VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

TRỊNH THANH HUYỀN

A SURVEY ON STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TO DEDUCTIVE AND
INDUCTIVE APPROACHES TO TEACHING ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR
GRADE 11 AT BAC KAN GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL
Nghiên cứu điều tra thái độ của học sinh đối với phương pháp diễn dịch và quy
nạp trong giảng dạy ngữ pháp tiếng Anh tại lớp 11 trường trung học phổ thông
chuyên Bắc Kạn

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Major: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111

HANOI - 2016


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

TRỊNH THANH HUYỀN

A SURVEY ON STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TO DEDUCTIVE AND
INDUCTIVE APPROACHES TO TEACHING ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR
GRADE 11 AT BAC KAN GIFTED HIGH SCHOOL
Nghiên cứu điều tra thái độ của học sinh đối với phương pháp diễn dịch và quy

Date:

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a
number of people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all most
sincerely.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Do Tuan
Minh, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through the
stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and suggestions have
inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher.
A special word of thanks goes to teachers and students in class 11A at Bac Kan
Gifted High School and many others, without whose support and encouragement it
would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished.
Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family and friends for the sacrifice
they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work. Their love will always
be my sunshine in my road to success.

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ABSTRACT
The present survey study seeks to investigate students’ attitudes to English grammar
teaching approaches. Specifically, it has explored the attitudes towards deductive
and inductive approaches to English grammar teaching held by thirty eleven – form
students in English – specialized class coded as A at Bac Kan Gifted High School.
The instruments for data collection to serve the aim of the research are survey
questionnaire, semi – structured interview and classroom observation. After a


i.e.

that is

I1

Interview 1

I2

Interview 2

I3

Interview 3

S1

Student 1

S2

Student 2

S3

Student 3

11A

Attitudes to Deductive Approach

Figure 5

Antonyms and Synonyms Teaching

Figure 6

Attitudes to Inductive Approach

Figure 7

The Simple Present Tense Teaching

Figure 8

Comparative Adjectives Teaching

Figure 9

Attitudes to the Combination of both Approaches

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY ........................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii

1.4. Students’ Attitudes towards English Grammar Instruction ........................ 17
1.4.1. Defining Students’ Attitudes ............................................................ 17
1.4.2. Components of Attitude ................................................................... 19
1.4.3. Some Studies on Students’ Attitudes to Grammar Instruction ........ 20
1.5. Summary ..................................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 22
2.1. Restatement of Research Questions ............................................................ 22
2.2. Research Setting .......................................................................................... 22
2.3. Participants .................................................................................................. 23
2.4. The Appropriateness of the Research Approach ......................................... 23
2.5. Research Instruments .................................................................................. 25
2.5.1. Survey questionnaire ............................................................................ 25
2.5.2. Semi – structured interview ................................................................. 27
2.5.3. Observation .......................................................................................... 28
2.6. Data Collection Procedure........................................................................... 29
2.7. Methods of Data Analysis ........................................................................... 31
2.8. Summary ..................................................................................................... 33
CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................. 34
3.1. Findings ....................................................................................................... 34
3.1.1. Quantitative Data Findings .................................................................. 34
3.1.1.1. Overview of the Current Grammar Teaching Aids at Bac Kan
Gifted High School ..................................................................................... 34
3.1.1.2. Attitudes to Grammar Teaching Approaches ................................ 35
3.1.1.2.1. Importance of Grammar ......................................................... 35
3.1.1.2.2. Importance of Attitude in Grammar Study ............................. 36

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3.1.1.2.3. Attitudes to Deductive Approach ........................................... 37

instruction. In other words, learners acquiring a foreign language through a process
of communication and grammar is just a tool to polish their production when they
have already acquired grammar knowledge. In this case, we can assume that
grammar is necessary, but not an essential background in language learning, and
thus, it should not be the object of instruction in language teaching. With another
point of view, Batstone (1994) affirms the importance of grammar to understand
language because it provides a framework for learners to structure their foreign
language learning. In addition, Dr. Pradeep (2013) admits the importance of
grammar by confirming that when learning a foreign dialect, learners should learn
its grammar since it is extremely important that it cannot be ignored.
From the researcher’s point of view, the role of grammar is a never-ending question
and it is not so important as the matter of how grammar should be taught in foreign
language teaching. In recent times, grammar instruction has been regarded as
essential and indispensable in the context of language teaching. Sharing a similar
idea with the writer, Purpura (2004) points out that grammar plays a central role in
language teaching as it influences the success of foreign language learning. In this
view, grammar plays an extremely important and unavoidable role in developing
the language outcomes of learners. Recently, a number of merited research have

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been conducted to discover the approaches concerning grammar teaching. There are
two approaches that come into question, i.e. deductive and inductive instructions.
Seeing that there is no approach outweighing another; in other words, both
deductive and inductive approaches possess the same merit, so teachers should take
advantages of and be flexible in applying the aforementioned approaches in order to
produce effective grammar teaching.
In this paper, the writer puts the main focus on English as a foreign language taught
in Vietnam. Being considered as a developing country with many potentials,

grammar learning quality.
To achieve the above aim, the following objectives are set for exploration:
-

