Albanian EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of the Role of Grammar Instruction in EFL Learning

The role of grammar knowledge and the contribution it makes to foreign/second language learning has been one of the most hotly debated issues in language research. Studies and findings in the field have revealed that after a relatively long period of exaggerated underestimate, grammar stands now where it should. Various theories of learning have caused theories of language learning to emerge, which on their part have had a strong influence on language teachers regarding the strategies they adopt , develop and implement in their classroom practices. This paper attempts to explore some Albanian EFL teachers’ perceptions and beliefs on the role grammar knowledge and grammar instruction play in their students’ EFL learning. It also aims to investigat e how these teachers’ attitudes influence their classroom practices of grammar instruction and grammar related activities. Since hardly any research on the issue has been conducted in Albania, this study may also serve as an incentive for further large-scale research, which might offer suggestions for improvement in EFL teaching strategies and expectations in Albania.


Introduction
One of the most hotly debated issues in research in EFL learning and second language acquisition studies is the position grammar knowledge and formal grammar instruction should hold in the teaching process.The three major periods which language learning has experienced with regard to the role of grammar in second/foreign language instruction have been described as:1) grammar age 2) zero grammar age and 3) grammar for communication age.(Sogutlu, 2014) The importance given to grammar in each of the three periods has been determined by the meaning and purpose of learning a foreign language at the respective time.While in the first age FL learning aimed to enable people to read in the target language, eventually requiring knowledge of grammar rules, the zero age went for communication alone ignoring grammar completely.The third age, which is a combination of the first two, reconsiders the importance of grammar for communication competence.
However, the ones who apply various theories of language learning and who develop their own strategies are the language teachers.Their approaches to grammar instruction in EFL classrooms are shaped by their beliefs and attitudes towards grammar and the role they think it plays in L2 instruction.Consequently, the practices they apply need to be researched and thoroughly explored, so that suggestions and improvement be done.In his review study of research in language teacher cognition Borg points out that most of the studies in the field, 47 out of 64, were conducted after the midnineties, (Borg, 2003), which shows a growing interest in researching teachers' attitudes and practices.
Since teachers' perceptions of grammar and its instruction in EFL classrooms is a topic not as widely researched in Albania, this paper addresses the issue with the aim of making its contribution to the field of ELT research in Albania..The aim of this study is to explore what some Albanian EFL teachers think of the role of grammar in EFL/ESL classrooms.
After a short review of approaches to grammar teaching in EFL/ESL classrooms and an overview of research in teachers' perceptions and beliefs about the topic, the findings of the study will be discussed.

Approaches to grammar teaching in L2
Concerning the position of grammar instruction in EFL classrooms, the debate is no longer whether to teach grammar or not, but when and how to teach it.With the assumption that grammar instruction contributes to inter-language development the logical question Ellis (Ellis, Current issues in the teaching of grammar, 2006) raises is what grammar should be taught.The main concern of this part of the study is to briefly mention some of the most common approaches to grammar teaching.

Task-based learning (TBL)
The various definitions suggested by researchers show that tasks focus mainly on meaning.According to Willis and Willis (2007) tasks are activities "where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome".Ellis (2009) defines TBL as the kind of instruction that creates contexts which encourage the learner to use his natural language learning capacity and does not teach the language bit by bit.In this way it helps the learner to be more successful at making progress.Unlike grammar exercises, tasks require the learner to convey meaning by making use of his/her linguistic knowledge.Thus the main idea of task-based learning is that successful language learning occurs if learners perform activities that enable them to make use of real-life language (Ellis 2003;Nunan, 2004) Asking students to do tasks in which they have to communicate about grammar is another task-based approach.Fotos and Ellis (1991) argue that it is possible to combine grammar instruction with opportunities for communication involving an exchange of information.This can be applied with learners who are not beginners.

Focus on form instruction (FFI)
FFI is the type of teaching that requires the learners to focus on the language form rather than the meaning.It is believed to benefit learners who are beyond early childhood and whose exposure with the target language happens primarily in classrooms, because it helps them make more efficient use of the exposure to the language (Lightbown&Spada, 2006).
Ellis's approach of three types of FFI instruction entails both form and meaning.In his "Focus on forms" type a single grammatical structure is instructed everyday and the students are required to focus on form (accuracy) (Ellis,2006).Not overlooking meaning his "focus on form" type implies "a focus on meaning with attention to form arising out of the communicative activity.Thu (2009) describes these two types as the "former referring to teaching grammar whenever errors occur during a meaning-focused activity, whereas the latter referring to teaching grammar in isolation".
For other researchers FFI focuses on the distinction between explicit instruction on grammar forms and meaning-focused use of form (Hinkel & Fotos, 2002).A combination of focus on form without disregarding meaning seems to be a way to demonstrate that grammar can contribute to language development and communicative competence.

