Resumo:
How to introduce grammar in the classroom has been crucial in discussions about foreign
language teaching. Traditionally, grammar instruction was limited to long explanations about
linguistic structures and application of exercises. With the advance of research in the field of
applied linguistics, new orientations have emerged about the teaching of grammar. From this
perspective, the study of grammar is no longer restricted to know the structure of the language
and organize meaningless sentences. It is necessary that linguistic forms are linked to the
meaning they express and their communicative functions. Observing this change of paradigm,
this study aims to investigate the perspective of two English language teachers in relation to
grammar teaching, and verify if the action context influences the way the teachers deal with
grammar in their classes. For this study, we conducted a qualitative ethnographic research,
using the following data collection instruments: a) a questionnaire, in order to gather
information about the teachers’ context of performance; b) an interview with a structured
script, in order to investigate how informants understand the teaching of grammar and know
the methodological approach adopted by them and c) Classroom observation, in order to
verify how the teachers deal in practice with grammatical instruction. The study’s participants
are two teachers acting in different classroom contexts, namely, a public school and a
language institute. The results showed that certain assumptions concerning the discourse of
the teachers diverge significantly from their teaching practice. They indicated the need to
explore more consistently the meaning and communicative functions in English classes. The
data also revealed that certain factors such as number of learners in the classroom,
infrastructure, available time for classes and teachers’ autonomy, interfere in the procedures
adopted by the teachers to conduct the teaching of grammar in these specific contexts.
