Effectiveness of Explicit and Implicit Methods in Teaching Selected Grammar Topics

Abstract

This study sought to determine and compare the effectiveness of two methods in teaching grammar: the explicit (or rule-driven) and the implicit (rule-discovery) method. Grammar is fundamental to effective communication; thus, teachers continuously need to explore methods and approaches to teaching grammar effectively. The experimental method with a pre-testand a post-test was used with 20 students taught using explicit method, and another 20 taught using implicit method. Results showed that both the explicit and implicit methods are effective in teaching grammar as indicated by the improvement in the post-test results of the two groups of students. Also, students taught using the explicit method performed significantly better, as indicated by the significant difference in the post-test results of the two groups. In connection to these findings, the following recommendations are offered. Teachers should continue explaining grammar rules to students, but these should be complemented by production and communicative activities. Likewise, teachers should expose their students to activities, which will allow them to analyze grammar used in context and to formulate hypotheses about how grammar features operate. Moreover, school administrators are encouraged to train language teachers in developing language lessons following the explicit and implicit methods.