Teaching explicit or implicit knowledge
Another controversial issue regarding grammar instruction is whether explicit or implicit knowledge better benefits the learner.For Ellis (2006) explicit knowledge "is held consciously, is learnable and verbalizable" and it consists of "facts that speakers of a language have learned"; whereas implicit knowledge is "procedural, is held unconsciously and can be verbalized if it is made implicit".
While explicit grammar instruction means exploring teaching techniques that make students focus on language structures and patterns (Terrell, 1991), implicit learning is unconscious acquisition of knowledge.
The focus of explicit/implicit debate has mostly been on whether explicit grammar rules are possible to teach students.Doughty's study (1991) showed that it was more productive to teach the structures than to expose them to the learners.SLA researchers like Krashen (1982) consider learners' ability to acquire explicit knowledge as limited and possible only when they focus on form.DeKeyser's pilot study with one explicit and one implicit group demonstrated that explicit learning is better than implicit learning for categorical rules (DeKeyser, 1994).In his psychometric study of implicit and explicit knowledge, referring to authors like Green&Hecht and Bialystok Ellis comes to the conclusion that that explicit knowledge can be learned at any age, while implicit knowledge cannot (Ellis, 2005;Green&Hecht, 1992;Bialystok, 1994).

Overview of research in teachers' perceptions of grammar instruction in L2
Teachers' own views about the role of grammar knowledge in language learning affect the position/place they give to grammar instruction in their classroom practices.Eventually not only the learners' perceptions about their grammar knowledge and its instruction in the language classroom are affected, but also the importance and attention they give to grammar is automatically determined.
Research and studies about teachers' perceptions of grammar knowledge and instruction in the language classroom have revealed various opinions and practises according to which teachers favour or agree with various ways of presenting grammar structures to their students.
In his study about the relationship between teachers' beliefs and practices during literacy instruction for non-native speakers of English Johnson came to the conclusion that "teachers provide instruction which is consistent with their theoretical beliefs".(Johnson, 1992) In a study conducted in a language school in California, (Thu, 2009) 11 ESL teachers agreed that when language learning is limited to the classroom formal study of grammar is essential to the eventual mastery of a foreign or second language.The same teachers also believed that practising the target language in real life situations is more important than analyzing and practising grammar patterns.
Another research into EAP (English for Academic Purposes) teachers' attitudes towards grammar revealed that over 60% of respondents viewed grammar as a framework or a basic system for the rest of the language, while 85% disagreed with the statement that "grammar acts as something which is added on to language proficiency" (Burgess&Etherington, 2002).
The same study was adopted and conducted with Iranian state and private high school teachers of English (Farshchi, 2009).The majority of participant teachers agreed that knowledge of grammar for students and teachers was necessary.The main concern was the way grammar should be presented and, despite the importance given to natural exposure, ther was a great agreement that formal instruction helps students to use grammatical structures correctly.
A case study (Farrell& Lim Poh Choo, 2005) that investigated and compared two experienced Singapore teachers' beliefs of grammar teaching and their classroom practices concluded that both teachers agreed that the teaching of grammar was crucial for the learners' successful use of grammar structures in written work.In order to achieve this they regularly provided grammar drills for their students.
Comparative research conducted to FL learners in Colombia and the US (Schulz, 2001) was meant to compare culturebased attitudes to grammar study in FL learning.Although its results indicated that Colombian teachers had stronger beliefs regarding the efficacy of explicit grammar instruction and error correction than their US counterparts, the majority of teachers in both groups agreed that grammar instruction helps in language learning.The case study of four English teachers in Hong Kong revealed that their beliefs significantly influenced their grammar teaching practices (Wu, 2006).The reasons given for grammar teaching showed that formal instruction was a multifaceted activity in the teachers' work.Some teachers thought grammar teaching was connected not only with students' language proficiency but also with psychological functions which were as important.
One of the three main conclusions Borg (2003) identifies in his review on studies conducted on the topic is that there is no suggestion in any of them that formal instruction is becoming less prevalant in language classrooms.On the contrary, most teachers reported that attention to grammar was something they promoted in their work.
Teachers' views of grammar knowledge determine not only the attention they give to it but also their classroom practices.Research shows that in general EFL/ESL teachers agree that grammar knowledge is important and it should be instructed in EFL classrooms.However, they support different approaches to grammar teaching, thus implementing various methods and techniques to provide their students with grammar instruction

Purpose of the sudy
Since teachers develop different teaching attitudes and practices based on their views, knowing what teachers believe and then adopt is of great significance; it shapes the students learning practices and skills, and therefore their language competence.Hardly any research has been conducted in Albania on the topic, except one I came across, which focuses on the difficulties students face when learning grammar.It follows a previous similar research of mine with more than 300 high school students, aiming to explore students' perceptions of grammar knowledge and grammar instruction in EFL learning.The present study consists of almost the same questions apart from some alterations made to adopt the questionnaire for teachers and it aims to explore the teachers views on the following: What is/should be the position of grammar knowledge and instruction in language learning?What are teachers' practices in grammar teaching?

Participants and data collection
This study uses a quantitative methodology with a questionnaire made up of 28 questions on the topic and demographic data.The questions were wrtitten in Albanian and had the 5-point scale Lickert format.26 secondary and high school teachers, 10 and 16 respectively, 17 females and 9 males, participated in the study.They were asked to fill in the questionnaire during breaks at an exam evaluation centre..

