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Open Access Knowledge and Scholarship

Date of Award

12-2017

Culminating Project Type

Thesis

Degree Name

English: Teaching English as a Second Language: M.A.

Department

English

College

College of Liberal Arts

First Advisor

Choonkyong Kim

Second Advisor

John P. Madden

Third Advisor

Elena Kurinski

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Keywords and Subject Headings

teacher´s beliefs, grammar, integration, EFL

Abstract

In 2008, Borg and Burns explored the beliefs of ELT professionals regarding the integration of Grammar in the adult classrooms. Their study comprised the opinions of instructors from different parts of the world, but excluded the Latin American region. This research sought to fill that gap by providing an insight into the region through a sample of 64 EFL professionals in El Salvador. By means of a questionnaire that yielded quantitative and qualitative data, the beliefs of the participants were analyzed. The results of this study showed that the beliefs of the teachers in El Salvador are remarkably similar to those of the original study. Through this research, it was found that teachers greatly favor the integration of grammar with other skills by including it in context. At the same time, teachers’ accounts showed that practical knowledge and experience greatly determine their practices, even over their theoretical knowledge. It is expected that these findings motivate further study in a population that has been highly under-researched so that ELT professionals can inform their practices.

Comments/Acknowledgements

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my Chairperson, Dr. Kim, as well as the other members of my thesis committee without whom the completion of this project would have been impossible. At the same time, I would like to thank each of the professors who are part of the TESOL program for contributing to my professional growth in the field, and my classmates – particularly my Salvadoran peers – who shared their knowledge and passion making my experience at SCSU even more enriching. Also, I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to Dr. Simon Borg and Dr. Anne Burns who graciously allowed me to use their work as the base for my research.

I would also like to thank the Education USA office and the United States Embassy in El Salvador, not only for the opportunity of studying my Master’s degree but for the continuous support they offer to Salvadorans and, especially, TESOL professionals in the country. I offer my gratitude, also, to those TESOL professionals who gladly participated in this project by allowing me to visit their institutions, or meeting with me in spite of their busy schedules.

Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank my parents, Mauricio Osorio and Deysi Naves, who have always supported me and without whom I would not be where I am. I extend my appreciation to the rest of my family who, even in the distance, have supported me throughout this endeavor.

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