II.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Students learn to understand spoken or written language through various genres applied

in different contexts. Language teaching and learning is prioritized in additional strategies that

can be used through symbols, grammar, vocabulary, and communicative competencies. The

language learners are given opportunities to apply both oral and written communication that

uses words and structures that deal primarily with their macro skills (Bloome, 2020).

Nevertheless, challenges in English grammar learning indicate the various difficulties

being faced by persons involved in the educational setting, both teachers and students. These

student-experienced challenges are manifested in the various macro skills application that can

be seen primarily in their fears and unwillingness to use the English language, which results in

an insufficient vocabulary, poor language acquisition, and a low rate of syntactic knowledge,

most notably the subject-verb agreement rules.

As Ama (2019) proves, second language learning and acquisition have played a

challenging role in the classroom, specifically grammar. This difficulty is highly evident when a

country is not using English as its mother tongue. For example, English language learners here

in the Philippines experience various challenges since English is not their native tongue.

According to Sumalinog et al. (2018), the improper grammatical application in writing for

non-native English learners is primarily caused by their English grammatical rules’ inefficiency.

Research shows that the learners’ difficulty was due to the strategy the teacher applied in

instructing grammar. In some situations, the errors occur due to the learners’ native language

influence, the numerous rules, complexity, and grammatical learning limitations. Common errors

that inhibited the students were their incapacity to rule application in the immense aspects of

grammar. The learners remain weak in constructing a proper English syntax even though they

were already taught about it. The students remain confused in the correct subject and verb

agreement, deciding which preposition must be used and recalling that nouns also have
irregular forms. Also, the students experience challenges in applying the correct antecedent for

some nouns.

On the other hand, improving the learners’ grammatical errors begins an effective

reinforcement strategy from the teachers to address their learning challenges. The teacher may

apply activities using the students’ grammatical errors to prepare for a higher lesson level. It

suggests that the teachers’ corrective strategies must not be threatening to the students’

perspective.

Instead, it must be motivating on their part as learners. The teachers can also use

complete sentences to let the students be exposed to the English language. They can also give

different needs assessments on the macro skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing).

Moreover, the teachers may also provide exercises that identify the comparison between verb

tenses (e.g.,perfect tenses) since most learners commonly overgeneralize these tenses’

functions (Sumalinog, et al., 2019).

Meanwhile, Al-Mekhlafi (2011) proved in Ameliani (2019) that grammar teaching

includes three areas that the students should bear in mind: grammar is primarily used as a rule,

form, and resource. For such English students, grammar learning includes acquiring and

adapting the English grammar rules that require the most appropriate intellectual competency

through the students’ skills. The best strategy to use is to perceive grammar as one of the

different educational resources students may have in English to communicate. The learners

must understand how grammar is applied to what they aim to express and how others interpret

them the way they speak (Ameliani, 2019).

Likewise, Devine (2018) stated that learning English grammar by applying the usual and

traditional teaching strategies makes the students bored and uninterested. All the interests are

taken out once the teacher applies an incorrect teaching style. Applying this kind of classroom

setting makes the students’ learning fall. One undisclosed English grammar fact is that the time

spent learning grammatical rules can be wasted because they usually break. Consequently, the
teacher’s provided sentence examples in the English class are not commonly heard or read in

the real-life setting. Most learners believe that the native speakers are the perfect English

grammar users who often choose native speaking teachers. However, this idea was

contradicted and told that the native speakers often neither respect nor follow their grammar

rules. Instead, they somehow use slang or some colloquial syntax.

As Ban (2018) explained, one major problem in most English teachers’ grammar

learning is the students’ lack of standards. It shows that the students ignore the most

straightforward and basic grammar rules, including their structural patterns, which they must

have learned even before. Moreover, once the teacher directly taught at the graduate level

without identifying the students’ capacity in grammar learning, his efforts will not be fruitful

enough as he cannot raise a structure through a delicate starting point. Furthermore, a teacher

must start from the most basic grammatical components and develop towards its complex

structure. Each part of the grammar teaching and learning must be inclined on the previous

lessons taught in the class. In this way, a careful selection of frequently recurring grammatical

items and by giving suitable grades based on the students’ performance, the teacher must then

provide continuous practice to the students to create sentences and use them according to their

grammatical structures in different daily situations in life.

