A study of the effects of teaching grammar in Ngo May secondary school based on deductive approach versus inductive approach = Nghiên cứu về hiệu quả của việc sử dụng phương pháp diễn dịch và phương pháp quy nạp trong việc giảng dạy ngữ pháp tại trường THCS Ngô Mây

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

QUY NHON UNIVERSITY

NGUYEN VO BICH THUY

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF TEACHING

GRAMMAR IN NGO MAY SECONDARY SCHOOL

BASED ON DEDUCTIVE APPROACH

VERSUS INDUCTIVE APPROACH

Field: Theory and Methodology of English Language Teaching

Code: 8140111

Supervisor: Truong Van Dinh, Ph.D.

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

TRƢỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUY NHƠN

NGUYEN VO BICH THUY

NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ HIỆU QUẢ CỦA VIỆC SỬ DỤNG

PHƢƠNG PHÁP DIỄN DỊCH VÀ PHƢƠNG PHÁP QUY NẠP

TRONG VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY NGỮ PHÁP TẠI

TRƢỜNG THCS NGÔ MÂY

Ngành: Lý luận và phƣơng pháp dạy học bộ môn tiếng Anh

Mã số: 8140111

Ngƣời hƣớng dẫn: TS. TRƢƠNG VĂN ĐỊNH

i

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

The thesis entitled “A Study of the Effects of Teaching Grammar based on

Deductive Approach versus Inductive Approach” is conducted under the

supervision of Ph.D. Truong Van Dinh, a lecturer working at Quy Nhon

University.

I declare that the information reported in this study is the result of my own

work and effort, except where due reference is made. The thesis has not been

accepted for any degree and is not simultaneously submitted to any

candidature for any degree or diploma.

Binh Dinh, August 2022

Nguyen Vo Bich Thuy

ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Without the support, encouragement, and contributions from my Ph.D.

Truong Van Dinh, colleagues, friends and family, the successful completion

of this study work would not have been possible. I take this chance to

appreciate them for their useful advice and invaluable comments, and time.

They have always been by my side and helped me enriched my knowledge

and made my master thesis graduate journey a memorable chapter in my life.

First and foremost, I am grateful to my supervisor, Ph.D. Truong Van

Dinh, for his amazing supervision. His knowledge and profession teaching￾related expertise inspired me greatly during my studying at Quy Nhon

University, and he opened new horizons for me in every field. I profoundly

appreciate his accommodating guidelines and suggestions, great patience, and

strong management skills in helping me resolve the obstacles whenever I had

difficulties in my thesis. I am very lucky to have had him support me for my

work.

This study was made achievable by the presence of the enthusiastic

students at Ngo May Secondary School in Quy Nhon City, who devoted their

time taking part in this study. I was also thankful to my colleagues for their

fascinating assistance, encouragement and management during this phase. I

feel fortunate to know all of them.

Last but not least, I am grateful to all the support that I received from

my beloved parents throughout my thesis education.

iii

ABSTRACT

The present research seeks to investigate the effectiveness of English

grammar teaching to language users in EFL classrooms. In Vietnam, English

in general and grammar in particular has been taught deductively or

inductively depending on students’ needs, interests, attitudes and motivation.

To be more precise, the study has explored the effectiveness towards

inductive and deductive approaches to English grammar teaching held by 135

students in Ngo May Secondary School. The instruments for data collection to

serve the aim of the study are a survey questionnaire, a proficiency test and an

achievement test. Moreover, the objective of this research is to get empirical

data of the differences between students’ scores on grammar tests who were

taught inductively and deductively.

The research method used in this research was a quantitative method

using quasi-experimental design. The data was collected through pre-test and

post-test. After a careful long time of collecting and analyzing the data, it is

revealed in the research that the students’ performances in deductive class is

better than the inductive one despite the students’ improvement of grammar

retention. Additionally, through the different instruments such as

questionnaires for students, class observation the underlying reasons for the

above problems have been revealed. Last but not least, the researcher also

offers some pedagogical suggestions that emerged from the research findings

with the hope to bring about some changes and progresses in English

grammar teaching for the sake of effective grammar learning on the students’

learning process.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP.........................................................................i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...........................................................................................ii

ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................. iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................................iv

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................vii

LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................ix

LIST OF ABBREVIATION .......................................................................................x

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................1

1.1. Rationale ..........................................................................................................1

1.2. Aim and Objectives .........................................................................................5

1.2.1. Aim of the Study....................................................................................5

1.2.2. Objectives of the Study..........................................................................5

1.3. Research Questions..........................................................................................5

1.4. Scope of the Study ...........................................................................................5

1.5. Significance of the Study.................................................................................6

1.6. Structure of the Thesis.....................................................................................6

CHAPTER 2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND LITERATURE REVIEW.8

