Contemporary approaches to teaching EFL grammar in Croatia

This study deals with the issues related to English grammar. The purpose of this study was to provide an insight into the current situation of teaching EFL grammar in Croatia and describe possible new trends reflected in the approach that is present in Croatian schools. More precisely, this study investigates the types of presentation and practice of grammatical structures that are available to Croatian teachers and learners in English textbooks. It is based on a qualitative study of grammar-based textbooks used in the majority of high schools in Croatia. The textbooks used for the study are New Headway Intermediate the second edition published in 1996 and New Headway Intermediate the fourth edition published in 2009. In order to collect the necessary data, we formed 6 research questions. The first two referred to the type of presentation in order to determine if there is a balance between inductive, deductive and focus-on-form presentation and if the presentation provides contextualized and authentic examples of grammatical structures. The rest of the questions referred to the types of practice in order to determine if the textbooks provide practice that fosters development of all four skills and balances accuracy and fluency so learners can acquire grammar structures and the ability to use that knowledge for communicative purposes. The analysis has shown that both editions foster contextualized presentation and practice and development of all four skills. However, the fourth edition published in 2009 shows higher percentage of balance of different types of introduction, especially focus on form. There is also a higher percentage of balance of individual, pair and group work and balance between accuracy and fluency. The results show that editions differ in the way they present grammar. The second edition deals with grammar in a way that is more isolated when compared to presentation and practice in the fourth edition. Furthermore, the fourth edition reflects the latest ideas suggested by researchers and CEFR by focusing on form within communicative contexts. This shows that the textbook used by the majority of Croatian high schools keeps up with the changes in the field of teaching foreign languages and fosters an eclectic approach that balances different modes of teaching EFL grammar. This means that a high percentage of both teachers and learners have the opportunity to teach and learn according to their personal styles and strategies