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Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte
Lea Siebens
Grammar education “in Dutch”
An attitude study among students in
their final year of secondary education
Masterproef voorgedragen tot het behalen van de graad van
Master in de Meertalige Communicatie
2015
Promotor Prof. Dr. Filip Devos
Vakgroep Vertalen Tolken Communicatie
2
Acknowledgements
The realisation of my master’s dissertation would not have been possible without the help of
certain people. Therefore, I would like to thank all people who supported me during my studies
and, more specifically, during the writing of this dissertation.
Moreover, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Filip Devos for his
supervision and advice throughout the process of writing this dissertation. I am most grateful
for the time and effort he invested in this work.
Finally, I would like to thank all students who were willing to participate in my survey. Their
contribution has been indispensable for conducting this research.
3
Table of contents
1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 6
2 STATE OF THE ART ....................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 GRAMMATICAL KNOWLEDGE STUDENTS ......................................................................... 8
2.2 ATTITUDE TEACHERS .............................................................................................................. 8
2.2.1 Attitude Teachers Secondary Education................................................................................. 8
2.2.2 Attitude Teachers Primary Education..................................................................................... 9
2.2.3 Criticism Masquiller and Lippens (2013) ............................................................................. 10
2.2.4 Alignment between Primary and Secondary Education ....................................................... 10
2.3 ATTITUDE STUDENTS ............................................................................................................ 12
3 RESEARCH ...................................................................................................................................... 13
3.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................... 13
3.2 ASSUMPTIONS ON THE OUTCOME OF THE RESEARCH ................................................ 14
3.2.1 Research Question 1 ............................................................................................................. 14
3.2.2 Research Question 2 ............................................................................................................. 15
3.2.3 Research Question 3 ............................................................................................................. 15
3.2.4 Research Question 4 ............................................................................................................. 15
3.2.5 Research Question 5 ............................................................................................................. 16
3.3 RESEARCH SETTING .............................................................................................................. 17
3.4 RESEARCH RESULTS .............................................................................................................. 18
3.4.1 Research Question 1: “Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar
education is useful?” ..................................................................................................................... 18
3.4.2 Research Question 2: “Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar
education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages?” ..... 21
3.4.3 Research Question 3: “Do students in their final year of secondary education like grammar
education Dutch? Why (not)?” ...................................................................................................... 23
3.4.4 Research Question 4: “Do students in their final year of secondary education think they are
able to parse and determine word classes correctly?” ................................................................... 26
3.4.5 Research Question 5: “Are there any differences between…” ............................................. 27
4 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 52
5 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 55
6 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................ 56
4
List of tables and graphs
Table 1: General data survey ................................................................................................................. 18
Graph 1: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? ............................................................ 19
Graph 2: Do you think grammar education is useful during other language courses?......................... 20
Graph 3: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch
learning plan? ........................................................................................................................................ 20
Graph 4: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? ...... 22
Graph 5: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? ................. 22
Graph 6: Do you like Dutch grammar? .................................................................................................. 24
Graph 7: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? ..................................................................................... 24
Graph 8: Why do you like Dutch grammar? .......................................................................................... 25
Graph 9: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly? ...................................................... 26
Graph 10: Do you think you are you able to determine word classes correctly? ................................. 27
Graph 11: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? Men vs. women ............................... 28
Graph 12: Do you think grammar education is useful during other language courses? Men vs. women
............................................................................................................................................................... 28
Graph 13: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch
learning plan? Men vs. women ............................................................................................................. 29
Graph 14: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? Men
vs. women ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Graph 15: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? Men vs.
women ................................................................................................................................................... 30
Graph 16: Do you like Dutch grammar education? Men vs. women .................................................... 31
Graph 17: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? Men vs. women ........................................................ 32
Graph 18: Why do you like Dutch grammar? Men vs. women ............................................................. 32
Graph 19: Do you think you are you able to parse sentences correctly? Men vs. women.................. 33
Graph 20: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? Men vs. women ............. 33
Graph 21: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? ASO vs. non-ASO students ............... 34
Graph 22: Do you think grammar education during other language courses is useful? ASO vs. non-
ASO students ......................................................................................................................................... 34
Graph 23: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch
learning plan? ASO vs. non-ASO students ............................................................................................. 35
Graph 24: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? ASO
vs. non-ASO students ............................................................................................................................ 35
Graph 25: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? ASO vs.
non-ASO students .................................................................................................................................. 36
Graph 26: Do you like Dutch grammar? ASO vs. non-ASO students ..................................................... 36
Graph 27: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? ASO vs. non-ASO students ........................................ 37
Graph 28: Why do you like Dutch grammar? ASO vs. non-ASO students ............................................. 37
Graph 29: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly? ASO vs. non-ASO students ......... 38
Graph 30: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? ASO vs. non-ASO students
............................................................................................................................................................... 39
5
Graph 31: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? Latin vs. non-Latin students ............. 40
Graph 32: Do you think grammar education during other language courses is useful? Latin vs. non-
Latins students ...................................................................................................................................... 40
Graph 33: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch
learning plan? Latin vs. non-Latin students ........................................................................................... 41
Graph 34: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? Latin
vs. non-Latin students ........................................................................................................................... 41
Graph 35: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? Latin vs.
