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An Investigation into Pre-service English Teachers’ Beliefs on Teaching Grammar

Pre-service Teacher; English Teaching; Grammar Instruction

    Based on the six dimensions of Andrews' (2003) grammar teaching belief classification, this study aims at identifying pre-service English teachers’ beliefs on teaching grammar instruction as well as factors that influence their beliefs. The research participants were 78 pre-service English teachers majoring in English from one of the normal universities in Hubei province. Instruments employed in the survey include questionnaires and in-depth interviews. They completed the questionnaire, and six of them were selected to be interviewed to express their personal opinions on grammar teaching. Furthermore, this study also collected their teaching reflection journals as supplementary materials to find out the reasons that influence their beliefs.

    Results show pre-service English teachers, in general, have reasonable beliefs towards grammar teaching. They tend to be flexible in their choice of grammar approaches as they think each type of approach has its own advantages. However, they sometimes hold rather conflicting beliefs about what they have learned from the book and what they should teach in the classroom. Their beliefs and practices are influenced by both internal factors and external factors. Internal factors include their learning styles, grammar learning experience, teaching experience, and motivation. External factors include syllabus, textbooks, examination system, expectations of students’ parents. Furthermore, pedagogical implications on how to enhance normal education courses and strengthen professional skills training will be also discussed.