High school teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards applying communicative language teaching in teaching grammar = Nhận thức và thái độ của giáo viên cấp ba

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES




TRẦN THỊ HUYỀN

High school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards
applying Communicative Language Teaching in teaching
grammar

NHẬN THỨC VÀ THÁI ĐỘ CỦA GIÁO VIÊN CẤP BA ĐỐI VỚI VIỆC
ÁP DỤNG ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG GIAO TIẾP TRONG DẠY HỌC NGỮ PHÁP


M.a MINOR thesis

Field: English Methodology
Code: 60.14.10




Ha Noi - 2010

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES




TRẦN THỊ HUYỀN


High school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards
applying Communicative Language Teaching in teaching
grammar

NHẬN THỨC VÀ THÁI ĐỘ CỦA GIÁO VIÊN CẤP BA ĐỐI VỚI VIỆC
ÁP DỤNG ĐƯỜNG HƯỚNG GIAO TIẾP TRONG DẠY HỌC NGỮ PHÁP

M.a MINOR thesis

Field: English Methodology
Code: 60.14.10
Supervisor: DR. DƯƠNG THỊ NỤ



Ha Noi - 2010

iii
Table of contents

Acknowledgements
i
Abstract
ii
Table of contents
iii
List of abbreviations 1
vi
List of figures and tables
vii
Part one: Introduction
1
1. Rationale
1
2. Aims of the study
2
3. Research questions
2
4. Method of the study
2
5. Scope of the study
3
6. Definition of terminology
3

7. Significance of the study
5
8. Design of the study
6
Part two: development
7
Chapter one: Literature review
7
1.1. Communicative Language Teaching
7
1.1.1. The origins of CLT
7
1.1.2. Characteristics of CLT
8
1.2. Grammar
11
1.2.1. Definition of grammar
11
1.2.2. Approaches to grammar teaching
12
1.3. The role of grammar in foreign language teaching and learning
13


iv
1.4. Grammar teaching in the light of CLT
14
1.5. Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes to grammar teaching in the light of
CLT
16

Chapter two: Research methodology
19
2.1. Methodology
19
2.1.1. Research questions
19
2.1.2. Method orientation
19
2.1.3. The participants
19
2.1.4. The instruments
20
2.2. Data analysis
21
2.3. Conclusion
21
Chapter three: Findings and discussion
22
3.1. The findings from the questionnaire and discussion
22
3.1.1. Teachers’ perception of the role of grammar in English
Language Teaching
22
3.1.2. Teachers’ attitudes to teaching grammar
22
3.1.3. Teachers’ perception of students’ attitudes towards learning
grammar
23
3.1.4. Teachers’ perceptions of CLT
23

3.1.5. Teachers’ grading of the benefits CLT brings to grammar
teaching
26
3.1.6. Teachers’ grading of the constraints they face when applying
CLT to teaching grammar
27
3.1.7. Teachers’ perception of the teacher’s role in CLT
28
3.1.8. Teachers’ perception of the students’ responsibilities in CLT
29
3.1.9. The care for CLT through discussions and comments at high
schools
30
3.1.10. The frequency teachers teach grammar in the light of CLT
30


v
3.1.11. Teachers’ perception of the benefits that CLT brings to
grammar teaching
31
3.1.12. Teachers’ evaluation of teaching grammar in the light of CLT
31
3.1.13. Teachers’ opinion about the frequency of applying CLT in
teaching grammar
32
3.1.14. Teachers’ opinion about the suitability and applicability of
applying CLT in teaching grammar
33
3.1.15. Teachers’ attitudes towards applying CLT in teaching grammar

33
3.1.16. Teachers’ recommendations for effective application of CLT in
teaching grammar
34
3.2. The findings from the interview and discussion
34
Part three: Conclusion
39
1. Conclusions
39
2. Recommendations
41
3. Limitations of the study
42
4. Suggestions for further studies
42
References
43
Appendixes
i









vi

List of abbreviations

CLT Communicative Language Teaching
ELT English Language Teaching
T1 Teacher 1
T2 Teacher 2
T3 Teacher 3
T4 Teacher 4
T5 Teacher 5
T6 Teacher 6

vii
List of figures and tables

Name
Page
Figure 1: Teachers’ perception of the role of grammar in English Language
Teaching
22
Figure 2: Teachers’ attitudes towards teaching grammar
22
Figure 3: Students’ attitudes towards learning grammar
23
Table 1: Teachers’ perceptions of CLT
24
Table 2: Teachers’ evaluation of the benefits of CLT in teaching grammar
26
Table 3: Teachers’ evaluation of the constraints of applying CLT in
teaching grammar
27
Figure 4: Teachers’ perception of the teachers’ role in CLT
28
Table 4: Teachers’ perception of the students’ responsibilities in CLT
29
Figure 5: Teachers’ care for CLT at high schools
30
Figure 6: The frequency teachers teach grammar in the light of CLT
30
Figure 7: Teachers’ perception of the benefits that CLT brings to grammar
teaching
31