non-Latin students ................................................................................................................................ 42
Graph 36: Do you like Dutch grammar? Latin vs. non-Latin students .................................................. 42
Graph 37: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? Latin vs. non-Latin students ...................................... 43
Graph 38: Why do you like Dutch grammar? Latin vs. non-Latin students .......................................... 43
Graph 39: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly? Latin vs. non-Latin students ....... 44
Graph 40: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? Latin vs. non-Latin
students ................................................................................................................................................. 44
Graph 41: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? Future language vs. non-language
students ................................................................................................................................................. 45
Graph 42: Do you think grammar education during other language courses is useful? Future language
vs. non-language students .................................................................................................................... 46
Graph 43: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch
learning plan? Future language vs. non-language students ................................................................. 47
Graph 44: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch?
Future language vs. non-language students ......................................................................................... 47
Graph 45: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? Future
language vs. non-language students ..................................................................................................... 48
Graph 46: Do you like Dutch grammar? Future language vs. non-language students ......................... 48
Graph 47: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? Future language vs. non-language students ............. 49
Graph 48: why do you like Dutch grammar? Future language vs. non-language students .................. 49
Graph 49: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly? Future language vs. non-language
students ................................................................................................................................................. 50
Graph 50: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? Future language vs. non-
language students ................................................................................................................................. 50
6
1 INTRODUCTION
Lately, a lot has been written and even more has been spoken about grammar education as a
result of the renewal of the final attainment levels for Dutch in September 2010. Even before
this renewal, Van Vooren (2008) already tested the grammatical knowledge of Dutch among
students in their final year of secondary education in Flanders (ASO1) and the Netherlands
(VWO2). In general, her research proved that, except for Latin students, the final attainment
levels are not or hardly reached neither in Flanders nor in the Netherlands. However, grammar
education has disappeared to the background in the current learning plan and the emphasis lays
on language skills instead of language knowledge. This measure divides advocates and
opponents and, therefore, several researchers carried out a study into the attitude of teachers
(and students) towards grammar education in Dutch.
Cappelle (2011) and Vleminckx (2012) conducted a survey among teachers of Dutch in primary
and secondary education respectively concerning their attitude towards grammar education.
Devos (2012) summarized Cappelle’s and Vleminckx’ studies. Masquillier and Lippens (2013),
responsible for the learning plans of the “Vlaams Verbond van het Katholiek Basisonderwijs”
(VVKBaO3) and “Vlaams Verbond van het Katholiek Secundair Onderwijs” (VVKSO4),
responded to Devos’ summary and criticized the way Cappelle and Vleminckx carried out their
attitude studies. Taking into account Masquiller and Lippens’ (2013) criticism on the attitude
studies of Cappelle (2011) and Vleminckx (2012), Dekeyser (2014) researched whether
teachers in the sixth year of Catholic primary education and teachers of Dutch in the first year
of Catholic secondary education agree with their statement that the learning plans for Dutch in
primary and secondary Catholic education are aligned sufficiently. Pelgrims (2012) also carried
out an inquiry among teachers in the final year of primary education and teachers of Dutch in
the first degree of secondary education. In contrast to Dekeyser (2014), Pelgrims did not
concentrate on Catholic education only. Furthermore, Pelgrims’ research was not limited to the
instruction of Dutch, including Dutch grammar, but aimed to obtain a more general idea on the
transition from primary to secondary education. Furthermore, Pelgrims dedicated a limited part
of her research to the attitude of students in the first year of secondary education. Finally,
Siebens (2014) carried out an exploratory study into the attitude of ASO students in the first
1 General Secondary Education: Students receive a profound theoretical basis, which prepares them for higher education or university 2 Pre-university Education: Similar to ASO education in Flanders 3 Flemish Union of Primary Catholic Education 4 Flemish Union of Secondary Catholic Education
7
year of secondary education, more specifically among Latin and mathematics-language
students, towards grammar education and the transition from primary to secondary education.
A rough sketch of the former researches is given in chapter 2.
However, the researches that have been carried out into the attitude of students towards
grammar education are, so far, rather limited and small-scaled. Furthermore, both Pelgrims
(2012) and Siebens (2014) focused on students in their first year of secondary education. This
study, on the contrary, tries to provide insight into the attitude of students in their final year of
secondary education regarding grammar education in Dutch. We tried to provide an answer to
following questions: “Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar
education in Dutch and other language courses is useful?”, “Do they take the view Dutch
grammar is useful to master other aspects of Dutch or to learn foreign languages?” “Do they
like Dutch grammar education? Why (not)?” and “Do they argue to be good at parsing and
determining word classes?” Finally, we also researched whether there are significant
differences between men and women, ASO and non-ASO students, Latin and non-Latin
students and future language and non-language students. To formulate an answer to the above
research questions, we conducted a survey among students in their final year of secondary
education. The most important results of our research are discussed in section 3.4. Finally, a
conclusion is drawn in chapter 4.