Findings
SPSS 21.0 version was used to analyze the data.Although the questions were not grouped they were aimed to investigate the teachers' perceptions on three main topics: 1.The position and role of grammar knowledge and instruction in EFL teaching and learning.2. Teachers' classroom practices.3. Teachers' views of students' perceptions of grammar and the impact of their classroom practices on students' language competence.

1.The position and role of grammar knowledge and instruction in EFL teaching and learning
All answers to the 9 questions related to the first group revealed that most teachers have a very positive attitude towards grammar knowledge and its instruction in EFL classrooms.Except question 4, the answers to each of the other 8 had at least 61.5 % in favour of grammar knowledge.96.2% of the participants agree that studying grammar is essential to learning a foreign language with no one disagreeing and only 3.8% being undecided.50% of the teachers do not agree that studying grammar only helps students to do well in exams.For 61.5% of the participants a student good at grammar is good at the language in general as well.The most surprising result was that of question 9, with no one disagreeing or even being undecided and 50% agreeing and 50% tottally agreeing that studying and practising grammar helps students' progress with the language.

Teachers' classroom practices
Concerning formal instruction of grammar most teachers seem to either explain grammar rules and structures explicitly (42.3% always and 46.2% often applying this method) or ask students to work the rules out after reading examples containing the target structures and patterns with 23.1% always and 57.7% often practising this.
In the first group of questions it was revealed that all teachers thought that practising grammar was helpful to the students' progress.The three popular applications are writing activities, speaking activities and homework.Speaking activities do not appear to be as much favoured (38.5% always, 46.2% often make use of them.In contrast to written activities, which were always (50%) or often (50%) made of by all the participants, one of the teachers (3.8%)only rarely and (11.5%) sometimes use speaking activities for practising grammar structures.Giving homework is what none of the teachers never does.While only one (3.8%) of them sometimes asked students to do homework about grammarö 38.5% often and 57.7% always do so.
Correction and feedback of grammar errors was another element inspected in the research.Correction of written work (50%always, 50% often) is more prefered than correction of grammar mistakes done in speaking activities (23.1% always, 38.5% often).11.5% of the teachers never correct their students' grammar mistakes in speaking.

Teachers' views of students' perceptions of grammar and the impact of their classroom practices on students' language competence
Data collected from the research show that over 50% of the teachers think students like studying grammar, while 46.2% thınks students do not like grammar but they study it because they need it.Concerning students' ability to identify and name various grammatical structures used in reading or listening parts and to use them in orally or in writing, over 50% of the teachers think and agree that they can.
Error correction is considered to benefit students.While 92.3% of the participants agree and 7.7% of them disagree that students learn from correction and feedback of their own mistakes, slightly fewer 84 teachers think students learn from correction made to their friends' mistakes.
All the participant teachers agree that the various (spoken or written) classroom practices always or often help the students learn the grammatical structures; only one teacher thought that written exercises done in class only sometimes benefit the students.

Discussion
Evidence gathered from the research shows that Albanian EFL teachers share a very positive attittude towards the position of grammar knowledge and grammar instruction in EFL learning and teaching.They consider grammar as an essential component of language learning and think that students who possess good grammar knowledge learn the target language better.For them grammar can not be considered as an element that contributes to success in exams, it is a pillar that contributes a lot to the learners' progress and their language competence.Teachers' views shape their attitudes and approaches to work and consiquently their classroom practices are influenced.Our participant teachers' perceptions about grammar seem to have determined the classroom activities they apply.Almost most of them presented grammar through explicit formal instruction, many others also used deduction activities.Believing that studying and practising grammar is helpful to the students' progress, the majority of teachers answered that they make use of spoken and written activities in class.Homework assignment is an inseparable part of all Albanian teachers.Hardly any of the participant teachers does not assign their students homework connected to grammar patterns and structures.

Conclusion
The controversy among researchers and linguists over the position and role of grammar knowledge in EFL teaching and learning has been going on ever since.Language learning theories and approaches have either downplayed grammar altogether or overestimated it.Arguments for or against have usually differered according to the main aim and concern of each approach.After the '90s especially we see the emergence of approaches that no longer suspect the significance of grammar knowledge; on the contrary their main goal is how to change grammar into a language component that has a role to play in learners' language competence.
Apart from classroom and lesson observations, research has been conducted in order to find out what EFL teachers think of grammar knowledge and instruction, and results have shown that teachers share a positive attitude.However, more research in the same topic could have been conducted in Albania.

Table 1
Studying grammar is essential to learning a foreign language

Table 5
Studying grammar is only a part of learning a foreign language

Table 16
Practicing a foreign language in similar to real life situations is more helpful than analyzing and Table21In a grammar lesson I present the grammatical rule and then ask students to do exercises about it Table22In a grammar lesson I ask students to read examples containing the grammatical structures and then work out the grammar rule Table23In class we do written exercises to practice grammatical structures