The teaching and learning of english grammar in the Tanzanian secondary school classrooms

This study explored the language of instruction focusing on the teaching and learning of English grammar. The aim of the study was to investigate how teachers teach and how students in Secondary schools learn the grammar in the classrooms. The study covered for secondary schools in Ilala district in Dar es Salaam region. There were 642 respondents out of whom 42 were teachers and 600 were students. Data were collected by using questionnaires, classroom observations, Interviews and documentary evidence. The findings of the study showed that students’ grammatical problems emanated from outside classroom (linguistic) environment, teaching methods and the basic grammar students got in primary schools. It was also found that teachers used old teaching methods. Teachers talked most of the time without designing students’ classroom activities, which enable students to be involved in the language learning process. Lack of teaching and learning facilities was also found to have had influenced teachers’ choice of grammar teaching approaches. It was further found that both teachers and students were of the opinion that English shou.d be introduced in primary schools as the medium of instruction; as an effort to reduce grammatical problems in secondary schools. The findings further found that teachers depended on the syllabus only from which grammar topics were selected and taught in the classrooms. On the basis of these findings it is recommended that the government through the Ministry of Education and Culture should establish a clear and open system of training English language teachers for effective teaching and learning of English grammar in secondary schools. It is further recommended that in order to improve English grammar teaching and learning at secondary level, a new functional and communicative English language syllabus (syllabus that includes students’ classroom activities) should be designed.