8
2 STATE OF THE ART
2.1 GRAMMATICAL KNOWLEDGE STUDENTS
Van Vooren (2008) tested the grammatical knowledge of Dutch among 359 students in their
final year of secondary education in Flanders (ASO) and the Netherlands (VWO). The students
had to complete a Dutch grammar and spelling test containing four grammatical subdivisions:
parsing, spelling of words, spelling of verbs and word classes. The test was made up of
questions reflecting the final attainment levels for Dutch. Moreover, the test was composed of
existing exam questions and exercises from handbooks and judged by teachers as realistic. The
research variables were men versus women, Latin versus non-Latin students, Flanders versus
the Netherlands and college versus athenaeum. The test disclosed the following results.
The final attainment levels for Dutch were only reached for the spelling of words and the
spelling of verbs, both in Flanders and the Netherlands. On the whole, the spelling of words
caused the least problems whereas students had difficulties with parsing and the determination
of word classes. Most mistakes occurred when students had to determine verbs, conjunctions,
interjections and adverbs. On average, women scored slightly higher than men, especially in
the areas spelling of verbs and parsing. Regarding word classes and spelling of words, men and
women scored almost identically. Overall, Latin students scored considerably higher than non-
Latin students. Furthermore, Flemish students scored higher than students from the Netherlands
in the areas spelling of verbs and especially parsing. Students from the Netherlands, on the
contrary, had better scores regarding the spelling of words and the determination of world
classes. Concerning the last variable, students in colleges and athenaeums scored similarly. In
general, this research proved that, except for Latin students, the final attainment levels are not
or hardly reached neither in Flanders nor in the Netherlands. (Devos, 2008)
2.2 ATTITUDE TEACHERS
2.2.1 Attitude Teachers Secondary Education
Cappelle (2011) conducted a survey of 255 Flemish secondary teachers of Dutch in order to
research their attitude towards grammar education. This research tried to provide an answer to
questions such as: “Do Flemish teachers of Dutch feel that their pupils are underperforming in
Dutch grammar and spelling?” “Do Flemish teachers believe there is a decline in language
knowledge among their students?” The results were analysed according to the following
research variables: men versus women, experienced versus inexperienced teachers, ASO versus
9
non-ASO and the different degrees of secondary education. The outcome of the research was
the following.
Flemish teachers of Dutch in secondary education are rather pessimistic about their students’
grammatical level as something over half of the teachers state that their level is ‘bad’ to ‘very
bad’. Regarding the students’ level of spelling, the teachers are slightly more positive. These
results are in line with Van Vooren’s research. The teachers believe that their students perform
well when it comes to oral and written communication. Remarkably, more than three quarters
of the questioned teachers feel that the general language level has declined during the last years.
Nearly half of the respondents claim that the learning plans for Dutch does not pay enough
attention to grammar education. Moreover, 35% of the teachers feel limited because of these
learning plans. In contrast, slightly more than half of the teachers indicate to be satisfied with
the handbooks for Dutch. Compared to men, women have a slightly more negative attitude
towards their students’ spelling. Men, however, declare to be in favour of more grammar
lessons. In general, experienced teachers are more negative concerning their students’ grammar
knowledge than inexperienced teachers. Moreover, ASO teachers seem to find grammar more
important than their non-ASO colleagues and ASO students are said to perform better than non-
ASO students. Nevertheless, the decline in language knowledge is thought to be worse among
ASO-students. The questioned teachers also argue that the decline in language knowledge is
worse among students in first degree, which makes the question arise whether primary and
secondary education are aligned correctly. (Devos, 2012)
2.2.2 Attitude Teachers Primary Education
Vleminckx (2012) carried out a survey of 318 Flemish teachers in primary education examining
their attitude towards grammar education. This research mainly focused on learning plans and
methods and the variables were men versus women, experienced versus inexperienced teachers
and the three final school years of primary education. The research revealed the following
results.
No less than three quarters of the questioned teachers believe that their students’ general level
of language knowledge has declined during the last years, which is in line with Cappelle’s
research (2011). The research also shows that teachers want more grammar lessons than the
learning plan for Dutch prescribes. Moreover, almost three quarters of the respondents are not
in favour of the decreasing attention regarding grammar in the current learning plan.
Remarkably, the measure is mainly disapproved of by teachers with more than 5-10 years of
10
experience. In contrast, teachers with more than 30 years of experience are slightly more
positive. No less than 80 % of the teachers claim that the learning plans for Dutch grammar in
primary and secondary education are not aligned sufficiently. Finally, the overwhelming
majority of the respondents state that Dutch grammar is insufficiently connected with the
learning plan for French and that students do not get the basics to learn foreign languages.
