Using Discovery Learning Approach in Teaching EFL Grammar to High School Students: Its Possible Effects and Limits

Abstract

This article presents part of a doctoral research project aimed at investigating the
effects and possible limits of the discovery learning approach in teaching grammar
to English as a foreign language (EFL) students in high schools in Slovakia from
the teachers’ perceptions. The research project deployed design-based research
with a total of 7 EFL teachers in Slovak high schools collecting data in three
phases. The data presented in this article focused on intervention and were
collected during the second phase of the research project. During the intervention,
the teachers were taking field notes which were subsequently analysed. The results
of the analysis of the teachers’ field notes showed there are mostly positive aspects
of the discovery learning approach, pointing out students’ experience with
discovery and their engagement when learning grammar. However, the results also
showed some limits of this approach in the high school environment. Mostly
training is needed for both teachers and students so they can make the most of the
discovery process.