On the other hand, the biggest challenge is when the learners have seen their grammar

lesson as difficult and tedious. As a solution, a “communicative” way of teaching grammar is

advisable rather than using the traditional strategy (Ban, 2018). Grammar must be presented

contextually. Teaching and learning grammar must be followed through guided practice. This

practice enables the students to develop and enhance the language. However, free practice is

much preferable, and the proper interaction is highly encouraged.

As Berman (2018) explains, grammar is an essential component of English

communication. However, research confirms that explicit grammar teaching only negatively

affects the learners’ language acquisition, comprehension, and capabilities. Applying a

applies a memorized and rehearsed language use. Besides, various techniques do not

encourage students to comprehend meaning in an authentic context, including how grammar is

applied in natural communication. Identifying grammar’s purpose through a specific form or

identifying its meaning might widen the learners’ comprehension and usage of the target

language.

Moreover, grammatical instruction must be in the target language through a lesson that

comprises functional grammar learning goals. It suggests that the learners must explicitly

determine the grammatical forms with the teachers’ assessment during a task-based lesson that

bridges the gaps in grammar learning to have a better communication process. By looking for

the correct grammar formation applied in different macro skills effectively, the students must

acquire a spontaneous need for grammar and syntax and are exceptionally motivated to apply

them in various contexts directly. The learners’ exploration and discovery of grammatical

concepts’ usage indicate a greater comprehension of the linguistic functions that may increase

communication (Berman, 2018).

As teachers use his/her pedagogical strategies in teaching, Hinemoa (2019) suggests

that grammar in the classroom setting is taught in reverence to students’ structure and figures in

the communication process. Speech as a process aims at the students’ language learning by

allowing the teachers to apply their grammatical rules and punctuation skills. The teacher’s

language teaching pedagogy enables standards to identify how the instructors cover the

students’ learning. In this manner, the students can identify their literacy skills by applying an

effective teaching process.

As Kasper et al. (2018) said, every teaching strategy’s significant role is highlighted in

various linguistic aspects, including the students’ acquisition of their daily vocabulary, their way

of understanding texts, and their levels of interest in reading. The teachers must apply various

teaching strategies in the language pedagogy, either for the children or teenagers. It is
necessary for a teacher to continuously adapt the most suitable educational instruction in the

classroom setting to fulfill the students’ needs in the classroom objectives.

At any rate, Beare (2018) proved that grammar in teaching English as a second

language is primarily different from how native speakers use grammar in their daily

communication. As an English teacher, it is necessary to apply the most effective learning tools

and resources applicable to teaching grammar as part of the newest teaching strategies. The

most available teaching strategy application must use the different learning opportunities a

teacher may have available.

Moreover, Kapur (2019) proved that to improve one’s English grammar skills in the

classroom setting or different areas, the learner must ultimately acquire the language skills.

Inside the classroom, when the learners fully acquired and understood the English grammar

through the teacher’s provided lesson plan, they must listen first to what the teacher is telling

them in the language pedagogy. Henceforward, the listening skill serves as the primary method

accomplished to acquire language, particularly grammar. In this way, the learners must promote

language acquisition to develop their listening skills. The teachers and their learners have to use

it daily to communicate to enhance their grammar through listening.