(Devos, 2012)
2.2.3 Criticism Masquiller and Lippens (2013)
Devos (2012) summarized the results from cappelle’s (2011) and Vleminckx’ (2012) research.
Masquillier and Lippens (2013), responsible for the learning plans of the VVKBaO and
VVKSO, responded to this article and criticized the way Cappelle and Vleminckx carried out
their attitude studies.
First of all, there are several educational networks in Flanders. It is not clear to which
educational network the respondents belong, therefore, it is difficult to draw conclusions for the
learning plans of all educational networks. Vleminckx addressed 2141 schools but only 318
teachers participated in the research, which is less than 1%. Moreover, some of Vleminckx’
survey questions have a suggestive tone, such as “Do you agree that the current learning plan
spends less attention to grammar?” Another point of criticism is that the researches do not take
into account whether the teachers have actually read the learning plans they are expressing their
opinion about. Furthermore, the respondents do not have the possibility to give an example or
to motivate their answers. In short, Masquillier and Lippens claim that the studies only reveal
the teachers’ opinions and not the facts. They are convinced that the learning plans of primary
and secondary Catholic education are aligned correctly.
2.2.4 Alignment between Primary and Secondary Education
Taking into account Masquiller and Lippens’ (2013) criticism on the attitude studies of
Cappelle (2011) and Vleminckx (2012), Dekeyser (2014) researched whether teachers in the
sixth year of Catholic primary education and teachers of Dutch in the first year of Catholic
secondary education agree with their statement that the learning plans for Dutch in primary and
secondary Catholic education are aligned sufficiently. Dekeyser (2014) conducted two surveys,
one among teachers in the sixth year of Catholic primary education and one among teachers of
Dutch in the first year of Catholic secondary education, in order to be able to confirm or
disprove Masquiller and Lippens’ statement. The study revealed the following results.
11
The majority of the questioned teachers, both in primary and secondary education, state to be
familiar with their own learning plan for Dutch. However, 80% of the teachers in primary
education admit to be ‘unfamiliar’ with the Dutch learning plan of secondary education. On the
contrary, 62% of the teachers in secondary education claim to be ‘familiar’ to ‘very familiar’
with the Dutch learning plan of primary education. In terms of the new learning plan, most
teachers share the opinion that the current learning plan is ‘feasible’ to ‘very feasible’.
Nonetheless, more than half of the teachers believe that the Dutch learning aims for grammar
do not prepare their students sufficiently to learn foreign languages. Furthermore, almost half
of the teachers in primary education and more than half of the teachers in secondary education
are not satisfied with the balance between language skills and language knowledge and,
therefore, want to spend more lessons on grammar. Remarkably, there is little to no interaction
between teachers in primary and secondary schools. Moreover, the majority of teachers in
primary education do not know what teachers in secondary education expect from their
students. Finally, 47% of the teachers in primary education and 53% of the teachers in
secondary education claim there is no alignment between the Dutch learning plans for grammar
in primary and secondary education. Consequently, Masquiller and Lippens’ (2013) statement
can be disproved.
Pelgrims (2012, p.78-82) also carried out a survey among 107 teachers in the sixth year of
primary education and 58 teachers in the first degree of secondary education. In contrast to
Dekeyser (2014), Pelgrims did not concentrate on Catholic education only. Furthermore,
Pelgrims’ research was not limited to the instruction of Dutch, including Dutch grammar, but
aimed to obtain a more general idea on the transition from primary to secondary education. The
study disclosed the following relevant results:
No less than 67% of the teachers in primary education indicated they expected difficulties
regarding the transition to secondary education, especially for the subjects Dutch and French.
Only 59% of these teachers argued that the learning plans for Dutch in primary and secondary
education are attuned sufficiently. Moreover, more than half of the teachers, both in primary
and secondary education, claimed there is a gap between primary and secondary education
concerning the subject Dutch. Even more teachers felt there is a general gap between both levels
of education.
12
2.3 ATTITUDE STUDENTS
Pelgrims (2012, p.82-84) dedicated a limited part of her research to the attitude of students in
the first year of secondary education and came to the conclusion that almost 80% of the
respondents do not struggle with the transition from primary to secondary education concerning
the subject Dutch. This is in not in line with Pelgrims’ findings that almost 70% of the teachers
in primary education expect difficulties. Although large part of the students do not seem to have
difficulties with the transition to secondary education, 43% of the students do experience a gap
between primary and secondary education.
Siebens (2014) carried out an exploratory study into the attitude of ASO students in their first
year of secondary education, more specifically among 73 Latin and mathematics-language
students, towards grammar education and the transition from primary to secondary education.
The research revealed the following results.
