Reviving the Old: Grammar Translation Method in Indonesia’s Modern Education

The grammar translation method (GTM) is rooted in the classical method of the 19th century. After switching the most important language from Latin (the most dominant language used in education, commercials, religion, and government) to French, Italian, and English, the study of Latin in the school curriculum had to undergo a different function. Instead of being a primary language, it became a subject focused on rote memorization of grammar rules, declensions, and conjugations. Students practiced translation and sentence writing using parallel bilingual texts and dialogues to reinforce learning. (Kelly, 1969; Howatt, 1984, as cited in Richards & Rogers, 2012). Textbooks for teaching Latin also shifted into books consisting of grammar rules, a list of vocabulary, and sentences for translation. The goal of studying Latin was not to make students able to speak it orally. In the end, all of these things became the standards of teaching foreign languages in schools.

Nineteenth-century textbook compilers were mainly determined to codify the foreign language into frozen rules of morphology and syntax to be explained and eventually memorized. (Titone, 1968:27)

Several principles should be adhered to by someone teaching language using the Grammar Translation Method. According to Benati (2018), these principles are:

1. Asserting teachers’ authority as all of the teaching activities are handled by the teachers,
2. Learners must be able to read the written literature and there is only a little interaction between students in the classroom,
3. Literary language is superior to the spoken language,
4. Focusing on accuracy and not fluency,
5. Errors are corrected right away by the other students,
6. Learners should memorize vocabulary in the form of isolated words.

Doesn’t it feel outdated? Is it still relevant to contemporary education today?

Surprisingly, yes!

Research reports in some journals have highlighted how the use of the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) in English classrooms has successfully improved students’ comprehension of the language. Durrani (2016) found positive attitudes toward GTM among undergraduate students, with a clear preference for it over other methods. Similarly, Kurniawan et al. (2020) showed that GTM significantly enhanced students’ reading motivation and comprehension. The data that were analyzed through one-way ANOVA showed that the practice of GTM in the classroom was more effective toward students’ reading comprehension and reading motivation than teaching without it. Yet, Kirn and Baig (2021) stated that regardless GTM and CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) were both effective to be used in teaching grammar, CLT yielded superior outcomes in students’ understanding, comprehension, and application of English grammar.

From the teachers’ perspective, Sari et al. (2021) stated that most pre-service teachers agreed that GTM was used in their KPL program. All of the interviewees said that GTM helped their students to understand English better and easier as their English levels were mostly still low. Milawati (2018) also mentioned the same things. She observed that teachers were most likely to apply three principles of GTM in their classrooms: the use of the mother tongue, learning vocabulary through isolated words, and the rules of putting words together.

The findings underscore the significance of using the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) in the classroom. This raises the question: should we consider reviving it and bringing it back to modern education?

The answer to this question can be yes or no!

A study conducted in Thailand (Milliner & Dimoski, 2021) on listening comprehension revealed that the control group outperformed both the group receiving strategy training and the group with strategy training plus additional input in pre- and post-tests. Although the study focused on listening rather than grammar, the results suggest that sometimes traditional or direct teaching methods may yield better outcomes compared to strategy-focused approaches, which could have implications for teaching methodologies in other language skills like grammar. In the study, it is said that students from the control group could outperform the other groups because they weren’t overwhelmed by the complexity of the language. In contrast, students in the strategy training and strategy training with additional input groups struggled, likely due to confusion stemming from their lower English proficiency, which made it harder for them to process both the strategies and the language content simultaneously. How is this even related to GTM? To put it simply, teachers cannot just shift to what seems to be a more sophisticated or impressive learning method. There are several factors teachers should pay attention to such as language proficiency, learning style, cultural and social context, motivation, and so on.

Thus, GTM can still be applied in modern education. However, it’s important to recognize that alongside developing students’ grammar skills, fostering communicative competence is equally essential. Rather than focusing solely on grammar and vocabulary in isolation, teachers should aim to integrate activities that enhance students’ communication abilities. This balanced approach would better equip students with both linguistic accuracy and practical language use in real-life contexts. [chtrn]

References:

Benati, A. (2018). Grammar‐Translation Method. In J. I. Liontas (Ed.), The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching (1st ed., pp. 1–5). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0153

Kirn, U., & Baig, I. A. (2021). Effectiveness of Grammar Translation Method and Communicative Language Teaching Approach on Students’ Achievement in English Grammar. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 5(III), 235–248. https://doi.org/10.35484/pssr.2021(5-III)18

Kurniawan, R., Miftah, M. Z., & Qamariah, Z. (2021). Grammar-translation method affects students’ reading comprehension and motivation. International Journal of Research on English Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 7–15. https://doi.org/10.30863/ijretal.v1i1.1194

Milawati, M. (2019). Grammar Translation Method: Current Practice In EFL Context. IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics), 4(1), 187. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v4i1.437

Milliner, B., & Dimoski, B. (2024). The effects of a metacognitive intervention on lower-proficiency EFL learners’ listening comprehension and listening self-efficacy. Language Teaching Research, 28(2), 679–713. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211004646

Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2007). Approaches and methods in language teaching (2. ed., 13. print). Cambridge Univ. Press.

Titone, R. (1968). Teaching foreign languages: An historical sketch. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.