Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices of Teaching Grammar Through Focus-on-Form and Context: The Case of EFL Teachers in Ethiopia Preparatory Schools

Abstract

This inquiry rigorously examines the intricate interplay between Ethiopian preparatory EFL teachers’ epistemological beliefs and the pedagogical enactment of grammar instruction, emphasizing focus-on-form methodologies within contextualized teaching paradigms. This study’s paramount objective is to ascertain the degree of congruity between teachers’ theoretical orientations and their practical deployment in classroom settings, while discerning the ramifications for communicative competence within EFL contexts. To this end, two grade twelve English teachers at Mekprey Preparatory School were selected via purposive sampling, aligning participant expertise with the study’s nuanced focus. A qualitative research design, underscored by an exploratory framework, facilitated in-depth data collection through systematic classroom observations and semi-structured interviews, yielding a rich corpus of insights. Analytical procedures hinged on thematic analysis, rigorously delineating both latent and manifest patterns in the alignment—or lack thereof—between instructional beliefs and observed practices. Results illuminated a pronounced dissonance between teachers’ professed commitment to contextualized, communicative grammar pedagogy and their predominant focus on discrete grammatical features, ostensibly tailored to the exigencies of exam-centric instruction. This misalignment underscores the pervasive influence of examination imperatives, which appear to circumscribe the adoption of communicative methods. In response, the study advocates for targeted professional development initiatives that surmount the inherent challenges of embedding focus-on-form and contextualized instructional strategies in exam-driven settings. Furthermore, it calls for a recalibration of curricular frameworks to harmonize the dual imperatives of communicative competence and high-stakes testing, thereby fostering a more holistic and efficacy-driven approach to EFL grammar pedagogy.