Most students think it is ‘useful’ (48%) to ‘very useful’ (15%) to pay attention to grammar
during the subject Dutch and even more students argue it is important during other language
subjects such as English, French, German and Latin. Moreover, the majority of the respondents
indicate that their grammar knowledge of Dutch is ‘useful’ to ‘very useful’ for other language
subjects. More than half of the questioned students state that the subject matter of primary
education is revised in secondary education and that the learning plans are attuned. In contrast
to Pelgrims’ research, only 26% of the respondents indicate they do not experience difficulties
concerning the subject Dutch. Moreover, almost half of the students say that, from time to time,
they have had difficulties with the transition from primary to secondary education.
13
3 RESEARCH
3.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The researches that have been carried out into the attitude of students towards grammar
education are, so far, rather limited and small-scaled. Moreover, both Pelgrims (2012) and
Siebens (2014) focused on students in the first year of secondary education. Our study tries to
provide insight into the attitude of the students in their final year of secondary education
regarding grammar education and tries to provide an answer to the following research
questions:
1) Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education (i.e.
parsing and the determination of word classes)…
a. Dutch is useful?
b. French, German, Latin or English is useful?
c. Dutch is more, less or equally important compared to other aspects of the Dutch
learning plan such as oral communication, written communication, literature and
spelling?
2) Do students in their final year of secondary education take the view that grammar
education Dutch is useful
a. to master other aspects of Dutch such as spelling, literature, oral communication or
written communication?
b. to learn foreign languages?
3) Do students in their final year of secondary education like grammar education Dutch?
Why (not)?
4) Do students in their final year of secondary education think they are able to parse and
determine word classes correctly?
5) Are there any significant differences in opinion between:
a. Men and women
b. ASO and non-ASO students
c. Latin and non-Latin students
d. Students who are thinking of taking language studies in tertiary education and
students who are not
14
3.2 ASSUMPTIONS ON THE OUTCOME OF THE RESEARCH
Based on the available literature, some assumptions can be made on the outcome of the research.
3.2.1 Research Question 1
a. Taalpeil (2007, p. 55) carried out an investigation into the attitude of teachers, adults
and students towards the education of the subject Dutch in Flanders, the Netherlands
and Surinam. An inquiry was conducted of 275 Flemish students in their penultimate
year of secondary education. The students indicated grammar as the third most useful
aspect of Dutch, after spelling and debating.
Moreover, the research results of Siebens (2014) showed that students in their first year
of secondary education think grammar education is useful. Most students believe it is
useful (48%) or very useful (15%) to pay attention to grammar education during the
subject Dutch. 23% of the respondents have a neutral attitude and only a few students
take the view that it is a little bit useful (10%) or not useful at all (1%).
Although these researches are carried out among students in their first and penultimate
year of secondary education and Siebens’ research is rather small-scaled, it can be
assumed that students in their final year of secondary education share the same view.
b. According to Siebens (2014) students are even more positive about grammar education
regarding language subjects such as French, German, English or Latin. Almost three
quarters think it is useful to very useful, 21% of the students do not express an opinion
on this matter, only a small part (5%) argues it is a little useful and no one indicates it
is not useful at all.
Although this research focuses on students in their first year of secondary education and
is rather small-scaled, it can be assumed that students in their final year of secondary
education share the same view.
15
c. The research results of Taalpeil (2007, p. 55) showed that Flemish students in their
penultimate year of secondary education indicate grammar as the third most useful
aspect of Dutch, after spelling and debating.
Although the inquiry has been conducted of students in their penultimate year of
secondary education, it can be assumed that students in their final year of secondary
education have the same opinion and, thus, think that grammar is, in general, equally
important to or more important than other aspects of Dutch.
3.2.2 Research Question 2
a. There is no literature that can predict whether students in their final year of secondary
education take the view that grammar education is useful to master other aspects of
Dutch.
b. The research conducted by Siebens (2014) showed that the majority of the respondents
argue that their grammar knowledge of Dutch is useful (36%) to very useful (19%) for
other language subjects.
Although this research focuses on students in their first year of secondary education and
is rather small-scaled, it can be assumed that students in their final year of secondary
education share the same view.
3.2.3 Research Question 3
According to Van Vooren’s research (2008), Flemish students in their final year of secondary
education are underperforming in the grammatical part of Dutch language, both in parsing and
the determination of word classes. Based on the idea that people do not like to do something
they are not good at, it could be assumed that the students will indicate that they do not like
grammar education.
3.2.4 Research Question 4
Devos and Van Vooren (2015) carried out a correlative study on language and non-language
students’ metacognitive aspects of spelling. The informants were asked to complete two
spelling test, a dictation exercise and a correction text. Afterwards, they were asked to fill in an
attitude questionnaire. The research results revealed that the students’ metacognitive knowledge
16
corresponds with their spelling performance. In conclusion, students seem to be able to judge
their strengths and weaknesses.
According to Van Vooren’s research (2008), Flemish students in their final year of secondary
education are underperforming in the grammatical part of Dutch language, both in parsing and
the determination of word classes.
