L1 oriented grammar instruction in an L2 context

A qualitative study

Abstract

The article shows how a grammar-didactic model designed for an L1 context can be used for grammar learning as well as language and writing development in an L2 con­text. Because classrooms in Sweden, Denmark and Norway are becoming increasingly heterogenous, teachers must be able to develop the language of pupils with differing linguistic predispositions. The model that is being proposed is designed around explicit teaching with the table for sentence structure as point of departure (see Appendix 1). The purpose of the model is to act as a tool for language development, while simul­taneously contributing to the consolidation of grammatical knowledge. In the article, results from an intervention study are presented, where the model has been used for grammar teaching and process-writing in a class of L2 pupils. The pupils’ grammar learning, as it manifests in their results on the grammar exam as well as in their handling of the teacher’s comments on their texts, is examined using the concepts appropriation, internalization and implementation. The pupils’ exam results show to which extent the pupils have appropriated grammatical knowledge, while their handling of the text-comments show if and how they have internalized and potentially implemented the grammatical knowledge. In the analysis, the pupils’ exam results and texts are compared, focusing on clausal hierarchy, inversion and V2 as well as agreement and definiteness in nominal phrases – areas that have previously been shown to be central for language development while at the same time problematic when learning grammar. The analyses indicate that the pupils have appropriated the grammatical knowledge to differing extents and that some are on their way toward an internalization of the knowledge. One conclusion is that, while this way of working requires great effort by teachers and pupils, the formal grammatical knowledge and the practical working with texts appear to benefit each other.