The grammar curriculum through the eyes of Dutch primary school teachers

Abstract

Grammar has internationally been a controversial part of the curriculum for a long time. This has led to many changes to subject’s status (in or out of the curriculum) and to the way it is being taught. Teachers are the agents in such changes and it is therefore important to have a good understanding of their beliefs about the grammar curriculum, from primary to secondary education. Little is known about teachers’ beliefs about grammar teaching at primary schools, especially outside Anglophone contexts. The present study adds to this knowledge through the discussion of the results of a survey targeting the teacher beliefs about the grammar curriculum of Dutch primary school teachers (n = 149). The participating teachers have a positive stance towards grammar and the rationales for teaching it in primary school. At the same time, some of them express concerns that certain grammatical concepts may be too difficult and abstract for young learners, emphasising that Dutch primary education should address only the basics of sentence grammar. These results show that upcoming curriculum changes which will give grammatical knowledge a stronger place, will likely align well with teachers’ beliefs, although listening to teachers’ concerns remains critical for successful implementation.