Grammar Instruction in Iraqi High Schools: Novice vs. Experienced EFL Teachers’ Beliefs and Their Practices

Studying teachers’ beliefs may help to reveal the gaps between what teachers believe and what they do in the classroom. This study attempts to inquire into Iraqi EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching English grammar. Two hundred Iraqi English teachers in high schools were selected as the participants of the current study. They were given a questionnaire on beliefs about grammar instruction, and interviews were conducted with 10 of them. The data collected from the questionnaires and the interviews were analyzed by SPSS and MAXQDA, respectively. The results revealed that novice and experienced teachers have nearly similar beliefs on grammar instruction; both groups believed that grammar is a significant and unavoidable part of their instruction. However, novice teachers believed that environmental conditions can have effects on their grammar instruction, while experienced teachers believed that personal characteristics might influence their grammar instruction. The majority of the participants agreed on integrating grammar instruction, and over 80% of them favored explicit instruction of grammar. This study has practical implications.