The Iraqi EFL Pre-Service Student Teachers’ Attitude on Teaching Grammar at ELT Departments of Salahaddin University

Abstract

This study aims chiefly to know the pre-service teachers’ perspectives about learning and teaching grammar at ELT departments in Erbil especially English departments at Salahaddin university-SUE in Erbil, because the majority of pre-service teachers suffer from the pattern and the old methods and basically attempt to teach and learn a foreign language in a new and quick.

Consequently, many of pre-service teachers favor at teaching and learning grammar with four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). But some pre-service teachers are against this perspective and likes to learn grammar as an independent course. There are obvious that language is null without grammar. Yet, some linguists believe that grammar is not needed while some claim that grammar is necessary and should be taught. If teaching grammar is needed, what approach teachers should follow and use.

To investigate the aim of the study, both approaches qualitative and quantitative has been adopted in which the approaches to teaching grammar, the benefits and drawbacks of each approach are discussed. A questionnaire was administered to the participants. The questionnaire was administered to 60 pre-service teachers who were randomly selected from College of Languages, Education and Basic education at Salahaddin University for the academic year of 2015-2016, they were chosen as the sample of this research. The questionnaire was used to gather the data about their perspectives to teaching and learning grammar.

The results confirm that students are motivated to learn English language unconsciously and to be exposed to English language for learning it and majority of the pre-service teachers think that grammar should be taught in learning English because grammar plays a crucial role in language learning and teaching and it helps the learners to improve their grammatical and communicative competence. The participants, also think that the pedagogical objectives can be attained in teaching grammar courses and achieve the learning outcomes.