Based on the assumption that students are able to judge their strengths and weaknesses, it can
be assumed that the respondents will indicate that they are not performing well concerning
parsing and the determination of word classes.
3.2.5 Research Question 5
a. Van Vooren’s research (2008) showed that, on average, women scored slightly higher
than men on the grammar test. Therefore, it can be assumed that women will have a
more positive attitude concerning research question 3 and 4. There is no literature that
can predict whether there is a difference in opinion between men and women concerning
research question 1 and 2.
b. There is no literature that can predict whether there is a difference in opinion between
ASO and non-ASO students. However, the learning plans for ASO education prescribes
higher expectations than the learning plans for non-ASO education. Therefore, it can be
assumed that ASO students will have a more positive judgement regarding research
question 4.
c. The research conducted by Van Vooren (2008) showed that Latin students scored
remarkably higher than non-Latin students on the grammar test. Moreover, Latin
students need their grammar knowledge of Dutch during Latin lessons. Therefore, it can
be assumed that they will express a more positive attitude regarding research questions
1a, 2b, 3 and 4. There is no literature that can predict whether there is a difference in
opinion between Latin and non-Latin students concerning research questions 1b, 1c and
2a.
d. There is no literature that can predict whether there is a difference in opinion between
students who are thinking of taking language studies in tertiary education and students
17
who are not. Nevertheless, most students who want to take language studies are talented
in languages and, therefore, probably grammar. Devos and Van Vooren’s correlative
study (2015) on language and non-language students’ metacognitive aspects of spelling,
for example, revealed that language students score 10% better than non-language
students. For that reason, it can be assumed that future language students will express a
more positive judgment regarding research question 4. Based on the idea that people
like to do something they are good at, it could be assumed that students who are thinking
of taking language studies in tertiary education will be more positive regarding research
question 3.
3.3 RESEARCH SETTING
In order to obtain a general opinion of Flemish students in their final year of secondary
education and to be able to formulate an answer to the above research questions (see 3.1), we
composed a survey5 focusing on the students’ attitude towards Dutch grammar education. As
many students write their thesis on subjects related to secondary education and need the help
of schools, it was hard to find schools that were prepared to participate in our study. Therefore,
we decided to address personal contacts: family members who are employed in the educational
sector, family and acquaintances (of friends), secondary schools I went to myself, etc. The
survey was distributed electronically using ‘Qualtrics’ as to be able to process the results easily,
for which we used Excel. The deadline for this survey was set on the 13th of May to gather as
much answers as possible. In total, 186 students answered our survey. The table below shows
the general composition of the respondents.
5 See appendix
18
General data survey
Gender Male Female
65 121
Educational Network Government-provided
education
Catholic education
50 136
Type of Education ASO Non-ASO
147 39
ASO… Latin Non-Latin
50 97
Studies in Tertiary Education Language studies Non-language studies
37 149
Table 1: General data survey
3.4 RESEARCH RESULTS
Based on the research described in 3.3, an answer is given to each of the five research questions
mentioned in 3.1. In order to maintain a clear overview each question is answered separately.
Moreover, the results are given in percentages as to be easily interpretable. A short conclusion
is given for each research question.
3.4.1 Research Question 1: “Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar
education is useful?”
In order to be able to answer this research question, the students were asked the following
questions:
1a. On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think it is useful to pay attention to
grammar education (i.e. parsing and the determination of word classes) in Dutch?
1b. On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think it is useful to pay attention to
grammar education during other language courses such as French, English, Latin or
German?
19
1c. Do you think grammar education in Dutch is more, less or equally important
compared to other aspects of the Dutch learning plan such as oral communication,
written communication, literature or spelling?
For the first two questions, the students could indicate a score from 0 to 10, 0 meaning ‘not
useful at all’ and 10 meaning ‘very useful’. For the third question we provided three possible
answers: ‘more important’, ‘less important’ or ‘equally important’. The different questions are
discussed separately in order to maintain a clear overview.
3.4.1.1 On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think it is useful to pay attention to
grammar education (i.e. parsing and the determination of word classes) in Dutch?
Graph 1: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful?
Graph 1 indicates that almost three quarters of the students (72%) give a score from 6 to 10,
meaning that they think grammar education in Dutch is useful. 12% of the students express a
neutral opinion and only 16% give a score between 0 and 4, meaning that they argue grammar
education in Dutch is not useful.
4%
1%3% 3%
5%
12% 11%
24%
16%
11% 10%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
20
3.4.1.2 On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think it is useful to pay attention to
grammar education during other language courses such as French, English, Latin or
German?
Graph 2: Do you think grammar education is useful during other language courses?
Graph 2 shows that no less than 82% of the students indicate a score from 6 to 10, which means
that they find grammar education in language courses such as German, Latin, French and
English is useful. More than half of the students (52%) even argue grammar education in
language courses is very useful and give a score from 8 to 10. Only 9% of the students indicate
it is not useful and another 9% express a neutral opinion.