Figure 8: Teachers’ evaluation of teaching grammar in the light of CLT
32
Figure 9: Should all grammar lessons be taught in the light of CLT?
32
Table 5: Do you think CLT is suitable and applicable in teaching grammar
at your school?
33
Figure 10: Teachers’ attitudes towards applying CLT in teaching grammar
33
Figure 11: Teachers’ recommendations for effective application of CLT in
teaching grammar
34



1
Part one: Introduction
1. Rationale
There is no doubt that English has been used as a tool of communication among native
speakers as well as non-native ones. No one can deny the important role of English in
every field of life. Therefore, the demand for learning English is increasing in Vietnam
where English is one of the main subjects at school, and among the compulsory subjects
of the entrance exams to a number of universities. Therefore, it is urgent that students be
equipped with a suitable and good method as well as teachers with effective teaching
method to help their students get the best results.
It has been claimed that English language teaching in Vietnam is grammar-based, that
indicates the importance of grammar in ELT. However the question of how to teach
grammar effectively is a big concern of every English teacher. Choosing the suitable
method(s) to teach grammar is really an important step to achieve the teaching and
learning purposes.

Recently, some methods have attempted to supplement or replace the traditional ones
with models of correct usage and exercises, which provide a greater degree of
contextualization. Therefore, to meet the new demands for different competencies and
increased quality for Vietnam’s development, higher educational curricula and methods
are required to be further reformed in a practical and updated way to produce skilled
manpower well-prepared for immediate employment in the future, to boost the training of
post-graduates within the country and overseas, to strengthen scientific research, and to
facilitate the application of advanced education experience (Pham, 1998).
During this period, in the field of Vietnamese ELT, more and more teachers are offered
chances to upgrade their degrees abroad; more seminars by Western organizations on
teaching methods are held for Vietnamese teachers, and more Western teachers are
employed in Vietnamese universities. In this context, Communicative Language
Teaching Approach (CLT) has been introduced and considered by a large number of
Vietnamese teachers and educators as the more appropriate approach for ELT at
Vietnamese upper secondary schools compared to the traditional teacher-centered
education. The question is whether a Western approach can and should be applied in an
Asian context like Vietnam, and whether there are challenges in this application, what
teachers perceive of it, what their attitudes towards it are.


2
Though a number of research studies have been conducted focusing on CLT and
teachers’ attitudes towards CLT, little research has been done on teachers’ perceptions
and attitudes towards teaching grammar in the light of CLT, especially in Hai Phong, a
city in the North of Viet Nam. With the view to investigating high school teachers’
perceptions and attitudes towards applying CLT in teaching grammar, the researcher
decided to choose the topic: High school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards
applying Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in teaching grammar” for her
M.A minor thesis. The thesis mainly focuses on what teachers perceive of CLT and
teaching grammar in the light of CLT, then their attitudes towards it, from which the

researcher gives suggestions for an effective application of CLT in grammar teaching.
It is hoped that this study will have a little contribution to improving the application of
CLT in ELT in general, English grammar teaching in particular.
2. Aims of the study
The study aims to:
- Explore high school teachers’ perceptions of CLT.
- Investigate what they perceive of applying CLT in teaching grammar.
- Explore their attitudes towards teaching grammar in the light of CLT.
3. Research questions:
The study is an attempt to answer the three following research questions:
1. What do high school teachers perceive of CLT?
2. What do they perceive of applying CLT in teaching grammar?
3. What are their attitudes towards teaching grammar in the light of CLT?
4. Method of the study
In order to explore high school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes to applying CLT in
teaching grammar, the survey research is employed. Data will be analyzed both
qualitatively and quantitatively. With the aim of increasing the validity and reliability of the
data collected, the author uses two main instruments:
* a questionnaire for teachers with two types of questions: closed and open-ended. The
questionnaire aims to get teachers’ opinions about teaching grammar in the light of CLT.
* a semi-structured interview with teachers to get better insights into teachers’
perceptions and attitudes towards teaching grammar in the light of CLT, the way CLT is
applied in their lessons, and whether CLT is the best method in teaching grammar
currently.


