EFL Learners’ Perceptions of Grammar Knowledge and Grammar Instruction in Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

The position that grammar should hold in L2 learning has been an issue of controversy among scholars and researchers resulting in teaching approaches and methods in which its role has been either overestimated or completely downplayed. Various studies have explored EFL teachers’ beliefs about the role of grammar in L2 learning and their classroom practices. However, very little research has been conducted on the learners’ perceptions regarding grammar knowledge and its instruction in the classroom. This study investigates Albanian EFL learners’ perceptions about the role of grammar knowledge in the language learning process and the learners’ acquisition of the target language. It also explores the learners’ attitudes towards grammar instruction in the classroom and how it affects their proficiency in the target language. 335 male and female high school students who participated in the study were asked to answer questions about the topic. The findings suggest that further research which considers learners’ beliefs will contribute to EFL grammar teaching methods. It might also encourage EFL teachers to reflect upon their beliefs about grammar instruction and employ grammar teaching approaches and classroom practices that do not overlook the learners’ perceptions of grammar and its position in L2 learning.

Keywords: EFL learning, learners’ perceptions, grammar knowledge, grammar instruction.