2.1. Importance of Grammar in Teaching Foreign Languages...............................8

2.1.1. Definition of Grammar...........................................................................8

2.1.2. Types of Grammar ...............................................................................11

2.2. Theories of Language Learning.....................................................................15

2.2.1. Krashen’s viewpoint regarding the role of grammar...........................18

2.2.2. Monitor Hypothesis..............................................................................19

2.2.3. Role of grammar in EFL contexts........................................................20

2.3. Approaches to Grammar Teaching................................................................21

2.3.1. Learning Grammar...............................................................................21

2.3.2. Two main approaches to Grammar Teaching......................................21

2.3.3. Previous studies on Deductive versus Inductive Grammar Learning..28

2.3.4. Researches into effectiveness of Inductive and Deductive teaching ...33

v

2.4. The knowledge gap in the literature ..............................................................34

CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................36

3.1. Research Design ............................................................................................36

3.2. Variables........................................................................................................37

3.3. Research Entrance Test..................................................................................38

3.4. Research Setting and Participants..................................................................39

3.4.1. Research Setting...................................................................................39

3.4.2. Participants...........................................................................................39

3.5. Quasi-experiment...........................................................................................40

3.6. Research Instruments.....................................................................................41

3.6.1. Pre-post test..........................................................................................41

3.6.2. Questionnaire .......................................................................................45

3.7. Procedures of the Study .................................................................................46

CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION.......................................................49

4.1. Description of Data........................................................................................49

4.2. Pre-post-tests..................................................................................................49

4.2.1. Pre-test Scores......................................................................................50

4.2.2. Treatment .............................................................................................58

4.2.3. Post-test Scores....................................................................................60

4.3. Effective Approach in Teaching Grammar....................................................67

4.4. Results of questionnaire.................................................................................71

4.4.1. Learning the grammatical rules helps me produce grammatically

correct sentences ............................................................................................73

4.4.2. I believe that I can improve my grammatical accuracy through practice

of grammatical structures...............................................................................74

4.4.3. Sometimes I have difficulties in producing language in a natural

conversation because I focus largely on correct use of grammar..................76

4.4.4. I need to know the structural pattern and its function before I can use it

proficiently .....................................................................................................77

4.4.5. I expect my teacher to present and explain grammatical points..........79

4.4.6. Learning grammatical rules is very useful for me ...............................80

vi

4.4.7. I feel insecure when the teacher does not explain the grammatical rules81

4.5. Conclusion .....................................................................................................82

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS...........................................84

5.1. Summary of the Study ...................................................................................84

5.2. Significance of the findings...........................................................................88

5.3. Teaching implications....................................................................................89

5.3.1. Implication for EFL teachers ...............................................................89

5.3.2. Implication for different types of learners...........................................90

5.4. Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research........................................90

5.4.1. Limitations of Deductive Approach.....................................................91

5.4.2. Limitations of Inductive Approach......................................................91

5.4.3. Suggestions for further research ..........................................................91

REFERENCES..........................................................................................................93

APPENDICES

vii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Deductive Approach

(Widodo, 2006)........................................................................................24

Table 2.2. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Inductive Approach (Widodo,

2006).........................................................................................................26

Table 2.3. The relationship between two types of grammar instruction

(Krashen, 1993)........................................................................................19

Table 3.1. Means of classes in Ngo May Secondary School...................................38

Table 3.2. Number of participants..............................................................................40

Table 3.3. The Reliability of the Pre-post Tests........................................................44

Table 3.4. The Reliability of Questionnaire ..............................................................46

Table 3.5. Conversion of the Actual Score into a Five Scale Score........................48

Table 4.1. Group statistics of pre-test results of Experimental and

Control Group ..........................................................................................51

Table 4.2. Difference of Level between Inductive class and Deductive class

before Intervention...................................................................................53

Table 4.3. Group statistics of pre-test results of Experimental Group....................53

Table 4.4. Independent samples T-test of the Inductive and Deductive Classes

before the treatment.................................................................................54

Table 4.5. The percentage of frequency Pre-test score of Deductive class............55

Table 4.6. The percentage of frequency Pre-test score of Inductive class..............56

Table 4.7. The percentage of frequency Pre-test score of Control Group..............57

Table 4.8. Group statistics of Post-test result of Experimental and

Control Group ..........................................................................................61

Table 4.9. Group statistics of Post-test result of Experimental Group....................62

Table 4.10. Independent samples T-test of the Inductive and Deductive Classes

after the treatment....................................................................................63

Table 4.11. The percentage of frequency Post-test score of Deductive class.........64

viii

Table 4.12. The percentage of frequency Post-test score of Inductive class..........65

Table 4.13. The percentage of frequency Post-test score of Control Group ..........66

Table 4.14. Descriptive statistics of Post-test in Control Group and

Experimental Group ................................................................................67

Table 4.15. The comparison of mean of Pre-test and Post-test in Control Group

and Experimental Group.........................................................................68

Table 4.16. Descriptive statistics of Post-test in Inductive Class and Deductive

Class..........................................................................................................69

Table 4.17. The comparison of mean of Pre-test and Post-test in Experimental

Group ........................................................................................................69

Table 4.18. The reliability statistics of Questionnaire ..............................................72

Table 4.19. Learning the grammatical rules helps me produce grammatically

correct sentences......................................................................................74

Table 4.20. I believe that I can improve my grammatical accuracy

through practice of grammatical structures...........................................75