3
Besides, reviewing the related documents is also a method to establish the theoretical
background for the study.
5. Scope of the study

For each research, it is necessary to limit its boundary to the manageable areas. This
study attempts to investigate high school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards
applying CLT in teaching grammar. It is exploratory by nature. It is focused on high
school teachers in different schools in Hai Phong, a city in the North of Vietnam. These
schools are both in the city and the country.
6. Definition of terminology
6.1. Communicative Language Teaching
Up to now, there have been a number of definitions about CLT. According to Lightbown
& Spada (1999:172, in Fernando Ruby, 2001), “CLT is based on the premise that
successful language learning involves not only a knowledge of the structures and forms
of the language, but also the functions and purposes that a language serves in different
communicative settings. This approach to teaching emphasizes the communication of
meaning over the practice and manipulation of grammatical forms (emphasis added).”
I really like this definition as it can reflect the nature as well as the target of CLT. CLT
focuses not only on forms but also on meaning. When CLT is successfully applied,
students feel very confident in different communicative contexts.
As viewed by Nunan (1989:194) “Communicative language teaching views language as
the system for the expression of meaning. Activities involve oral communication,
carrying out meaning tasks and using language which is meaningful to learners.
Objectives reflect the need of learners; they include functional skills as well as linguistic
objectives. The learner’s role is as a negotiator and integrator. The teacher’s role is as a
facilitator of the communication process. Materials promote communicative language
use; they are task-based and authentic”.
Nunan’s definition takes into consideration the most distinctive feature of CLT that is the
system for the expression of meaning. In this approach, students can obtain both
functional and objective skills. The teachers do not force their students to learn but only
act as the guider thus students can feel free to study. This definition is so adequate and
meaningful that it is widely cited by many scholars.

4
6.2. Grammar
Grammar is so important and interesting that it gets the attention of many scholars and so
many definitions about grammar have been made.
As for Thornbury (1999), grammar is a process for making a speaker’s or writer’s
meaning clear when there is a lack of textual information. Moreover, grammar means the
relationship between three things: grammar, words and contexts. It means it is necessary
for students to learn basic and fixed form of particular forms so that they can express
particular meanings.
It might be confirmed that grammar is clearly central to the working of language.
Widdowson (1990:81) emphasizes: “Grammar is not just a collection of sentence patterns
signifying nonsense, something for the learner’s brain to puzzle over.”
Linguists define grammar as a set of components: phonetics (the production and
perception of sounds), phonology (how sounds are combined), morphology (the study of
forms, or how elements are combined to create words), syntax (how words are strung
together into sentences), and semantics or meaning. Because all languages are
characterized by these components, by definition, language does not exist without
grammar.
Obviously, the definition of grammar makes us clear that grammar consists of certain
rules that govern the system of language units and structures by which we communicate
with each other.
6.3. Perceptions
Lindsay & Norman (1999) state that perception is the process by which organisms
interpret and organize sensation to produce a meaningful experience of the world.
Sensation usually refers to the immediate, relatively unprocessed result of stimulation of
sensory receptors in the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or skin. Perception, on the other hand,
better describes one's ultimate experience of the world and typically involves further
processing of sensory input. In practice, sensation and perception are virtually impossible
to separate, because they are part of one continuous process.
Thus, perception in humans describes the process whereby sensory stimulation is

translated into organized experience.
6.4. Attitudes
Teachers’ attitudes received much attention in the literature during the early1950’s and
early 1970’s and, more recently, they have resurfaced as key to understanding what


5
motivates teachers’ actions (Borg, 2006). That is why there are so many definitions of
attitude. I take three of them which I think are rather easy to understand.
Bem (1970) simply defines that “attitudes are likes and dislikes”. Bogardus (1931)
defines in detail “An attitude is a tendency to act toward or against something in the
environment, which becomes thereby a positive or negative value”. According to Eagly
& Chaiken (1993) “Attitude is a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a
particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor.”
These three above definitions are quoted because they are simple but comprehensive.
6.5. Exploratory survey
This study aims at exploring teachers’ perceptions and attitudes so it is an exploratory
survey by nature. Therefore, it is necessary to give the definition of exploratory survey. I
take the following definition as it is rather sufficient about the nature and function of an
exploratory survey.
An exploratory study is undertaken when not much is known about the situation
at hand or no information is available on how similar problem or research issues
have been solved in the past. In such cases, extensive preliminary work needs to
be done to gain familiarity with the phenomenon in the situation and understand
what is occurring before we develop a model and set up a rigorous design for
comprehensive investigation. (Wikipedia encyclopedia)
Therefore, exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or
situation. It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution. Exploratory
research is a type of research conducted because a problem has not been clearly defined.
Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data collection method

and selection of subjects.
7. Significance of the study
This study hopes to bring about the picture of high school teachers’ perceptions and
attitudes towards CLT and the application CLT in teaching grammar. It was conducted
within six months in Hai Phong city with much effort of the author. From the study, the
researcher also gives recommendations for better application of CLT to grammar
teaching. Hopefully, this research is a little contribution to the application of CLT in
grammar in particular, in ELT in general. The results of the study will probably make an
interesting point for many other studies relating to ELT at high schools.