Investigating key features of deductive and inductive approaches for deeper
understanding

-

Designing students survey questionnaires and questions for semi – structured
interviews

-

Observing teachers teaching the two different approaches

-

Asking students to do the survey questionnaires

-

Inviting some students to take part in semi – structured interviews

-

Collecting and analyzing the data collected

III. Research Questions
The research is conducted to answer two following questions:


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To end with, pedagogical implications for enhancing students’ positive attitudes in
learning grammar and the most appropriate grammar teaching approach will be
proposed based on the results found from all data collection instruments.
VI. Significance of the Research
The findings of the present paper will help get deeper insights into students’
attitudes towards the aforementioned approaches, which in turn stimulate the
adjustment on the part of teachers to accord with students’ needs and wants. The
suggestion of an appropriate approach made by the writer of this paper will
significantly contribute to English grammar teaching and learning outcomes. In
short, valuable information from the practical classroom will help shorten the gap
between theory and practice at least in this context.
VII. Structural Organization of the Thesis
The present graduation thesis is designed with three parts, starting with Introduction
and ending with Conclusion. With the purpose of providing readers with
background for the present research, part A (Introduction) presents the rationale, the
aim and objectives, the scope, the research questions, significance and the structural
organization of the thesis. Part B (Development) includes three chapters.
Specifically, chapter I, named Literature Review, gives a critical review of the
previous studies relating to the research problem under investigation and presents
the theoretical background employed as tools for conducting the whole research.
The Methodology chapter (chapter II) describes the methods and materials used in
doing the research, including data collection instruments and data analysis
techniques. The third chapter (Findings and Discussion) is the part describing what
can be learned during the research and interpreting the results. The last part of the
thesis is part C (Conclusion) which offers some pedagogical implications for better
teaching and learning outcomes, restates the aim and suggests some paths for

Bade (2008) believes that grammar is about the structure of a language and that a
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set of rules is used to change word forms and connect them together to make new
units. Rivers (1968) seems to have the same points as Bade, and he adds more
details that grammar rules are expressed with a difficult terminology and have many
exceptions. Ur (1988) defines grammar “as the way a language manipulates and
combines words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of meaning” (p.4).
Recently, grammar has been more communicatively viewed; to put it another way,
it is considered as a means to communicate and to “mediate words and context’
(Duso, 2007). In the pedagogical field, sharing the same viewpoint, Batstone (1994)
agrees that the knowledge of grammar (structures, rules) does not guarantee
learners’ successful communication and that grammar as process including many
ways to develop in communication may allow learners to communicate. According
to Giunchi (1990), the important aim of grammar is to enrich learners’ ability to use
the foreign language. In this view, we can understand that grammar should be
closely related with context. Only when grammar is learned in accordance with
context can language learners thoroughly understand and master that language.
Therefore, grammar is seen as a tool to correct language use and polish learners’
language products.
As can be understood, different grammar definitions possess different scope and
strength. For the research purpose and the researcher’s intention, grammar defined
by Ur (1988, p.4), which is “the way a language manipulates and combines words
(or bits of words) in order to form longer units of meaning”, will be taken as basis.
1.1.2. The Role of Grammar in Teaching English as a Foreign Language
The role of grammar in foreign language teaching in general and in English
language teaching in particular has been the continual subject for long-standing
debates during many years. These debates have led to different theories about
language acquisition because of some appropriate arguments in these extremes. Put

helps learners understand language patterns or structures and then they can use
those patterns in speaking, reading, listening and writing. In other words, when
learners achieve a good knowledge of grammar, they can be able to express their
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intention in a more polished way or to read between the lines. In this case, we can
infer that a good knowledge of grammar is like a gold key to unlock the door of
foreign language success. Agreeing with Azar’s views as well as basing on the
research results conducted in Japan, Takahashi (2005) states that:
… without a sound knowledge of the grammatical basis of a second or a
foreign language, the learner is in possession of nothing more than a
selection of everyday phrases which are adequate for basic greetings and
making orders at a restaurant, but which will be deficient when the learner is
required to perform any kind of sophisticated linguistic task. (p. 231)
He then concludes that: “… it is of vital importance for EFL students to learn its
grammar of the target language, and that there is a positive correlation between
grammar learning and language competence.” (p. 232)
In the researcher’s mind, grammar is an indispensable factor contributing to foreign
language development. Although there are long-standing debates in the issue, the
researcher affirms that grammar ought to be put in the foreground in foreign
language teaching as well as English language teaching. Put another way, grammar
teaching is essential in the language learning process as grammatical competence is
one of communicative competence.
1.2. Approaches to Grammar Instruction
1.2.1. Experiential Teaching Approach
In essence, experiential teaching approach focuses on meaning and gives learners
exposure to authentic language use. According to Stern (1990, 1992), experiential
teaching strategies include authentic themes and topics as content, aim to engage
students in “purposeful activity”, and emphasize the conveyance of meaning,

problem easier to be solved by breaking the problem down into smaller pieces. By
analyzing those smaller pieces, a solution is then made to deal with such problem.

