How grammar should be taught is not self-evident, and one of the choices to consider is whether grammar should be taught explicitly or implicitly. The purpose of this essay has been to research how three different EFL textbooks used in Swedish upper secondary school cover grammar and how their approaches could affect teaching in the classroom. To be able to conduct the research, three questions were asked: what type of instructions and exercises can be found in the textbooks, do the three textbooks have implicit or explicit approaches to grammar, and what kind of implications do the approaches to grammar found in the textbooks have for teaching? A comparison between the three textbooks was also made concerning the way that they approach grammar.
In connection to the question of what kind of instructions and exercises the EFL textbooks had, the study has shown that all three textbooks contain exercises that focus on grammar, as well as exercises that focus on other aspects of the English language, for example, reading comprehension. Furthermore, the study has shown that both Viewpoints 2 and Viewpoints Vocational had almost an equal distribution between non-grammar exercises and grammar exercises, while Pick & Mix 1, in contrast, had a more significant proportion of non-grammar exercises. The reason why the distribution was so similar in the first two books was found to most likely be the result from being written by the same authors.
Moreover, in relation to whether the teaching aids had an explicit or implicit approach to grammar, the study has shown that both approaches are represented in the textbooks. However, if one looks more closely at the distribution between grammar exercises that had either explicit or implicit instruction, the study has also shown that all three EFL textbooks have a higher percentage of exercises that have explicit instruction. These findings also correlate with the previous studies done by Ellis (2002) and From (2021), who both concluded that an explicit approach to grammar was the most common to find in teaching aids used in upper secondary school.
In relation to the last question concerning implications for teaching, the study has shown that the explicit approach found in the textbooks could constitute an advantage for grammar teaching in the classroom. The positive aspects are related to how a teacher can use the structure of the textbooks to create a timetable that is easy to follow, with exercises that are easy to use in a classroom situation. Furthermore, the structure of the textbooks could also allow the teacher to efficiently ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn the grammatical features they need to develop their language skills. Even if grammar is not explicitly mentioned in the syllabus, it does mention that students should develop their language in terms of correctness, and as this study has shown, knowledge of grammar is an essential part of this.
In conclusion, this study has helped to further show that EFL textbooks written in recent years are more likely to follow a traditional approach to grammar instruction, thus approaching grammar explicitly. This also means that one could argue that these teaching materials do not follow the Swedish upper secondary school syllabus, since the current syllabus and its vague wording seems to give more support to a focus on meaning rather than a focus on form. However, one could also argue that the vague wording opens up for a broader interpretation where an explicit approach fits. Nevertheless, that the EFL textbooks have a focus-on-forms approach is beneficial for the learner, as explicit instructions are effective for students to learn new grammatical structures.
2021. , p. 28
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