3.4.1.3 Do you think grammar education in Dutch is more, less or equally important
compared to other aspects of the Dutch learning plan such as oral communication, written
communication, literature or spelling?
Graph 3: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch learning plan?
According the graph 3, 65% of the students take the view that grammar education in Dutch is
equally important as other aspects of the Dutch learning plan such as oral communication,
2%0% 1%
3% 3%
9% 10%
20%
33%
10%9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
9%
65%
26%More important
Equally important
Less important
21
written communication, literature or spelling. Only 9% argue that it is more important and
slightly more than a quarter of the students (26%) think it is less important.
3.4.1.4 Conclusion Research Question 1
The majority of the students indicate that grammar education is useful both in Dutch and other
language courses. When comparing graph 2 to graph 1, it can be said that students think
grammar education is even ‘very useful’ during language courses. Moreover, most students
take the view that grammar education is equally important as other aspects of the Dutch learning
plan. Based on graph 1, 2 and 3, it can be concluded that students in their final year of secondary
education believe grammar education is useful. These results are in line with the assumptions
made in 3.2.1. Concerning question 1c, however, more students were expected to answer ‘more
important’.
3.4.2 Research Question 2: “Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar
education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages?”
As to be able to give an answer to this research question, the respondents were asked the
following questions:
2a. On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think grammar education in Dutch is
useful to master other aspects of Dutch such as literature, spelling, oral communication
or written communication?
2b. On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think grammar education in Dutch is
useful to learn foreign languages?
The students could indicate a score from 0 to 10, 0 meaning ‘not useful at all’ and 10 meaning
‘very useful’. The different questions are discussed separately so as to maintain a clear
overview.
22
3.4.2.1 On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think grammar education in Dutch is
useful to master other aspects of Dutch such as literature, spelling, oral communication and
written communication?
Graph 4: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch?
As can be seen in graph 4, almost three quarters of the questioned students (73%) give a score
between 6 and 10, which means that they state grammar education in Dutch is useful to master
other aspects of Dutch. Moreover, 33% claim it is ‘very useful’ and indicate a score from 8 to
10. Only 16% of the students indicate a score between 0 and 4, meaning that they think grammar
education is not useful to master other aspects of Dutch. Moreover, only 7% claim it is not
useful at all and give a score between 0 and 2. 15% have a neutral opinion regarding this
question.
3.4.2.2 On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think grammar education in Dutch is
useful to learn foreign languages?
Graph 5: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages?
Looking at graph 5, we can see that slightly more than half of the students (57%) indicate a
score between 6 and 10, which means that they take the view grammar education is useful to
learn foreign languages. Furthermore, almost a quarter of the respondents (24%) find it ‘very
2% 1%4% 3% 3%
15%
10%
30%
21%
7%5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3%
1%
6%5%
6%
22%
13%
20%
15%
6%
3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
23
useful’ and give a score from 8 to 10. 21% declare grammar education is not useful to learn
foreign languages and another 22% give a neutral score. One out of ten students argue it is not
useful at all.
3.4.2.3 Conclusion Research Question 2
The results of question 2b are in line with the assumptions made in 3.2.2. The majority of the
respondents indeed argue that their grammar knowledge of Dutch is ‘useful’ to ‘very useful’ to
learn foreign languages. Concerning question 2a, even more students seem to find that their
grammar knowledge of Dutch is ‘useful’ to very useful’ to master other aspects of Dutch such
as oral communication, written communication, spelling and literature. In conclusion, it can be
said that students in their final year of secondary education take the view grammar education
in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages.
3.4.3 Research Question 3: “Do students in their final year of secondary education like grammar
education Dutch? Why (not)?”
To be able to answer this research question, the students were asked the following questions:
3a. On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you like Dutch grammar?
3b. If you indicated a score from 0 to 4, why do you not like Dutch grammar?
3c. If you indicated a score from 6 to 10, why do you like Dutch grammar?
For the first question, the students could indicate a score from 0 to 10, 0 meaning ‘I dislike it’
and 10 meaning ‘I like it very much’. For the second question we provided eight possible
answers: ‘the teacher does not explain it very well’, ‘the teacher explains it in a boring way’,
‘the terminology is ambiguous’, ‘the subject material is too detailed’, ‘it is not useful’, ‘the
textbook is unclear’, ‘we do not have a textbook’ or ‘I am not good at grammar’. For the third
question we provided five possible answers: ‘the teacher explains it well’, ‘the teacher explains
it in a fun way’, ‘it is useful’, ‘we have a clear textbook’, or ‘I am good at grammar’.
Concerning the second and third questions, the students were able to choose multiple answers
or add an answer of their own. The different questions are discussed separately in order to
maintain a clear overview.
24
3.4.3.1 On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you like Dutch grammar?
Graph 6: Do you like Dutch grammar?
