample of Excerpt of the Interview Transcripts (Vietnamese
version).................................................................................................................. 123

viii


Appendix E: Plagiarism Checking ...................................................................... 128

ix


LIST OF TABLES
Table

Page

3.1: Participants‟ general information on the questionnaire .................................... 41
3.2: Participants‟ general information of the group interview .................................. 42
3.3: Methods of data analysis in relation to the research questions and instruments48

3.4: Reliability of the questionnaire .......................................................................... 50
4.1: English majors‟ perceptions of learning English grammar for communication ...
................................................................................................................................... 53
4.2: Elements of English majors‟ perceptions of learning English grammar for
communication ........................................................................................................ 54
4.3: English majors‟ perceptions of the roles of learning English grammar for
communication .......................................................................................................... 55
4.4: English majors‟ perceptions of the goals of learning English grammar for
communication ......................................................................................................... 60
4.5: English majors‟ perceptions of the activities for learning English grammar for
communication ......................................................................................................... 63
4.6: Overall mean of several differences in English majors' perceptions of learning
English grammar communicatively in terms of levels of academic study ............... 67
4.7: Several differences in English majors' perceptions of learning English
grammar communicatively in terms of levels of academic study............................. 68
4.8: Relationship among the components of English majors' perceptions of
learning English grammar communicatively ............................................................ 70

x


LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

Page

2.1: The conceptual framework of perceptions of the study ..................................... 35

xi

LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix

Page

Appendix A: Adopted Items for Questionnaire

.................................................... 98

Appendix B1: Questionnaire (English version)

.................................................. 103

Appendix B2: Questionnaire (Vietnamese version) ............................................... 108
Appendix C1: Interview Protocol (English version)............................................... 113
Appendix C2: Interview Protocol (Vietnamese version) ....................................... 115
Appendix D1: A Sample of Excerpt of the Interview Transcripts (English version) ...
............................................................................................................................... 117
Appendix D2: A Sample of Excerpt of the Interview Transcripts (Vietnamese
version) .................................................................................................................... 123
Appendix E: Plagiarism Checking .......................................................................... 128

xii


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1.

CLT

Communicative Language Teaching

2.

CGT

Communicative Grammar Teaching

3.

CA

Communicative Approach

4.

CGE

Communicative Grammar English

5.

EM

English Major

6.

EMs

English Majors‟

7.

EFL

English as a Foreign Language

8.

ESL

English as a Second Language

9.

EG

English Grammar

10. EGC

English grammar communicatively

11.

Grammar Translation Method

GTM

12. G

Group

13.

MA TESOL Master in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

14.

L2

Second language

15.

PPP

Presentation – Practice – Production

16. S

Student

17.

TES

Teaching English system

18.

TPR

Total Physical Response

19. UPT

University of Phan Thiet

xiii


CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
First of all, the background of the study is introduced at the beginning of the
chapter. Then, is the statement of the problem. Then, it presents the main purposes
and the research questions of the study. Thereafter, the scope and the significance of
the study are concerned with some prominent contributions to English language
learning, teaching, and managing activities. Finally, the chapter presents definitions
of key terms and the whole overview of thesis chapters.
1.1. Background to the study
English becomes more and more popular and its popularity has expanded
rapidly since Vietnam initiated “the Reformation” policy at the Sixth Party
Congress and was implemented in 1986. Due to this practice, English is taught to
Vietnamese learners from grades six to twelve. English is really important for the
integration into the world. To become professional in English communicating in

various fields such as seminar presentations, writing emails to foreigners,
discourses, speeches, and so on, learning English grammar (EG) is an element that
cannot be avoided. Harmer (1987, p.12) indicates that without some understanding
of grammar, students would not be able to do anything more than utter separate
items of language for separate functions. The expression of functional language is
only possible through the use of the grammar of the language. Similarly, Pradeep
(2013) stated that learners can speak English exactly and proficiently if they are
truly expert at grammar knowledge; due to grammar is an extremely important part
of teaching and studying the English language. Hence, without any grammar rules,
the sentence utterance cannot convey completely meaning to the listeners and the
speaker cannot produce accurate structures.
The purposes of learning grammatical structures are to pass the examinations,
to get certificates or diplomas of TOEIC, TOEFL, and IELTS. Moreover, if

1


someone wants to be an English teacher, a translator, or an interpreter, they need to
be good at all aspects of grammar. These professions required expert skills in
grammar, pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. If learners
consider the English language as a tool that helps them successfully to express
exactly their ideas in real contexts, they need to be very good at grammar.
Accordingly, Larsen and Freeman (1986, p.13) hold the view that English grammar
teaching and learning are important. Hence, it can be considered a skill.
It is observed in the Vietnamese context, almost all Vietnamese secondary and
high school students learn grammar to pass examinations because the English
language is mainly taught by doing assignments, using grammar formulas to help
students attain good results in the examinations. Consequently, most of the students
are not be able to give correct grammar sentences in speech although they own high
certificates at high ranking (e.g., Nguyen Thuy Nga, 2008; Tran Quoc Thao & Dang

