The Effects of Grammar Instruction

Abstract

Students lack grammar instruction in school and are unprepared for college and future careers. According to the 2011 Nation’s Report Card, only twenty-seven percent of eighth and twelfth graders scored at or above proficient levels in writing. When students graduate high school, they are not prepared for college nor their future careers (Bullard & Anderson, 2014). The purpose of this study was to examine how explicit grammar instruction affects students’ quality of writing. As a fifth-grade teacher, I have noticed a lack of grammar instruction and have noticed that students continue to struggle with writing complete and coherent sentences. The study was conducted for four weeks in a fifth-grade classroom. The participants were six fifth-graders who struggled with writing. Three data sources were used: teacher observation notes, student writing samples, and pre-and post-assessment data. The study findings suggest that students benefit from explicit grammar instruction. Students are more motivated and successful in a small group setting. Grammar instruction helps students improve narrative writing. It is recommended that teachers explicitly model and teach grammar instruction daily to help improve students’ quality of writing.