Teachers' Pedagogical Systems and Grammar Teaching: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Despite the centrality of grammar in L2 research and methodology over the years, the cognitive bases of teachers' instructional decisions in grammar teaching are relatively unexplored. This interpretive study focuses on this issue by analysing the teaching of grammar in an L2 classroom from the perspective of the personal pedagogical systems—stores of beliefs, knowledge, theories, assumptions, and attitudes—that play a significant role in shaping teachers' instructional decisions. The author examines the role of grammar teaching in the classroom practice of an experienced teacher of EFL and discusses the nature of the personal pedagogical system that influenced his practice. In particular, the study illustrates the manner in which the teacher's instructional decisions in teaching grammar were shaped by the interaction of his pedagogical system, his educational and professional experiences, and the context of instruction. The author argues that research into teachers' pedagogical systems can contribute to a fuller and more realistic understanding of L2 grammar instruction.