Thi Nhu Nguyet, 2019). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the
Grammar Translation Method is well-known as one of the most traditional methods,
which offers deep insights into grammatical rules to attend the process of translation
from the second language to the native language. The English syllabus in Vietnam
is very Grammar-focused oriented. Therefore, it is very difficult for Vietnamese
learners to communicate fluently and effectively in English as it is rarely spoken in
Vietnam, except in special places and in some events such as offices of
multinational corporations and English language clubs. According to Nguyen Thuy
Nga (2008, p.265), numerous learners in Vietnam have degrees of competence level
or advanced level; however, they cannot produce correct and meaningful utterance
or sentences. The more students can learn grammar well, the better they can do
exercises involving grammar, but they are not able to speak correct grammar in a
concrete situation. Traditionally, it has been shown that Vietnamese secondary and
high school traditional learning of grammar follows the rules and formed structures,
this leads to students only focus on learning by heart the rules then applying them
by doing exercises. Teachers teach them grammar without any interaction orally
2


between students and teachers or students to students. Teachers introduce the
knowledge and assign the homework. Then, students give feedback to the teachers
through tangible exercises. As a result, learners are good at grammar exercises but
they still cannot communicate fluently and accurately. Thus, learning English
grammar becomes tedious and leaves no impression; this even becomes a fear for
weak students. Similarly, it causes tiredness, fatigue, and boredom for learners.
According to Pradeep (2013, p.482), grammar can be defined as follows:
“grammar is a very important part that cannot be neglected in teaching and studying
English. Students can speak English more correctly if they are proficient in
grammar and of course, understandable and acceptable sentences must have correct
grammar”. It is required to have clear meaning using accurate structures whereby

people can comprehend the content quickly and easily. We can see that without
good grammar, clear communication is impossible.
Therefore, learning EGC is necessary for people who learn English as a
second language to communicate and to understand the purpose and meaning of the
conversation. A learner should know the grammar of the language to have an
appropriate background for communication.
The following matters are the learner‟s perceptions toward learning EGC at
the University of Phan Thiet (UPT). In fact, due to the influences of learning EG in
secondary and high schools, almost all Vietnamese students do not have many
opportunities to speak English. Students learned traditional methods and they were
approached with English grammar such as original forms, structures, and usages to
solve exercises and do examinations. Furthermore, the minority of them possess the
grammar for simple communication. Therefore, these factors are difficult to turn
into advantages for the students at UPT to achieve better communication.
Especially, when English majors attend colleges or universities they must study
grammar in the first three basic levels before they are allowed to learn the other
intensive major subjects. The English teaching approaches at UPT aims at acquiring
3


how to use the language in real contexts. In recent years, the teaching
methodologies of English has gone through an enormous amount of change and
improvement, especially in the aspects of how the communicative approach should
be widely applied and integrated into the English learning language classrooms.
1.2. Statement of the problem
When learning the English language, it is vital to learn EG at the beginning of
their first and second academic years. Learners cannot attain language
comprehension as well as language production if they do not have any grammar
knowledge. The shortages of grammar knowledge also affect other skills. Thereby,
EG has an essential role in the process of language learning. Especially, learning

English grammar for communication is an issue that English majors at UPT have
been facing. Although the students are taught grammatical rules to help them master
the language, they cannot use and apply these rules effectively in any
communicative situation. Besides, the disadvantage of traditional grammar teaching
methods does not help them so much to develop their communicative competence
in many practical situations. Almost all the first-year and second-year students are
good at grammar, they still do not know how to use EG in real communication
circumstances. Also, many students are not confident enough to communicate or
express their ideas in English because of being accustomed to the oriented-exercises
and taking notes based on teachers‟ instructions. Then it seems that they have no
inspiration and they are bored with learning English grammar.
As one of the required credits, English majors have learned grammar in the
first and second years. The students study grammar again to review their grammar
knowledge and as a foundation to learn higher major subjects.
Although English majors at UPT have studied EG for many years, they can do
quite well at similar exercises and they can pass all the paper examinations. They
can practice very well in available conversations, however, when they do speaking
with friends, teachers, or foreigners they do not know how to use the tenses of the
4


verbs, when to use and why to use the sentence patterns in real contexts.
Furthermore, learners do not know how to apply the exact tenses of the verbs in real
contexts which means learners cannot speak EG reasonably, accurately, and
appropriately.
In conclusion, due to different understanding and levels of grammar, learners
are affected by traditional teaching which is embedded deeply in the learners‟ mind.
It is hard to change the old model style of thinking and they feel bored; the fact that
they do not have any motivation or strategies to learn it. For weak students, this is
their challenge. For the English majors who achieve good grammar, they have more

