Does Attention to Grammar Matter in Language Learning?

Does Attention to Grammar Matter in Language Learning?

  This study explores the relationship of grammatical knowledge to four language skill areas (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), overall language proficiency levels, and students’ readiness for the next level of instruction (ESL students at the college level). Three sets of proficiency test scores from 242 students were obtained from an ESL program in an American university over a six-month period. The statistical methods to analyze the data included t-tests, correlations, a one-way ANOVA and a stepwise multiple regression analysis. The findings show that grammatical knowledge is strongly related to the four language skills and a significant determinant of the learners’ readiness for the next level of instruction. As ESL students progressed to the advanced proficiency level, however, students’ grammatical knowledge did not seem to be as important a variable as reading, listening, and writing.