Learners’ attitude towards grammar instruction in the EFL writing classroom: An analysis on gender and proficiency levels

Abstract

Over the past three decades, a growing number of studies have been looking at whether grammar feedback is useful for second language writers (Truscott, 1996, 2007; Ferris, 1999, 2010). The instructional setting has been claimed to be one of the influential variables in determining feedback effectiveness (Mackey & Goo, 2007; Truscott, 2004). Loewen et al. (2009) found that second language (SL) learners tend to hold a high regard for communicative language tasks while having negative attitudes toward grammar feedback and instruction. This study addresses the lack of research investigating students’ beliefs regarding grammar learning and instruction in foreign language (FL) settings. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on questionnaire data from 250 college Taiwanese EFL learners. The analysis uncovered three factors including positive attitude towards grammar instruction, positive attitude towards the analysis of grammar rules, and positive attitude towards grammar feedback. Further analysis on learners’ gender and proficiency levels indicated that although there is no significant difference between males and females in terms of their attitude towards grammar instruction, less proficient writers tend to have a more positive attitude towards grammar feedback than more proficient writers. This result suggests that less proficient writers tend to prefer, need and trust teachers’ grammar feedback (Ferris, 1999; 2004). In contrast to SL settings, students from FL settings are more likely to be able to take advantage of teachers’ grammar feedback to improve their writing.

Full text

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