Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Article Title
What Benefits can be Derived from Teaching Knowledge about Language to Preservice Teachers?
Abstract
This paper evaluates the validity of teaching English grammar to preservice teachers in a teacher education course at a regional university. The course was delivered in blended mode using the grammar component of My Writing Lab Global (MWLG) and face-to-face instruction. The aim of this study was to establish if there are benefits to derive from teaching knowledge about language (KAL) to preservice teachers. Our quasi-experimental study found MWLG was well-received by participants who believed it had improved their KAL; this improvement was confirmed by 10% improvement on a pre and post KAL test (p < .001). MWLG scores and the KAL test also reliably predicted other academic competencies: the students’ accumulated GPA and their final written assessment scores for the course (r= .4 to .54; p < 0.01). Collectively, these findings suggest that explicit KAL is valued and valid knowledge and should be included in teacher education programs.
Recommended Citation
Carey, Michael D.; Christie, Michael; and Grainger, Peter
(2015)
"What Benefits can be Derived from Teaching Knowledge about Language to Preservice Teachers?,"
Australian Journal of Teacher Education: Vol. 40
:
Iss.
9
, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n9.2
Available at:
https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol40/iss9/2