advantages in learning communication. While the other English majors are bad at
grammar; it may be hard to make much progress in their communication. As for
English majors at the UPT, it is not an exception. Therefore, the intent of this study
is to examine the English majors‟ perceptions of learning grammar to apply for
communication as well as figure out the differences in their perceptions of learning
EGC and especially explore their relationships among the components of English
majors' perceptions of learning EGC.
1.3. Aims and objectives of the study
This study aims at investigating English majors‟ perceptions of learning EGC in the
context of the UPT in Binh Thuan. The objectives are as follows:
 To examine the perceptions of learning EGC among English majors at UPT.
 To find out differences in the perceptions of learning EGC in terms of levels
of academic study.
 To figure out significant relationships among the components of English
majors' perceptions of learning EGC.
1.4. Research questions
In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, this study aimed to address
the following research questions:

5


1. What perceptions of learning English grammar communicatively are held by
English majors at UPT?
2. Are there any significant differences in English majors' perceptions of
learning English grammar communicatively in terms of levels of academic
study? If yes, what?
3. Are there any significant relationships among the components of English
majors' perceptions of learning English grammar communicatively? If yes,
what types of relationships?

1.5. The scope of the study
This study was conducted at UPT in Binh Thuan Province.
This study was in the form of a survey and it focused on the examination
perceptions of learning English grammar communicatively among English majors
of the first-year and second-year at UPT. Its purpose was to discover the differences
in perceptions of learning EGC held by the surveyed group and relationships among
the components of English majors' perceptions. There were 136 participants who
were purposefully sampled from first-year and second-year students at the Faculty
of Foreign Languages. They were chosen because they must study grammar lessons
in the first and second years then they will learn English for specific purposes in the
third and fourth years according to the school‟s curriculum. All students took part in
an investigation by answering the content of the questionnaire about the perceptions
of learning EGC. There were fifteen students in the first-year and second-year
cohorts who volunteered to attend the final deep-interview survey.
1.6. The significance of the study
The study was conducted at UPT hoping to get the following great
significance.
At the theoretical levels, the findings of this study would provide teachers with
information about the students‟ perceptions towards learning EGC. The study

6


provides profound perceptions of learning English grammar communicatively;
students can have a deep look at the importance of learning English grammar for
communication. Instead of receiving knowledge passively from the teachers,
students are more and more creative and autonomous in their learning process. They
pay more attention to learn not only grammatical rules but also how to practice
effectively in communicative situations. Moreover, students can realize that
learning grammar is to achieve better communication.

At a practical level, this study facilitates a better understanding of teachers
about students‟ learning process; they give strategies to instruct them; support them
with some clear guidelines on how to use grammar well in speaking. Teachers can
decide which effective approaches they should use in class to help students can
apply their English grammar structures for oral communication in various
conversations. Learners not only be self-equipped grammar knowledge but also be
able to use accurately English language in various situations; and therefore, they can
master the communicative language in any context. Furthermore, this research
inspires school boards to give special attention to the change of curriculum and
materials which must be suitable for students‟ needs and the demand of our society.
It will have an influence on enhancing students‟ motivation by organizing the
English clubs to practice speaking. This would help students to take part in and to
develop their ability to use communicative English grammar. Also, for other
schools, this study is a real reference; they can adjust or choose the most suitable
schooling syllabus for their students which would bring helpful for the development
of society and meet the needs of entrepreneurs.
1.7. Definitions of key terms
To make the research clearer to understand, the researcher would like to
explain the key terms as follows:
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach to teaching
language. According to Richards in the Dictionary of Language Teaching and
7


Applied Linguistics (1992, p. 65), CLT was defined as “an approach to foreign or
second language teaching which emphasizes that the goal of language learning is
communicative competence”.
English majors are people who major in the English language at UPT and
they need to learn English grammar to communicate effectively in different
contexts.

Grammar is concerned with how words are combined to form utterances
which function meaningfully in different contexts.
Grammar instruction is a range of explanations about grammatical
knowledge and how to use these grammar rules in doing dialogues.
+ Learning English Grammar Communicatively means learning the rules
of English grammar; for example, the tenses of the verbs, parts of speech, and
others element in order to use in communicating in English.
Perception refers to the awareness of something through the senses. Chaplin
(1968) defines perception as a process to understand something through the human
sense which involves the awareness of people‟s beliefs about something.
1.8. Organization of the thesis
This thesis consists of 5 chapters.
Chapter 1 presents the introduction to the background of the study, statement
of the problem, the aims, and objectives of the study, research questions, and the
scope of the study as well as the significance of the study. The final section is the
definitions of the key terms as well as the organization of the thesis.
Chapter 2 contains a review of related literature. It discusses grammar
teaching, principles of grammar teaching, the roles of grammar in CLT, the position
of grammar in instruction, and the goals of teaching and learning grammar
communicatively. This chapter also deals with approaches to teaching grammar,

8