Instruction in Grammar Learning Strategies: Exploring Learners’ Response

Abstract

The paper reports a study that investigated engagement with and response to strategy-based instruction (SBI) targeting grammar learning strategies (GLS). Participants were 36 Polish university students majoring in English. The intervention spanned one academic semester and involved eight 30-minute sessions incorporated into regularly scheduled classes. Data were collected by means of post-intervention questionnaires completed immediately after each session. The students indicated the levels of their engagement at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of each session on a seven-point scale and responded to open-ended questions. Quantitative analysis showed moderate levels of engagement in all sessions but also indicated that engagement tended to decrease as the sessions progressed. Qualitative analysis identified three main themes, each comprising more specific subthemes: (1) the effectiveness of grammar tasks, (2) new methods of learning grammar, and (3) student engagement. Implications for effective SBI targeting GLS are discussed.