Research Proposal on "Grammar Instruction"

Research Proposal 12 pages (4321 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Grammar Instruction

Hybrid Grammar Instruction

"It is generally posited in the literature that tasks should be structured in reference to desirable goals"

Maria J. de la Fuente, Vanderbilt University, USA (2006, p. 266).

Work Plan

Intensive explicit grammar instruction does make a significant, in fact, "all the" difference, Ernesto Macaro and Liz Masterman (2006), University of Oxford, UK, stress in their study, "Does intensive explicit grammar instruction make all the difference?." As they investigate how explicit grammar instruction impacts grammatical knowledge and writing proficiency in first-year French students attending a French at a United Kingdom (UK) university, Macaro and Masterman point out that according to prior research: "Explicit grammar instruction results in gains in explicit knowledge and its application in specific grammar-related tasks, but there is less evidence that it results in gains in production tasks" (Macaro & Masterman, p. 297). Contrary to this contention, albeit, Kate Paesani (2005), who adheres to Krashen's (1981) learning-acquisition theory, asserts in "Literary texts and grammar instruction: Revisiting the inductive presentation," that when educators utilize implicit grammar instruction, learners who are provided with sufficient comprehensible input, acquire language naturally, without requiring any explicit focus on form.

Research Questions

In light of the challenging considerations contributed by proponents of intensive explicit grammar instruction and those who embrace implicit grammar instruction, the proposed study will investigate both aspects to suggest that hybrid grammar instruction may extend a venue to proffer learners a means to enhance their acquirement of grammatical forms and simultaneously raise their consciousness about the target language. The "work plan" for the mixed method, case study (qualitative and quantitative) proposed study will address the primary research question:

What pertinent perks may hybrid grammar instruction potentially proffer for learners than either explicit grammar instruction or implicit grammar instruction implanted as solo teaching practices? The following three sub-questions will contribute to the researcher's quest to answer the primary research question:

1. What are a number of contemporary concerns contributing to considerations regarding grammar instruction?

2. What are some advantages and disadvantages noted in explicit grammar instruction?

3. What are some advantages and disadvantages noted in implicit grammar instruction?

Study Relevance

Currently, the critical role of grammar instruction in the communicative classroom in today's global environment merits, as well as mandates, relevant research. Along with arguing "that learners acquire language naturally when provided with sufficient comprehensible input, and do not require any explicit focus on form," Paesani (2005, Introduction section, ¶ 1), contends that "proponents of explicit grammar instruction, on the other hand, have argued that direct teacher explanation of forms is essential for successful acquisition" (Ibid.). The researcher asserts that the proposed study will prove to be relevant as it simultaneously augments the literature and enhances the reader's understanding regarding the role of grammar instruction, as well as the differences between the various instructional methods.

Grammar Definitions

Marlene Asselin (2002) notes that at least three distinct meanings of grammar exist. According to linguists, these multiple meanings are identifed as Grammar 1, 2, and 3. Asselin notes the following definitions of grammar in "Teaching grammar":

1. Grammar 1 is the unconscious knowledge of language that allows people to produce and comprehend language. It is learned informally by all language users; thus everyone acquires grammar.

2. Grammar 2 is conscious knowledge of language structures including concepts (e.g., parts of speech, nominalization), terminology (e.g., verb, sentence) and analytical techniques (e.g., parsing) for talking about the language. While early English grammars derive from Latin, recently developed grammars are based on views of language other than objective and neutral systems. When people talk about teaching grammar, they usually mean the Latin-based systems.

3. Grammar 3 is "linguistic etiquette" and consists of rules about correct and incorrect usage. Historically, Grammar 3, or "proper English" can be traced to the dialect spoken by educated people in the London, England area several hundred years ago. (Asselin, 2002, Defining grammar section, ¶ 1-3)

Proposed Study Structure

The proposed mixed method, case study, will implement traditional research strategies, and include the following components:

1. Introduction

2. Literature Review

3. Method

4. Analysis

5. Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations

The first chapter of the proposed study, The Introduction, will establish the study's focus, Hybrid Grammar Instruction; present the study's primary research and sub-research questions, as well as the study's relevance, and note the objectives the researcher proposes to fulfill during the forthcoming study. During the Literature Review of the proposed study, the researcher will summarize and synthesize ideas from approximately 25 scholarly sources to relate relevant information other researchers have published on the various methods utilized in grammar instruction.

To conduct the proposed mixed method case study, the researcher will implement the case study methodology, as noted earlier, to explore and describe the phenomenon of Hybrid Grammar Instruction. The researcher also plans to include data retrieved from a survey conducted with a minimum of 30 student participants currently completing classes in grammar instruction. The forthcoming study additionally proposes to incorporate information obtained from a minimum of three interviews with educators who utilize each of the grammar instruction methods this study examines.

