No abstract

In foreign language (FL) teaching and learning, a substantial amount of content is provided in grammar exercises supplied by textbooks. The main focus of this study concerns the selection of grammar exercise types in FL textbook series. In our analysis, we focus on Dutch, Finnish and global textbooks for beginners aged approximately 13-15 years who are learning German (A0-A2 on the CEFR scale). Furthermore, an insight into the pedagogical approaches to grammar learning favoured in these textbooks is provided. The findings show that blank-filling exercises are the most frequently used exercise type in all the textbooks, with the amount ranging from 30.8% to 59.0%. The results of the analysis also indicate that the approach to learning grammar is a mixture of the Presentation-Practice-Production approach and strongly controlled learner-centeredness. Finally, based on the results of our study, we suggest that more variation within grammar exercises is required to meet the needs of different learners and their learning styles. Above all, we conclude that there is still a gap to be bridged between the reality in FL textbooks and the ideal presented in the research literature.

FL literature lessons in Dutch secondary education present a potential dilemma for teachers in terms of language use. On the one hand teachers are encouraged to support target language (TL) input and output to promote foreign language (FL) learning. On the other hand, the curricular culture in the Netherlands has historically stipulated that FL literature teaching should take place in the first language (L1). Furthermore, studies on TL/L1 use in FL lessons suggest teachers and students turn to L1 when discussing complex content such as a passages from a literary texts. As such, it is unknown what is currently happening regarding TL/L1 use during FL literature lessons in the Netherlands. Therefore, this descriptive study investigates how much and during which classroom activities TL/L1 were used in English as a foreign language (EFL) literature classrooms. Twenty-four lessons (four for each of six teachers) were video-recorded and TL/L1 use analysed. Results show that although students used mostly L1, teachers predominantly used TL, revealing them to be actively providing a language focus in EFL literature lessons. TL/L1 use by teachers and students differed between classrooms and individual lessons; TL/L1 choice was generally not determined by classroom activities but by teacher consistency and encouragement.

Recent review studies show that explicit instruction is the most effective way when presenting grammar in a foreign language teaching setting. However, they do not distinguish between types of explicit instruction. This study explores what type of explicit instruction (i.e. deductive or inductive instruction) is more effective for Dutch students learning German. The participants are secondary school students from two different levels of secondary education, viz. HAVO and VWO. We investigate the learning of a complex grammatical structure, the subjunctive for reported speech (Konjunktiv I). Using a pretestposttest design, we compare the gain scores for a grammaticality judgment test and a writing test for explicit-deductive and explicit-inductive instruction groups and a control group. One-way ANOVA analyses show that both types of explicit instruction have a positive effect on learning gain. Only the grammaticality judgment test displays statistically significant differences between inductive and deductive instruction, with better results for inductive instruction. According to our data the educational level of the participants did not influence the learning effects.

Communicative language teaching and language teaching research suggest forms for desirable and effective grammar teaching. This study investigates to what extent these suggestions are integrated into teaching materials. On the basis of prior studies, we developed a list of both qualitative and quantitative criteria to determine the position of grammar in foreign language course books. This list was then applied to course books for German as a foreign language that are used in Finland and the Netherlands to examine the role grammar plays in these materials. Our results show that many similarities exist between the Dutch, Finnish, and global course books with regard to the location and integration of grammar, and the instructional approach adopted. However, a striking difference was found in the Finnish materials: they provide more grammar exercises and generally a lower progression rate than the Dutch and global materials. We relate this to the typological distance between German and Finnish. In general, even though the analysed teaching materials all follow the rationale behind communicative language teaching, they are traditional in the sense that grammar inhabits a prominent position in the course books. On the other hand, we have observed pedagogical innovations with respect to grammar teaching, such as inductive grammar presentation, a spread of the learning load as well as self-evaluation tools for learners.