6
8. Design of the study
The study consists of three main parts:
Part One: Introduction - provides the overview of the study with the rationale, the aims,
the research questions, the method, the scope, the significance and the design of the study.
Definitions of terminology are also included in the introduction part.
Part Two: Development – consists of three chapters:
Chapter One: Literature Review - aims at exploring the theoretical background for the
thesis. This chapter focuses on five main points: Communicative Language Teaching,
Grammar, The role of grammar in foreign language teaching and learning, Grammar
teaching in the light of CLT, Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes to grammar teaching in
the light of CLT.
Chapter Two: Methodology - introduces the Research questions, Method orientation, The
participants, The instruments and Data analysis
Chapter Three: Findings and discussion - is devoted to a detailed description of the
findings and the discussion. In this chapter, explanations and interpretations of the
findings are explored.
Part Three: Conclusion - presents the summary of the findings and some pedagogical
suggestions for better applications of CLT in teaching grammar.

The Appendixes are also included in the last part, following the References.













7
Part two: development
Chapter one: Literature review
This study is an attempt to explore high school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes
towards applying CLT in teaching grammar. Therefore CLT is the umbrella term that
affects the whole research. The researcher starts the literature review with the review of
CLT - Communicative Language Teaching.
1.1. Communicative Language Teaching
Since the mid-sixties, the focus in linguistic theory has shifted from the study of
language in isolation to the study of language in a social context (Savignon, 1991).
Richards and Rogers (1986) define that CLT encompasses a theory of language and a
theory of language learning and see it as an approach rather than a method. Briefly, they
define an approach as a set of theories about the nature of language and of language
learning. It takes a number of assumptions about views, beliefs and ideas about the
language. A method, on the other hand, is the level at which theory is put into practice
and at which choices are made about the particular skills to be taught, the content to be

taught, and the order in which the content will be presented.
1.1.1. The origins of CLT
Educators such as Galloway (1993), Savigon (1987, 1991) and Richards and Rogers
(1986) state that the origins of CLT are many, in so far as one teaching methodology
tends to influence the next. Galloway says that the communicative approach could be
said to be the product of educators and linguists who had grown dissatisfied with the
audio-lingual and grammar-translation methods of foreign language instruction. Richards
and Rogers, on the other hand, claim that the origins of communicative language
teaching are to be found in the changes of situational language teaching approaches,
which influenced the British language teaching tradition till the late 1960s.
Educators and linguists (e.g., Candlin,1981 and Widdowson, 1978) saw the need to focus
on language teaching on communicative proficiency rather than on mere mastery of
structures. They felt that students were not learning enough realistic, whole language in
those methods. Students did not know how to communicate using appropriate social
languages, gestures, or expressions; in brief, they were at loss to communicate in the
cultures of the language studied.


8
There was a positive response from linguists, methodologists and classroom teachers
offering the best hope for the elaboration and diffusion of language teaching methods and
materials that work, encourage and support learners in the development of their
communicative competence (Savigon, 1991).
Although the movement began in largely British innovations focusing on alternative
conceptions of a syllabus since the mid 1970s, the scope of communicative language
teaching has expanded. Interest in and the development of communicative style teaching
mushroomed in those years; authentic language use and classroom exchanges where
students engaged in real communication with one another became quite popular. Also,
numerous textbooks for teachers and teacher trainers expound on the nature of
communicative approaches and offer techniques for varying ages and purposes (Brown,

1994). In the intervening years, the communicative approach has been adapted to the
elementary, junior and senior high schools as well as tertiary levels. In other words, CLT
is developing fast and among the most effective approaches in English Language
Teaching.
1.1.2. Characteristics of CLT
As collected by Mulat (2003), although there are different versions and various ways in
which CLT is interoperated and applied, educators in this area, Littlewood (1981);
Finocchiano and Brumfit (1983); Widdowson (1978, 1979), Richards and Rogers (1986),
Larsen-Freeman (1986) put some major characteristics of CLT as follows:
1. CLT gives its primary importance to the use or function of the language and
secondary importance to its structure or form (Larsen-Freeman, 1986). This does
not mean that knowledge of grammar is not essential for effective communication.
Added to this, Littlewood says “one of the most characteristic features of
communicative language teaching is that it pays attention to functional as well as
structural aspects of language”(1981:1)
2. “Fluency and accuracy are seen as complementary principles underlying
communicative techniques. (Brown, 1994:245). However, at times, fluency may
have to take on more importance than accuracy because “fluency and acceptable
language is the primary goal” (Finocchiano and Brumfit, 1983:93). Fluency is
emphasized over accuracy in order to keep learners meaningfully engaged in
language use.