On the other hand, Shrouf (2012) in Kapur (2019) suggested that its content serves as

the subject matter developed through particular concepts when applying grammar through

speaking skill. When the students begin to learn the speaking skill, they have to guarantee that

its content is significant. The teachers must highlight their students’ speaking the language

where the students are familiar and comfortable. The teachers’ content must produce

awareness to their students in different grammatical areas to develop their learning conditions

appropriately. Furthermore, the teachers must correct and provide necessary feedback or

comments on the possible flaws that the students may encounter within their language grammar

learning. As they make corrections, it is vital to safeguard that the communication process

cannot be interrupted. When other students speak either individually or in groups, jotting down
notes would be necessary. Note-taking would not only permit the learners to acquire information

about the subject matter, but also they would be able to enhance their speaking skills. Typically,

the teacher may write the possible errors down on the board and ask the students if they can

make corrections (Kapur, 2019)

Moreover, as the students speak, they must also consider conversation strategies.

These strategies are highlighted through kinesics (body language), including postures and

gestures. For instance, when the teacher speaks about a particular topic, it is vital to maintain

eye contact with their students. As the teacher speaks, smiling and keeping pleasant facial

expressions and personality provides a great significance. Including these as a teaching

strategy may let the students take pleasure in learning and communicating (Kapur, 2019).

Consequently, Kirn (2019) argued that the idea of the students’ linguistic capabilities and

competencies does not necessarily mean that the teachers are required to teach, or the

students could always learn all of the macro skills without including the other skills with the other

competencies applied in the various lesson planning, activities, or homework. It was known as

the “Segregated Skills Instruction,” wherein all approaches do not often rely on the other skills

but depend primarily on the teaching and learning strategies and lesson plans. For example,

some approaches regarding this would be listening for stressed words, highlighting the syllables

in a sentence, context clues, skimming and scanning, supporting details application, and others

can lead to being assimilated into “Integrated Skills Instruction” (Kirn, 2019).

Languages are the primary means of acquiring knowledge and developing it, and

language for a high school student is the tool on which he relies on communicating with the

environment and gaining direct experiences. Therefore, his control over these years is

considered very important from an educational point of view since the English language is a

prescribed subject for the student, it is important for the English language teacher to be able

to learn all the skills and grammar of the English language, and be able to communicate the

information to the students with ease without any trouble (Shiu, 2011).
 The English language is considered among the most important foundations of

learning in the stages of education. Its importance at this stage follows precisely from being

the first language used in America, Britain and Australia, and the foreign language in

which science is taught in most other countries of the world (Mahdi, 2018). English language is

the universal language that facilitates communication, cooperation and understanding between

individuals of different religions, races and languages. As a result of the information and

communication revolution; this language has witnessed a wide spread because it is

considered the language of knowledge, science and culture.

Putra (2020) and Nishanthi (2018) emphasized that most jobs in various

international institutions and organizations require speaking English, as learning and

proficiency in this language has become a basic requirement for all students of sciences. It is

the language of the age and the ideal means for obtaining information that is the main

basis for development and progress.

Maros (2007) stressed on that and clarified that the importance of the English language

is evident in its benefits in education and work, and the ability to use it to communicate with

indigenous people as it is considered an additional source for all science and technology.

Widianingsih and Gulo (2016) indicate that the English language represents the

language of the modern era, and it is the first most used and widespread language in the world.

It is the language of science, technology and scientific research, as it is the language of

economics and electronic commerce, and it is the language in which studies are made

in universities and higher institutes.

The grammar is defined as a group of systems that control sentences where it is not

possible to form a sentence, no matter how simple, without relying on it and adhering to it.

Larsen-Freeman (2001) emphasizes that learning the grammar of the English language helps

understand the sentence and understand its composition, and this includes the ability to define

the verbs, adjectives and adverbs which are used to form a useful sentence.
 Azar (2001) clarifies that the grammar enhances the student's skills in reading and

writing, as it is not possible to achieve the results of learning the English language without

learning its grammar. Grammar is considered as an important aspect of learning the English

language, and without learning the grammar the language cannot be practiced properly.

