The effects of ınductive and deductive approach on written output

Abstract

The present study explored the effects of inductive grammar instruction and deductive grammar instruction on the acquisition of conditionals and relative clauses in three aspects: written production, i. e. grammar accuracy in writing tasks, grammar test scores and students’ and the instructor’s perspectives. The study was carried out with 38 intermediate level EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students. During a four-week period, one instructor taught grammar to two groups. In the inductive group, the students worked on consciousness-raising tasks to discover the meanings and rules of the target grammatical structures. Later, they received feedback from the instructor. In the deductive group, the instructor explained the meanings and the rules of the target grammatical structures directly. The grammar pre and post-test scores did not reveal a statistically significant difference between the scores of the two groups. Furthermore, there was not a statistically significant difference between the writing tasks of the two groups in terms of grammar accuracy. The questionnaire administered in the inductive group implied that the learners generally had positive perspectives on inductive learning. The interview conducted with the instructor revealed that she regarded inductive approach as a more interactive but less practical way of teaching. Nevertheless, she preferred inductive teaching on condition that the students were motivated and the target structures were new to them. In light of these findings, teachers and material developers might consider involving both approaches in their practices and work in order to ensure variety.