9
3. Language learning techniques are designed to engage learners in the pragmatic,
authentic, functional use of language for meaningful purposes. Classrooms should
provide opportunities for rehearsal of real-life situations and for real
communication. In order to achieve these aims, plays, simulations, dramas, games,
projects, etc… are the major activities which can help the learner provide
spontaneity and improvisation, not just repetition and dills. Authentic materials are

also required in the classroom process; they give students the opportunity to
develop the strategies for understanding language as it is actually used by native
speakers. In the classroom, everything is done with a communicative intent.
Information gap, choice and feedback are thought to be truly communicative
activities (Johnson and Morrow, 1881, in Nguyen Thi Minh Hoa, 2006).
4. Grammar can still be taught, but less systematically, in traditional ways along side
innovative approaches. Grammar is important; and learners seem to focus best on
grammar when it relates to their communicative needs and experiences. In CLT,
involvement in communicative event is seen as central to language development,
and this involvement necessarily requires attention to form (structure)
Nowadays, it seems that educators accept that an appropriate amount of class time
should be devoted to grammar, but this does not mean a simple return to a
traditional treatment of rules. Rather “the focus has now moved away from the
teacher covering to the learners discovering grammar” (Thompson, 1996:11).
5. Communicative approach is not limited to oral tasks. Reading and writing skills
need to be developed to promote students’ confidence in all four skills areas. Of
course, oral communication is seen to take place through negotiation between
speaker and listener (most likely among students), so too is interaction between the
reader and write, but no immediate feedback from the reader. In the classroom,
students do not listen to the teacher all the time, but have personal contact
themselves, practice themselves and with their partners. Some misconceived CLT
as it were devoted to teaching only speaking. But “CLT is not exclusively
concerned with face to face oral communication” (Savignon, 2002:7). The
principles of CLT apply equally to reading and writing activities that engage
readers and writers in the interpretation, expression, and negotiation of meaning.
6. In the classroom, students regularly work in groups or pairs to transfer meaning in
situations where one person has information that others lack. However it is not true


10

that pair/group work is applicable and successful in all contexts. Pair/group work
should not be considered an essential feature used all the time, and may be
inappropriate in some contexts. Thompson (1996) and Savignon (2002) claim that
group/ pair work are flexible and useful techniques as they are active modes of
learning which can help the learners to negotiate meaning and engage in problem-
solving activities.
7. Errors are seen as natural outcome of the development of the communication skills
and are therefore tolerated. Learners trying their best to use the language creatively
and spontaneously are bound to make errors. Constant correction is unnecessary
and even counter-productive. Students should be allowed to talk and express
themselves and the form of the language becomes secondary. If errors of form are
tolerated and are seen as natural outcome of the development of communication
skills, students can have limited linguistic knowledge and still be successful
communicators (Larsen-Freeman, 1986).
8. Evaluation is carried out in terms of fluency and accuracy. A teacher may use both
formal evaluation and informal evaluation of his students’ performances in his role
as an advisor or co-communicator (Larsen-Freeman, 1986).
9. The students’ native language has no role to play (Larsen-Freeman, 1986). The
target language is used both during communicative activities and for the purpose of
classroom management. The students learn from these classroom management
exchanges, too, and realize that the target language is a vehicle for communication.
Therefore “the teachers should be able to use the target language fluently and
accurately” (Celce-Mucia, 1991:8). However, for others, judicious use of native
language is accepted where feasible.
10. The teacher is the facilitator of students’ learning, manager of classroom activities,
advisor during activities and a “co-communicator” engaged in the communicative
activity along with the students. (Littlewood, 1981). Other roles assumed for the
teacher are needs analyst, counselor, researcher and learner. Students, on the other
hand, are more responsible managers of their own learning. They are expected to
interact with other people in face-to-face situations, through pair work and group

work, or in the writings. They are communicators and actively engaged in
negotiating meaning in trying to make themselves understood. They learn to


