Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Fauclty of Graduate Studies of Education - Department of Curriculum and Methods of Teaching

The main aim of this study is to investigate EFL prospective teachers' perceptions regarding the controversial role of grammar instruction and the impact of these perceptions on their writing performance. A total of 175 E FL students at Al-Azhar university completed a questionnaire consisting of 24 Likert-scale items and 4 open-ended prompts. The quantitative items included 5 underlying cores (efficacy of grammar, the importance of grammar in writing, priority of communication, importance of grammatical accuracy, and negative attitude toward grammar instruction). These cores are used to investigate differences in beliefs among EFL third year and fourth year student-teachers. In addition, themes emerging from the qualitative data are identified. The writing performance test is used to investigate the impact of these perceptions on writing performance. Reliability and validity of the instruments are verified. The findings of the study revealed that most of the participants hold positive perceptions towards grammar instruction and beliefs in the importance of grammar in writing skill. There is a positive correlation between EFL third year student-teachers' perceptions about grammar instruction and their writing performance. A significant difference is found between third year and fourth year student-teachers' scores on writing performance in favor of the fourth year students. Based on the findings, a set of recommendations and suggestions for further research were given

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