Table 4.21. Sometimes I have difficulties in producing language in a natural

conversation because I focus largely on correct use of grammar .......77

Table 4.22. I need to know the structural pattern and its function

before I can use it proficiently................................................................78

Table 4.23. I expect my teacher to present and explain grammatical points..........79

Table 4.24. Learning grammatical rules is very useful for me ................................81

Table 4.25. I feel insecure when the teacher does not explain the grammatical

rules...........................................................................................................82

ix

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1. Dirven’s distinction between pedagogical and descriptive grammar.. 14

Figure 2.2. The system of Interlanguage (Lary Selinker, 1972)................................ 17

Figure 4.1. Histogram of Control Pre-test Score ........................................................... 52

Figure 4.2. Histogram of Experimental Pre-test Score ................................................ 52

Figure 4.3. Frequency Distribution Pre-test Score of Deductive Class.................... 55

Figure 4.4. Frequency Distribution Pre-test Score of Inductive class....................... 56

Figure 4.5. Frequency Distribution Pre-test Score of Control Group....................... 57

Figure 4.6. Inductive Approach of rules.......................................................................... 59

Figure 4.7. Deductive approach of rules.......................................................................... 60

Figure 4.8. Histogram of Control Post-test Score.......................................................... 61

Figure 4.9. Histogram of Experimental Post-test Score............................................... 63

Figure 4.10. Frequency Distribution Post-test score of Deductive Class................. 65

Figure 4.11. Frequency Distribution Post-test score of Inductive Class.................. 66

Figure 4.12. Frequency Distribution Post-test score of Control Group.................... 67

Figure 4.13. Gender.............................................................................................................. 71

Figure 4.14. Learning the grammatical rules helps me produce grammatically

correct sentences............................................................................................. 73

Figure 4.15. I believe that I can improve my grammatical accuracy

through practice of grammatical structures............................................... 74

Figure 4.16. Sometimes I have difficulties in producing language in a natural

conversation because I focus largely on correct use of grammar........ 76

Figure 4.17. I need to know the structural pattern and its function

before I can use it proficiently...................................................................... 77

Figure 4.18. I expect my teacher to present and explain grammatical

points.................................................................................................................. 79

Figure 4.19. Learning grammatical rules is very useful for me ................................. 80

Figure 4.20. I feel insecure when the teacher does not explain the grammatical

rules.................................................................................................................... 81

x

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

EFL : English as Foreign Language

FOF : Focus on Form

BAAL : The British Association for Applied Linguistics

1

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 introduces the rationale underlying this current study. The chapter

includes six main parts: the Rationale, the Aims and the Objectives of the

Study, Research Questions, the Scope of the Study, the Significance of the

Study, and the Organization of the Study.

1.1. Rationale

English, an international language which is used by many people all over

the world, is the target language which is taught in most schools in Vietnam and

is used to be mean of communicate among nations either in spoken or written

form. It is also considered as one of the requisite languages in the world and is

crucial to learn, especially for young learners. It can be used in giving or

receiving information as well as for advancement of education, technology and

arts. It is also necessary for parents to prepare their child to study English as soon

as possible since their brain is ready for learning and most of them have abilities

to memorize well from a very early age.

Throughout the history of second language and foreign language, both

grammar and grammar teaching have always been at the center of

methodological discussion in teaching English. Many scholars have been

conducting their research on the importance of the teaching and learning of

grammar. Most of them share the view that the role of grammar and teaching

grammar are essential parts in language learning. Brown (1994) stated that the

teaching of grammar besides vocabularies should be a central aspect of

foreign language teaching.

With the rise of communicative methodology in the late 1970s, the role

of grammar instruction was restrained, and it was even believed that teaching

grammar was not only helpless but also detrimental. Nonetheless, recent

research has demonstrated the need for formal instructions for learners to

2

achieve high levels of accuracy, which is one important constituent of

language proficiency.

Additionally, it is necessary for students to learn grammar so that they

can understand English as a second language. According to Widodo (2006),

grammar has its own superiority in language learning, especially in English as

a foreign language. Having good knowledge of grammar is important in order

to have the ability to communicate successfully. In other words, improper use

of grammar will not convey meaningful messages.

These days, when learners study a new language like English, the

foremost spoken language for non-native speakers around the world, it is

essential for them to consider it as the most international language since it is

the language of education, technology, science, and other fields. While in the

process of acquiring the native language, people intuitively adopt the

descriptive linguistics of the language through daily conversations, target

language learners have to make much efforts to master the grammatical

aspects of the language. Also, it is the fact that classroom instruction in

grammar might have an influence on the second language competence. Brown

(1994) lays an emphasis on the teaching of grammar beside vocabulary as a

crucial aspect of foreign language teaching, notably on English. It is also one

of the most difficult and contentious sides of language teaching. Thus, many

works have been done on the importance and requisite of the teaching and

learning of grammar.

Most recent papers have demonstrated the necessity of formal

instructions for learners to accomplish high levels of accuracy, which is one

of the necessary factors which lead to language acquisition. This has led to the

resurrection of teaching grammar, in order that its role in second or foreign

language learning has become the center of attention in several current studies.

Therefore, the approaches used to teach grammar turn out to be more arguable