11
communicate by communicating (Larsen-Freeman, 1986). Above all, since
teacher’s role is less dominant, the teaching/learning process is student-centered
rather than teacher-centered. In other words, it is the learner who plays a great role
in a large proportion of the process of learning.
These ten characteristics of CLT which are pointed out and collected by many famous
scholars are the framework for the questionnaire, which mainly bases on these features to
seek for teachers’ perceptions and attitudes.
1.2. Grammar
1.2.1. Definition of grammar
Different linguistic schools define grammar in different ways depending on their
particular field of interest:
* A traditional grammarian might see grammar as the “parts of speech” together
with a set of rules governing how they can be combined, often accompanied by pointers
as to what is considered “correct” and “incorrect” usage.
* A structural linguist might see grammar as the sum total of sentence patterns in
which the words of a particular language are arranged.
* A philological/ cognitive linguist might see grammar as our innate knowledge
of the structure of language.
* A functional linguist might see grammar as a resource used to accomplish
communicative purposes in specific contexts.
Therefore, there are many definitions of grammar but for the purpose of this study; the
researcher will look at three definitions which might be more relevant.
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (quoted in Hammer, 1987:1) defines
grammar as “they study and practice of the rules by which words change their forms and
are combined into sentences”. This definition indicates that there are two basic elements

should be paid attention to: the rules of grammar; and the study and practice of the rule.
However, Widdowson (1990:81) claims that “Grammar is not just a collection of
sentence patterns signifying nonsense, something for the learners’ brain to puzzle over”.
For Widdowson, grammar means the relationship between three things: grammar, words,
and context. In other words, grammar should be viewed as linguistic rules functioning in
alliance with words and context for the achievement of meaning.
In Thornbury (1999), grammar is a process for making a speaker’s or writer’s meaning
clear when there is a lack of textual information. Moreover, grammar means the


12
relationship between three things: grammar, words and contexts. It means it is necessary
for students to learn basic and fixed form of particular forms so that they can express
particular meanings.
How grammar is defined is very important since it will influence the way grammar is to
be taught.
1.2.2. Approaches to grammar teaching
In general, there are two major approaches to grammar teaching, explicitly and implicitly.
Which approach is better to teach grammar structures? There are both pros and cons for
both explicit and implicit grammar teaching.
When we talk about explicit approach to grammar, we are talking about stating directly,
usually right at the beginning of a particular activity, what the grammar is. Meanwhile,
implicit approach is the one where students are “led” to the grammar through a series of
steps- this is what is meant by the “discovery technique”, which aims to lead students
towards a generalized grammar rule of patterns.
1.2.2.1. Explicit grammar teaching
Larsen-Freeman (1986:150) points out that “Explicit teaching can speed up the learning
of these features/patterns by making them more salient, encouraging students to allocate
attention to them by narrowing learners’ hypothesis space concerning their behavior”.
Explicit knowledge helps students be able to be more accurate in expressing their ideas

or thoughts through the teachers’ monitoring what they speak or write. If they understand
how a grammatical feature functions, they will be more likely to notice it when they are
listening or reading. The advantage of explicit grammar teaching is that students are in
control during their practice and they are sure to grasp the target structures.
On the contrary, Larsen-Freeman (cited in Stephen Krashen (1981, 1982) says that
“explicit grammar instruction has very little impact on the natural acquisition process
because studying grammar rules can never lead to their unconscious deployment in fluent
communication.” As for him, the only way for students to acquire grammar is to get
exposure to comprehensive input in the target language. However, several studies show a
clear advantage for students to receive explicit grammar instructions. It seems to help
students develop their interlanguages at a more rapid pace; it helps them achieve higher
ultimate levels of grammatical ability.


13
1.2.2.2. Implicit grammar teaching
Regarding to implicit grammar teaching, students are highly motivated and more
involved in learning. With the help of the teacher, learners are encouraged to discover a
particular grammar rule, to learn about a grammar point for themselves and through
grammar conscious-raising activities; learners can construct their own explicit grammar.
Motivated students can easily and quickly discover the rules for themselves, and
remember much better than the ones who are overwhelmed by grammatical explanations
Mac Whinney (1997:278, cited in Larsen-Freeman (1986:97) points out that “Students
who receive explicit instruction as well as implicit exposure to forms, would seem to
have the best of both worlds”.
In brief, as both approaches have strengths and weaknesses, it is better to base on the
features of grammar points to choose the appropriate one. If the rules are relatively
straightforward, it is better to give students explicit instructions. If the rules are complex,
students may be better off being exposed to example rather than to explicit instructions,
or to a rule, or to a combination of an explicit rules and carefully considered examples.

1.3. The role of grammar in foreign language teaching and learning
Grammarians give strong support to grammar teaching. They think grammar gives us a
means to understand a language. Besides, it reflects the order of the human thoughts and
helps us to understand the diversity of human culture. For them, the acquisition of the
grammatical system of a language remains the most important element in language
teaching.
It is quite reasonable to see the importance of grammar according to Hammer’s
viewpoint (1987):
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.
Firstly, teaching grammar helps students understand how the language works. Apart from
vocabulary, students need to know grammar to understand how it is written or how
words are combined together to understand the proper meaning. Without grammar or
with a poor knowledge of grammar, they may get confused with complicated expressions.
In other words, the teaching of grammar means providing students with opportunities to


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use language in a variety of realistic situations to learn to communicate effectively.
Appropriate grammar techniques are embedded in meaningful, communicative content
then contribute positively to communicative goals and they also promote accuracy within
fluency communicative language use.
Secondly, according to Smith (2001:15), if teachers neither pay attention to grammar nor
create opportunities for learners to improve grammar, learners are likely to stand the risk
of fossilization or reach a point where they can cope with level of communication that is
demanded of them by making use of their existing grammatical resources and
communication strategies and probably with sufficient fluency. Surely, they do not see
the need to develop their linguistic abilities any further.