In general, the most important obstacles to learning the English language are the

psychological obstacles that are related to the nature of the human psyche, and this includes an

advanced look towards the English language and misconceptions about learning the foreign

language. Also, the administrative problems that are represented in the lack of money, the

inefficiency and qualification of trained teachers, and the insufficiency of the educational means

necessary for the success of the learning and teaching process are among the most important

problems face in the education process (Shiu, 2011).

In addition to psychological obstacles, there are groups of administrative, systemic, and

educational obstacles that include an imbalance in the programs of preparing the English

language teacher, the methods used in teaching the English language, lack of cooperation and

partnership with expertise and scientific centers specialized in teaching the English language at

the local, regional and global levels (Maros, 2007). Educational institutions in the Arab countries

focus their efforts on giving the student a large amount of linguistic, morphological and audio

materials, but they neglect to employ modern teaching methods and employ theories of foreign

language learning, as they neglect the development of students' language skills. Not taking into

account the use of the appropriate curriculum when learning leads to the learning the language

incorrectly, as teachers must choose the right approach to learning, where there are many

approaches to learning the English language.

Ahmad et al. (2011) emphasize that the most important component of language learning

is practice. Without practice, the students cannot practice what they have learned from the

English language. Speaking and practicing break the barrier of fear of using language. Many

teaching methods teach the language without motivating or helping students to use and practice
it (Gass and Selinker, 2001). Therefore, despite the student learning the language, he/she

quickly encounters a barrier when speaking with any foreign person, thus loses his/her

confidence in himself/herself and then no longer uses it.

Mahdi (2018) also affirms that the time specified for teaching English in schools in the

Arab countries is not sufficient, besides, to the lack of educational means necessary for

education. The intensity in the educational classes is one of the most prominent problems that

contribute to reduce the ability of students to learn English.

Burner (2005) points out that another obstacle is the failure of schools in the Arab

countries to use quality standards, such as the teaching standard and learning standard on

which educational policies, systems, programs and applications should be built. In addition, they

do not rely on international standardized methods to determine the level of adequacy of the

English language teacher.

Al-Mansour (2013) emphasizes that traditional teaching methods are incompatible with

the nature of contemporary learning, and they reduce students' motivation towards learning and

make them feel bored. Shiu (2011) also points to the lack of educational resources and aids in

teaching such as laboratories, and in the case of their presence, teachers are unable to use

them and benefit from them because they have not received appropriate training in their use.

Also, the most prominent problems of learning the English language in the Arab

countries are the misconceptions about learning it. The students in the educational stages

proceed to learn the English language without any enthusiasm because of their feeling that it is

not a priority in their life, and their focus is in the success of the subject in order to move to the

next academic level. Students focus on memorizing English grammar and words in order to

pass the final exam (Nasser, 2018).

Iraqi students' struggles with English grammar were the topic of Aws's (2018) research.

As a result, he spent time interpreting and looking for solutions. Additionally, he made an effort

to discover the types of faults that University of Technology Department of Materials

test, which was based on Ja Park et al. category's scheme from 2003. They can be broken

down into four categories: Word Order; Ellipsis (Ellipsis, pronouns, omission and addition; and

misapplying pronouns); Articles; Prepositions (addition, omission, misapplication); Tense

(Present form for the past; past tense with present and infinitive); Verbs; and Numbers -

Pluralities and Comparative constructions. According to the research papers, the findings were

divided into categories, such as "verbs." Whether it is "omission of be" or "omission and misuse

of ing," we find that pupils have misused verbs in many instances. After the verb mistakes, the

remainder of the errors follows in a logical order. We have discovered that standard methods of

instruction are not sufficient for students to grasp the language's foundations. It is more than just

studying for an exam the next day.

In addition, Afraa (2021) states that Game strategy can improve students' grammar while

also identifying specific grammar features that will be improved as a result. Using games

strategy as a teaching-learning tool is amusing and having created a non-threatening learning

environment that stimulates communication and teamwork amongst students. It also

demonstrates that learners' motivation was improved by game strategy, and the process of

learning grammar can attract them more.