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EFL Teachers’ Cognitions and Practices in Grammar Teaching: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study from Niger

Received: 26 September 2023    Accepted: 17 October 2023    Published: 31 October 2023
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Abstract

This study examined EFL teachers’ cognitions and practices of grammar teaching in Niger. The purpose of the study was to understand the beliefs held by EFL teachers about grammar teaching and the extent to which they put those beliefs into practice. The study also proposed to understand the contextual factors that affect those beliefs and classroom practices. The study was designed based on a qualitative multiple-case study framework, and four EFL teachers from four different schools constituted the main cases. Data were collected and triangulated through pre-observation interviews, classroom observations, and post-observation interviews. These procedures were implemented in a way the first led to the second, and the latter to the last. Afterward, thematic analysis procedures were used to generate understanding from the data. Findings revealed that most of the teachers consider grammar as an important pillar in teaching English. Most importantly, the study demonstrated the predominance of deductive approaches, mainly through the use of Grammar Translation in almost all the classes observed. It also highlighted compliance and mismatches between teachers’ beliefs and the way they teach grammar. Moreover, insights are indicative of multiple factors that affect teachers’ beliefs and practices. Those factors include students’ low proficiency, negative attitudes toward learning English, large classes, curricular requirements, and teachers’ previous learning experiences. These findings confirm the need for teacher education programs and systems to work towards monitoring teachers’ beliefs and knowledge in order to ensure compliance with the communicative approaches required by the national curriculum.

Published in Education Journal (Volume 12, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.edu.20231205.18
Page(s) 240-248
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Teacher Cognition, English Grammar, EFL, ELT

References
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[2] Marilisa Birello (2012). Teacher Cognition and Language Education: Beliefs and Practice. A Conversation with Simon Borg. Bellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature, 5(2), 88-94.
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[4] Simon Phipps and Simon Borg (2009). Exploring Tensions between Teachers’ Grammatical Teaching Beliefs and Practices. System, 37(3), 380-390.
[5] Simon Borg (2003). Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching: A Review of Research on what Language Teachers Think, Know, Believe and Do. Language Teaching, 36(2), 81-109.
[6] M. Raouf Moini (2009). Impact of ELF Teacher Cognition on Teaching Foreign Language Grammar. Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-ye Khareji, 49, 141-164.
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[9] Ahmad Iftikhar (2018). Teacher Cognition and Grammar Teaching in Saudi Arabian Context. English Language Teaching, 11(12), 45-57.
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[20] Stacy Lee Hill (2014). Teacher Cognition: Four Case Studies of Teachers in Low-SES Schools. PhD Dissertation. Washington State University, USA.
[21] Rabia Hos, and Mustafa Kekec (2014). The Mismatch between Non-native English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teachers’ Grammar Beliefs and Classroom Practices. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(1), 80-87.
[22] Nayyer Hassan (2013). The Impact of Teachers’ Beliefs on L2 Grammar Teaching. MA dissertation. Lahore College for Women University, Pakistan.
[23] Bayan Alghanmi, and Nadia Shukri (2016). The Relationships between Teachers’ Beliefs of Grammar Instruction and Classroom Practices in the Saudi Context. English Language Teaching, 9(7), 70-87.
[24] Hacer Hande Uysal, and Mehmet Bardakci (2014). Teacher Beliefs and Practices of Grammar Teaching: Focusing on Meaning, Form, or Forms? South African Journal of Education, 34(1), NP.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Hamissou Ousseini. (2023). EFL Teachers’ Cognitions and Practices in Grammar Teaching: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study from Niger. Education Journal, 12(5), 240-248. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20231205.18

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    ACS Style

    Hamissou Ousseini. EFL Teachers’ Cognitions and Practices in Grammar Teaching: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study from Niger. Educ. J. 2023, 12(5), 240-248. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20231205.18

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    AMA Style

    Hamissou Ousseini. EFL Teachers’ Cognitions and Practices in Grammar Teaching: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study from Niger. Educ J. 2023;12(5):240-248. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20231205.18

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  • @article{10.11648/j.edu.20231205.18,
      author = {Hamissou Ousseini},
      title = {EFL Teachers’ Cognitions and Practices in Grammar Teaching: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study from Niger},
      journal = {Education Journal},
      volume = {12},
      number = {5},
      pages = {240-248},
      doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20231205.18},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20231205.18},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20231205.18},
      abstract = {This study examined EFL teachers’ cognitions and practices of grammar teaching in Niger. The purpose of the study was to understand the beliefs held by EFL teachers about grammar teaching and the extent to which they put those beliefs into practice. The study also proposed to understand the contextual factors that affect those beliefs and classroom practices. The study was designed based on a qualitative multiple-case study framework, and four EFL teachers from four different schools constituted the main cases. Data were collected and triangulated through pre-observation interviews, classroom observations, and post-observation interviews. These procedures were implemented in a way the first led to the second, and the latter to the last. Afterward, thematic analysis procedures were used to generate understanding from the data. Findings revealed that most of the teachers consider grammar as an important pillar in teaching English. Most importantly, the study demonstrated the predominance of deductive approaches, mainly through the use of Grammar Translation in almost all the classes observed. It also highlighted compliance and mismatches between teachers’ beliefs and the way they teach grammar. Moreover, insights are indicative of multiple factors that affect teachers’ beliefs and practices. Those factors include students’ low proficiency, negative attitudes toward learning English, large classes, curricular requirements, and teachers’ previous learning experiences. These findings confirm the need for teacher education programs and systems to work towards monitoring teachers’ beliefs and knowledge in order to ensure compliance with the communicative approaches required by the national curriculum.
    },
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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    AB  - This study examined EFL teachers’ cognitions and practices of grammar teaching in Niger. The purpose of the study was to understand the beliefs held by EFL teachers about grammar teaching and the extent to which they put those beliefs into practice. The study also proposed to understand the contextual factors that affect those beliefs and classroom practices. The study was designed based on a qualitative multiple-case study framework, and four EFL teachers from four different schools constituted the main cases. Data were collected and triangulated through pre-observation interviews, classroom observations, and post-observation interviews. These procedures were implemented in a way the first led to the second, and the latter to the last. Afterward, thematic analysis procedures were used to generate understanding from the data. Findings revealed that most of the teachers consider grammar as an important pillar in teaching English. Most importantly, the study demonstrated the predominance of deductive approaches, mainly through the use of Grammar Translation in almost all the classes observed. It also highlighted compliance and mismatches between teachers’ beliefs and the way they teach grammar. Moreover, insights are indicative of multiple factors that affect teachers’ beliefs and practices. Those factors include students’ low proficiency, negative attitudes toward learning English, large classes, curricular requirements, and teachers’ previous learning experiences. These findings confirm the need for teacher education programs and systems to work towards monitoring teachers’ beliefs and knowledge in order to ensure compliance with the communicative approaches required by the national curriculum.
    
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Author Information
  • English Department, School of Education, Abdou Moumouni University, Niamey, Niger

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