In favor of the importance of grammar, Lashen-Freeman (1986:13) affirms that grammar
is regarded as a skill rather than an area of knowledge. It is true to say that grammar is
the fifth skill besides four skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing. Skill
development as well as learning grammar takes practice. Grammar may not be taught
only when the students already possessed the knowledge and the ability to use the
grammar item in speech, writing and listening comprehension. In fact, grammar is the
basis for mastering four language skills.
In conclusion, grammar is acknowledged to be of importance in language study and in
language teaching and learning in particular. Grammar is acquired naturally from
meaningful input and opportunities to interact in the classroom. More especially, learners
can improve their grammar competence in a suitable environment without conscious
focus on language forms. Therefore, grammar teaching gains its significant role in ELT
because highly developed language skills are difficult to achieve without some
knowledge of grammar.
1.4. Grammar teaching in the light of CLT
The goal of English Language Teaching is learners’ ability to communicate effectively in
the target language situations, in which students are created chances to negotiate meaning
in class. One important feature of CLT is student-centered, not teacher-centered; the role
of a teacher has shifted from “a controller” to “a facilitator”.
It is impossible to replace the traditional ways of teaching grammar. The good way to
make grammar more communicative is to create more communicative activities in the
classroom, or in other words, students’ communicative competence is developed.


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Although there are different concepts of communicative competence, it has been
developed and applied to language teaching and considered to be the goal of language
teaching. The ultimate goal of language teaching is that the students will be able to
communicate in the foreign language, not that the students will master the grammar of
that language. For this reason, CLT seems to be an effective method to teach grammar

for communicative purpose. In CLT, students are given opportunities to examine and
draw the new grammar rules. It is important for them to understand and use grammatical
structures naturally in a real-world context. The emphasis of CLT is on the development
of students’ communicative competence through the “negotiation of meaning”
So far, there have been a number of studies relating to grammar teaching in the light of
CLT all over the world. Chung (2000) concludes that the examination of the selected
textbooks has revealed that the implementation of CLT in both Malaysian and Taiwanese
settings has little influence on the teaching of grammar. In his study, he also suggested a
number of communicative tasks to supplement the structural activities in the textbooks.
And he emphasizes that the methods discussed will only be effective when teachers are
ready to incorporate CLT principles into their lessons.
In the context of Turkey, Ögeyik (2003) makes an evaluation to clarify the efficiency of
teaching grammar through communicative approach and audio-lingual method by observing
two different classrooms consisted of two different linguistic levels. At the end of the study,
he comes to the conclusion that teaching grammar through communicative approach and
audio-lingual method can be efficient on the proficiency levels of the students at different
levels. While communicative approach was efficient on the intermediate level students,
audio-lingual method had positive impacts on the elementary level students. The latter group
had difficulty in understanding the context and functions of language within a context. Such
an outcome may be due to the fact that they are not accustomed to using the foreign language
efficiently in contextual situations.
In order to apply CLT in grammar teaching effectively, Girne (2008) suggests that during
grammar instruction, teachers should provide meaningful input through context and
provide an opportunity to put grammar to use, and relate grammar instruction to real life
situations. This is best achieved if grammar instruction is treated in the same way as the
teaching of the four skills which involves smooth and organized transitions of pre-, while
and post grammar stages.


