A Study to Investigate the Impact of Personification of Grammar on Second Grade EFL in UAE
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Date
2017-07
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The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
Abstract
This study is designed to develop a new method of teaching that aims to improve the ability of second grade EFL learners in UAE to understand, retain, and apply grammatical concepts taught in class in different contexts inside and outside the classroom setting. The study seeks an alternative to the current teaching methods used to teach grammar due to the fact that students are usually scoring low grades in grammar assessments which demonstrate the presence of some flaws of such methods. Moreover, teachers are facing challenges to keep young learners engaged during grammar lessons. The new teaching method that has been developed, analyzed, and tested in this study is the “Personification of Grammar” (PoG). Three primary data collection methods were employed in this study, which are observation, interviewing, and document analysis. The interview involved three class teachers of Grade 2 (Class A, B and C) prior the application stage. Moreover, a post interview was conducted with grade 2B teacher. Additionally, an observation was conducted in class B alongside a document analysis of 22 students writing samples in six grammatical concepts before and after the application of the targeted method which will be referred to as PoG “Personification of Grammar” throughout the thesis. From this study, it was found that the implementation of PoG significantly improved the scores of students in all six grammatical concepts at individual and collective levels. Moreover, there was a notable improvement at the students’ level of engagement, attentiveness, and participation during grammar lessons. Furthermore, it enhances students’ ability to apply grammatical concepts orally in different contexts.
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Keywords
personification of grammar, second grade EFL learners, United Arab Emirates (UAE)