During the next section of the proposed study, the Literature Review, the researcher will conduct the tasks of accessing, summarizing and synthesizing the information to address the primary/sub research questions. The goal the researcher assigns for this forthcoming critical study component is to not only structure it to meet, but to exceed its goal to construct a source of credible considerations.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The proposed Literature Review chapter will serve to frame the forthcoming study's investigation. Literature reviews, according to the article, Literature Reviews (2007), simultaneously serve to relate current information in the field to the professional and the scholar. For the construction of the literature review's body, the researcher may choose from the ensuing five organizational strategies:

3. Chronological

4. Methodological

5. Thematic (Literature Reviews, 2007, Organizing the body section, ¶ 4-9).

During the forthcoming study, the researcher opts to employ the thematic organizational format. The proposed themes, which reflect the focus for the proposed study's research questions, include:

1. Contemporary Grammar Instruction Considerations

2. Explicit Grammar Instruction

3. Implicit Grammar Instruction

Contemporary Grammar Instruction Considerations

John M. Norris, University of Hawaii, Mano, and Lourdes Ortega (2001), Georgia State University, note in the study, "Does type of instruction make a difference? Substantive findings from a meta-analytic review," that during the past two decades, research on second-language acquisition has experienced an explosion in the number of quasi-experimental and experi-mental studies addressing the effectiveness of different instruc-tional methods that instructors implement in L2 classrooms and/or in laboratory settings. When compared to naturalistic exposure, instruc-tion does make a difference in I.2 achievement, Norris and Ortega assert. From the primary focus of L2 instruction re-search exploring whether or not instruction in formal contexts impacts second or foreign language learning, the following basic research questions materialized.

1. Is an implicit or an explicit approach more effective for short-term I.2 instruction? ...

2. Can raising learners' metalinguistic awareness of specific L2 forms facilitate acquisition by fostering psycholinguistic processes of form-to-function mapping? ...

3. Is instruction that draws learners' attention to relevant forms in the context of meaning-focused lessons more effective than an exclusive focus on meaning and content? ...

4. Is negative feedback beneficial for l2 development, and if so, what types of feedback may be most effective? ...

5. Is acquisition promoted more effectively when learners process the input in psycholinguistically relevant ways than when they experience traditional grammar explanation and practice? ...

6. Is comprehension practice as ef (cctive as production prac-tice for learning L2 structures? .... (Norris & Ortega, 2001, pp. 158-159)

In her quantitative analysis based on a cognitive approach to task-based second language (L2) learning, de la Fuente (2006) implemented an academic approach to examine the effects of three vocabulary lessons on acquisition of basic meanings, forms and morphological aspects of Spanish words. L2,-word acquisition differs from achieving knowledge of a word's grammatical and syntactical aspects. Lexical acquisition, a complex issue, "includes various components (such as its spelling, phonological representation, word class, morphological or syntactic features, basic meaning, derived meaning, to mention some)" (de la Fuente, 2006, p. 269). The acquisition of a word's basic meaning, however, de la Fuente stresses, does not automatically ensure simultaneous acquisition of the word's formal aspects.

In learning L2, the process includes the following four criteria reflect the meaning of the word, "task":

1. Meaning is primary;

2. there is a goal to be accomplished;

3. The task is outcome evaluated; and

4. there is a real-world relationship (de la Fuente, 2006, p. 264).

Findings from the study by de la Fuente (2006) indicate that the particular pedagogical presentation did not impact the immediate retrieval of the targeted word forms, albeit the approach did influence long-term retrieval (one week) of the targeted forms. The task-based lessons particularly appeared more effective than the "Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) lesson" (de la Fuente, Abstract).

According to de la Fuente (2006), the following depicts a comprehensively defines "task":

A task is a work plan… READ MORE

How to Reference "Grammar Instruction" Research Proposal in a Bibliography

Related Research Proposals:

Grammar Is a Cornerstone of Communication Research Proposal

Grammar is a cornerstone of communication, the skeleton of every sentence. Grammatical rules may be occasionally broken for poetic impact, but only when the writer understands the rule and why… read more

Research Proposal 2 pages (623 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Language / Linguistics

---

Pedagogic Grammar, Written and Spoken Discourse Term Paper

Pedagogic Grammar, Written and Spoken Discourse for English Language

ESL English Language Learning

The objective of this work is to give an analytical account of the key concepts and issues… read more

Term Paper 13 pages (3597 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Language / Linguistics

---

Tutoring Grammar Term Paper

Tutoring Grammar

The student who I chose for this grammar lesson was an undergraduate student at the University. The student was completely deaf although able to communicate through speaking and… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1016 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Language / Linguistics

---

Classroom Set Up Research Paper

Grammar Learning Fun

LESSON PLAN: GRAMMAR LEARNING FUN FOR ELL STUDENTS

The following lesson plan is intended for 6th grade ELL students. The lesson is designed to help students identify… read more

Research Paper 6 pages (2372 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

ELL Writing Sample Analysis Instruction of Students Thesis

ELL Writing Sample Analysis

Instruction of students who are learning English as a second language (ELL) requires a distinct method of practice, lesson focus on the targeting of strengths and… read more

Thesis 10 pages (2999 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA Topic: Education / Teaching / Learning

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>