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As viewed by Lan & Hoan, in a CLT classroom, the teacher pays more attention to
enabling students to work with the target language during the lesson and communicate in
it by the end of it. The following is the typical procedure of a grammar lesson according
to a CLT author- Adrian Doff (1981).
1. The teacher uses visual aids to present the grammar structure to be taught.
2. Students deduce the meaning, the form and the use of it.
3. The teacher checks students understanding by asking yes/ no questions focusing
on form, meaning and use.
4. The teacher gets students to practice the structure through Repetition and
Substitution Drills, Word Prompts, and Picture Prompts. The teacher tries to
provide maximum practice within controlled, but realistic and contextualized
frameworks and to build students’ confidence in using the new language.
5. The teacher provides students with opportunities to use new language in a freer,
more creative way. The teacher creates activities in which students can integrate
new language with the previously learnt language and apply what they have learnt
to talk about their real life activities.
What makes this kind of lesson different from the traditional is that the teacher tries to
make the language used in the lesson real and true. The teacher creates real or like-real
situations in which the language can be used. This will better enable students to
communicate in English outside the classroom. During the CLT lesson, the teacher often
plays the important role of facilitator who facilitates activities to work with the target
language.
1.5. Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes to grammar teaching in the light of CLT.
It is very important to understand teachers’ perceptions and attitudes as they directly
affect the way the teacher teaches, the method he chooses and the techniques he applies.
In other words, perceptions and attitudes are the magnetic needle that controls the whole
teaching process. Therefore, teachers’ perceptions and attitudes received much attention
in the literature during the early1950’s and early 1970’s and, more recently; they have
resurfaced as key to understanding what motivates teachers’ actions (Borg, 2006).
Williams and Burden (1997) propose that teachers’ actions are highly influenced by their

beliefs and assert that “one of the many facets that teachers bring to the teaching-learning
process is a view of what education is all about, and this belief, whether implicit or
explicit, will influence their actions in the classroom” (pp. 48-49).


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Carless (1998) suggests that if teachers are to implement an innovation successfully, it is
essential that they understand both the theoretical principles and classroom applications
of the proposed change. Kennedy (1988) points out that the change in teachers' beliefs
and understandings is an essential part of any educational innovation.
As viewed by Mulat (2003), in curriculum innovation, teachers’ attitudes are seen to play
a crucial role in determining the implementation of an approach. And teachers’
educational attitudes and theories have an effect on their classroom behavior, influence
what students actually learn, and are potent determinant of teachers’ teaching style
(Karavas, 1996). Kennedy (1987) shares the same idea that attitude change is an essential
and inevitable part of any pedagogical innovation since a change in materials or methods
does not simply operate at surface level, but represents an increase in understanding and
knowledge.
To sum up, investigating teachers’ perceptions and attitudes is really necessary as it helps
to identify what teachers are aware of an approach, what their attitudes are, and the
difficult they face when implementing curriculum innovations in the classroom and it can
help to give the support or recommendations for better application.
The reality of applying CLT gets much attention and some ideas are really exact.
According to Greta Gorsuch (2001), there are various ways to increase teacher’s approval
on CLT. Teachers mildly approve of communicative activities. However, they meet
difficulties in conducting these activities. Or “the majority of the respondents has mildly
favorable attitudes towards communicative language teaching, but faced a number of
constraints that hamper them from effective implementation of communicative method in
the classrooms” Mulat (2003:68). These conclusions are understandable as a lot of
teachers believe in the effect of CLT but this approach is so demanding and requires a lot

from the teachers. So it is not easy to apply CLT successfully.
However many people think that a number of teachers apply CLT without or lack of self-
consciousness. As according to Bax (2003:200, cited in Pham Hoa Hiep, 2007) “Many
teachers use CLT not because of realizing its importance, but to please the educational
policy markers”.
I completely agree with that judgment as it occurs the same at many schools in Vietnam.
CLT is a trendy approach that many teachers apply to prove that they are not backward.
That perception deters teachers from making full use of CLT. About this problem, Canh


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(2004:88) confirms that in spite of the further emphasis and interest in CLT, young and
experienced teachers often stick closely on the textbooks.
This is quite true in Vietnamese setting where many teachers say that they are applying
CLT but they always follow the prescribed program. They are not creative and
enthusiastic enough to be independent from the textbook. But in Canh’s idea, the author
only refers to novice and experienced teachers. What about the rest? What are their
perceptions and attitudes?
As many Vietnamese teachers either have a strong attachment to the traditional methods
or do not get enough upgrading training, they hold some misconceptions of CLT
concerning with grammatical correctness, error correction, using group and pair work
and the teacher and learner roles in the classroom, using the native language. While many
others agree that CLT is a good foreign language teaching approach but the application
of it to teaching grammar may be very difficult at their school.
In the study of Anh (2007), in the context of Tran Phu Gifted School in Hai Phong, the
author states that the teachers find their application of communicative grammar teaching
much more interesting and effective. That means they are in favor of applying CLT in
grammar. However, her research focuses only on finding the effective way to teach
grammar communicatively, not on teachers’ perceptions and attitudes.
Since a number of research studies have been conducted focusing on CLT and teachers’

attitudes towards CLT, little research has been done on teachers’ perceptions and
attitudes towards teaching grammar in the light of CLT, especially in Hai Phong,
moreover, I am much interested in this issue and how to apply CLT effectively has been
my preoccupation for a long time, I am motivated in conducting this research. Hopefully,
it will contribute to the study and application of CLT in Viet Nam.