10


In the pedagogical context, analytical approach or analytic teaching approach is
related to consciousness process in language learning. Seeing that every language
possesses various features, Schmidt (1990) emphasizes a first priority which is a
consciousness or awareness of language features before learning a language. In
other words, to learn any feature in a second or foreign language, it is necessary first
for learners to notice or to be aware of it (both incidentally and intentionally).
Schmidt (1990, 1994) claims that learning a language is largely a conscious process
and noticing is important in learning process. Therefore, analytic teaching has a
function of making language features clearer for learners to notice and understand
(Sharwood Smith, 1981). Similarly, Stern (1990, 1992) highly recommends this
approach in foreign language teaching. Stern posits that analytic teaching strategies
emphasize accuracy and language aspects or features including phonology,
grammar, functions, discourse, and sociolinguistics and that those strategies require
much study and practice of language items on the part of learners to rehearse
language skills.
As far as the researcher is concerned, combined with many other theories in second
or foreign language acquisition, Noticing Hypothesis (as hypothesized by Schmidt)
can be used in all aspects of language for better understanding such as lexicon,
phonology, grammatical form and pragmatics. Additionally, the researcher believes
that input is important in learning any language, but the question of how to make
that input be intake (knowledge that is deeply grasped by learners) is a burning
concern. Fortunately, Noticing Hypothesis has given the answer for the matter. That
is to say, when learners consciously notice what they learn, input becomes intake
and that will enhance learners’ learning quality.

classroom time in explicit grammar instruction” as “at least some grammatical
phenomena can be successfully taught as simple rules” (p.22). In essence, both
explicit and implicit instructions exist in one unity, and the use of explicitness can
be a premise to the successful use of implicitness or vice versa. Specifically, simple
rules make learners improve their comprehension as they have conscious awareness
of what they learn, and Schmidt (1990) posits that such awareness is necessary for
implicit language development. Therefore, teachers should bear in mind that a
certain degree of grammar instruction is necessary to develop learners’ language

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proficiency and that they should be flexible in applying both explicit and implicit
instructions to seek the best teaching results.
1.2.4. Intralingual and Crosslingual Dimension
Generally, the intralingual – crosslingual dimension concerns the use or non – use
of first language in second or foreign language learning. Crosslingual approach
refers to the use of first language in classroom instruction. As far as the researcher
is concerned, the fact that human’s first language can affect their second or foreign
language learning and that all languages have shared features could make it possible
for first language to be the reference in second or foreign language learning. In
other words, first language and the features in common of all languages can provide
positive transference in language learning. Therefore, it should be noted that
teachers should use first language sometimes, especially when particular foreign
language problems occur for it develops accuracy and clarity in the learning and
teaching context and that crosslingual approach can effectively help promote
foreign language learning and teaching.
On the other hand, intralingual approach concerns the non – use of first language in
classroom instruction. Put another way, first language is limited or prohibited in
second or foreign language learning, and students are forced to use the target

2. as a meaning-form focuser that aids the learner in establishing a meaningform relationship for morphologically complex forms; and
3. as a means for monitoring, which in turn, will be available for acquisition
in the output. (p. 58)
On the other hand, “An inductive approach (rule-discovery) starts with some
examples from which a rule is inferred” (Thornbury, 1999). As far as the researcher
is concerned, an inductive approach refers to a “bottom up” approach which
requires students to induce grammar rules through exercises and tasks. To be more
specific, the inductive teaching of grammar implies that data about the uses of
linguistic features are shown to students within a corpus, in which they have to find
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regularities and then generalize the results, in order to induce grammar rules (Ellis,
1997; Krashen, 1982). Inductive approach seems to receive more supports from
scholars as it encourages learners compared with an exclusive reliance on the
presentation – practice – production approach of many traditional grammar books
(Carter, Hughes and McCarthy, 2000).
To sum up, deductive approach is a movement from generalization to specification,
and inductive instruction goes from specification to generalization. It should be
noted that great responsibility is left to teachers who have to decide which grammar
structures to be taught in accordance with learners’ level and which approach:
deductive or inductive approach to apply for the sake of learners’ success in the
acquisition of a foreign language in general and English language in particular.
1.3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Inductive and Deductive Approaches to
English Grammar Teaching
As previously mentioned, there are two ways employed by teacher in which a
learner can understand a grammar rule: the rule – driven or deductive approach and
the rule – discovery or inductive approach. As the name suggests, the rule – driven
path requires teachers to teach the grammar rules directly, and students are free
from working out the rules; the rule – discovery path requires teacher to guide