Classroom practices being employed by teachers of english to teach grammar in grade 11: a case of Chongwe district, Zambia.
The purpose of this study was to search for classroom practices/exercises which would facilitate communicative competence in the teaching and learning of English grammar in Zambian public secondary schools. This study was informed by the Social Constructivism research paradigm. In addition, descriptive research design was employed. The population for this study included all the public secondary schools in Chongwe district, all the grade eleven teachers and learners of English language. Sample was picked purposively using criterion sampling technique. The sample involved 3 Heads of Department for Literature and Languages, 7 English language subject teachers and 15 grade 11 learners of English language. The study also included one standard educational officer. In total, the sample comprised 26 participants. Data was collected using interview guide, focus group discussion guide, classroom observation guide and document analysis. The findings were analysed thematically. Theoretically, the study employed the Code and Pedagogic Discourse Theory by Bernstein with the focus on the notion of framing. This theory states that teachers and learners have the power to choose what works for them in the teaching and learning process. The theory helped in examining teachers’ and learners’ experiences regarding the teaching and learning of English grammar. Through the lens of framing, the theory helped in examining the context in which classroom practices are conducted during the teaching and learning of English grammar. With reference to objective 1, the findings revealed that classroom practices being employed by teachers during English grammar lessons include: Cloze exercise, transformation exercise, substitution exercise, spelling quiz, composition exercise, single word prompt, choosing a correct sentence, situational exercise, punctuation exercise, reading exercise and constructing own sentences. Out of 10 teachers, only three mentioned the use of situation practices/exercise. Also, out of the 10 teachers, only 1 mentioned the use of repetition in the teaching of English grammar. Also, only 1 mentioned the use of spelling quiz. It was concluded that the most used practices are mechanical ones as compared to meaningful practices. It must be stated that each practice has specific skills which it develops when employed during the teaching and learning of English grammar. For example, transformation exercise can facilitate strategic competence (the ability to repair communication when one is misunderstood). Regarding objective 2, the findings revealed that teachers and learners had varying experiences regarding the teaching and learning of English grammar. Some teachers indicated that they experienced lack of participation from the learners due low language proficiency. Conversely, other teachers recommended their classroom practice stating that they are effective because they involve every learner. Others observed inconsistencies of learners’ development of communicative competence in that, most learners are able to do classroom practices successfully but still make grammatical errors when they go outside. It was also noted that the effectiveness of the practices depends on the quality of learners and the topic at hand. Others mentioned that the atmosphere in the classroom determines the choice of the practices. It was mentioned that the teacher can switch to a different type of practices if he or she sees that learners are not grasping the content. Findings from learners of School A and B indicate that there was a positive outcome from the practices which were employed. It was mentioned that a number of the practices used are effective in that they facilitate the ability to communicate both inside and outside classroom. For instance, one pupil explained that situation exercises are effective because after learning the structures, one can use the structures even somewhere else. Findings from learners of School C indicate that learners are not given a lot of examples. In short, they experienced lack of adequate examples to help them grasp the content. For objective 3, the findings revealed that there is no specific practice which could facilitate communicative competence. Hence, teachers suggested the use of more than one practice in a lesson taking into consideration the type of lesson and the quality of the learners. The findings also revealed that some learners preferred mechanical practices (repetition, substitution) while others preferred meaningful practices (situation, true sentences). These findings suggest that a combination of various practices exercise in one lesson. Despite the suggestion of eclectic approach to classroom practices, both teachers and learners emphasised the use of situational practice. This is because both teachers and learners believed that situational approach enables the learner to use the language inside and outside classroom effectively because structures are not taught in isolation but in combination with the situation in which they are used. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that Teachers of English language should make sure that their classroom practices reflect all the four dimensions of communicative competence (grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic competence).
Classroom practices--Communicative competence., Language and education., Language and languages--Study and teaching., Pragmatics., English language--Grammar.
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