The attitudes and perceptions of adult English as a second language students toward explicit grammar instruction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of adult English as a second language (ESL) students toward explicit grammar instruction (EGI). It seeks to understand what adult ESL students think about EGI. The factors that influenced those attitudes and perceptions were also explored. In the fall of 1998, I conducted a pilot study to examine the teaching and learning of English language and the attitudes and perceptions of adult ESL students toward EGI. Out of the 24 students who participated in the study, 22 of them said that they liked EGI because they believe that it would enable them to speak and write the English language correctly.; In the spring 2000 semester, an extensive study was conducted to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of adult ESL students toward EGI. It was envisioned that this study would provide enough data for ESL pedagogy. In this study, I observed an ESL class specifically designed to teach grammar to adult ESL students in an intensive English language program (IELP) at a state University in the Southwestern part of the United States. There were 16 students registered in the class. During the field observation, the 16 students enrolled in the class were surveyed with a questionnaire that elicited their attitudes and perceptions toward grammar instruction. Subsequently, 9 of the original 16 students were selected to participate in a semi-structured interview which asked them about the factors that help to shape their attitudes and perceptions toward EGI.; The results of this study indicate that the majority of the students seemed to have positive attitudes and perceptions toward grammar instruction. Out of the 16 students that participated in this study, 13 of them said that they liked grammar instruction. All of them (N = 16) believe that grammar instruction is useful in the language learning process. They believe that grammar instruction would enable them to speak and write correctly. Thus, the students believe that grammar instruction is important. In fact, the students believe that without grammar instruction, it would be difficult to learn the English language successfully. The general view is that, “if you want to speak and write correctly, you should study English grammar.”; The students gave several reasons why they liked English grammar. The students believe that English grammar instruction would enable them to be successful in their educational career. In addition to university entry requirement, they are expected to demonstrate a high level of English language proficiency in their research papers. They are also aware of the social value of grammar; they want to be accepted by society. Also, they believe that learning English grammar would enable them to interact well with other people. They also want to get a good job and be successful in life. These findings have enormous impact on English as a second language (ESL) pedagogy. In adult ESL classroom, flagrant disregard for students' attitudes and perceptions toward grammar instruction may lead to a communication breakdown between the teacher and the students.