Graph 6 clearly shows that the opinions on this question are divided. On the one hand 41% of
the students give a score from 0 to 4, which means that they like Dutch grammar. On the other
hand 46% indicate a score from 6 to 10, meaning that they dislike Dutch grammar. The other
students (13%) express a neutral opinion.
3.4.3.2 If you indicated a score from 0-4, why do you not like Dutch grammar?
Graph 7: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar?
Looking at graph 7, we can see that the main reason (27%) why students dislike Dutch grammar
is the fact that the teacher explains it in a boring way. The second main reason (18%) is that it
8%
3%
6%
13%
11%
13%
16% 16%
8%
5%
2%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
6%
27%
8%
12%
18%
6%
1%
14%
9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
25
is not useful and the third main reason (12%) is that the subject matter is too detailed. Moreover,
9% indicate other reasons for disliking Dutch grammar such as: “In my opinion, grammar is
definitely not the most fun part of a language. It does not matter if it concerns Dutch, French,
English, Latin or Greek grammar. Everyone prefers literature or culture to parsing a sentence.
However, that does not mean that grammar is less necessary. I do not like cleaning my room
either, but the effort is necessary to have a clean room. It is the same for languages. Before you
are able to interpret literature or write fluent texts you need to control the grammar of a
language”, “I think it is more useful to lay the emphasis on language skills instead of language
knowledge” or “It is not the teacher’s fault…grammar is just boring”.
3.4.3.3 If you indicated a score from 6-10, why do you like Dutch grammar?
Graph 8: Why do you like Dutch grammar?
The results from graph 8 are clear: almost half of the students (48%) declare they like Dutch
grammar because it is useful. Slightly more than a quarter of the students (29%) indicate they
like Dutch grammar because they are good at it and the third main reason (11%) is that the
teacher explains it well.
3.4.3.4 Conclusion Research Question 3
The results of question 3a are not completely in line with the assumptions made in 3.2.3. Based
on Van Vooren’s research (2008) we assumed that the majority of the students would indicate
they do not like Dutch grammar. However, the opinions are divided. Only 46% state they dislike
Dutch grammar whereas 41% indicate they do like grammar education. The main reasons for
disliking Dutch grammar are that the teacher explains it in a boring way and the fact that they
11%6%
48%
4%
29%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
The teacherexplains it
well
The teacherexplains it in
a fun way
It is useful We have aclear
textbook
I am good atgrammar
Otherreason?
26
think it is not useful. The main reasons for liking Dutch grammar are the fact that the students
believe it is useful and that they are good at it.
3.4.4 Research Question 4: “Do students in their final year of secondary education think they are
able to parse and determine word classes correctly?”
As to be able to give an answer to this research question, the respondents were asked the
following questions:
4a. On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think you are able to parse (subject,
direct object, indirect object) sentences correctly?
4b. On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think you are able to determine word
classes (noun, adverb, pronoun) correctly?
The students could indicate a score from 0 to 10, 0 meaning ‘not good at it at all’ and 10 meaning
‘very good at it’. The different questions are discussed separately to maintain a clear overview.
3.4.4.1 On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think you are able to parse sentences
correctly?
Graph 9: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly?
The results from graph 9 are clear: No less than 85% of the students indicate a score between 6
and 10, meaning that they take the view they are able to parse sentences correctly. Moreover,
almost 60% even give a score between 8 and 10, which means they declare to be very good at
parsing sentences. Only 8% of the questioned students seem to find they are not able to parse
sentences correctly and 7% take a neutral position.
1% 0%2% 2%
4%
7% 8%
19%
24%22%
13%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
27
3.4.4.2 On a scale from 0-10, to what extent do you think you are able to determine word
classes correctly?
Graph 10: Do you think you are you able to determine word classes correctly?
Graph 10 proves that the vast majority of the students (83%) give themselves a score between
6 and 10, which indicates that the students believe to be able to determine word classes
correctly. Furthermore, almost half of the students (49%) give a score from 8 to 10, meaning
they think to be very good at determining word classes. Only 10% of the respondents take the
view they are not able to determine word classes correctly and 7% express a neutral opinion.
3.4.4.3 Conclusion Research Question 4
The results of questions 4a and 4b are in contrast with the assumptions made in 3.2.4. Based on
Devos and Van Vooren (2015) and Van Vooren (2008) we assumed that the students would
indicate that they are not performing well concerning parsing and the determination of word
classes. However, the vast majority of the questioned students feel they are able to determine
word classes correctly. The results concerning the parsing of sentences are even higher. In
conclusion, it can be stated that students in their final year of secondary education seem to think
they are able to parse and determine word classes correctly.
3.4.5 Research Question 5: “Are there any differences between…”
5a. Men and women
5b. ASO and non-ASO students
5c. Latin and non-Latin students
5d. Future language and non-language students
For each of these four fields, a similar outline is used. All research questions are discussed
again, focusing on the difference between the two mentioned groups. The graphs where we
1% 0%3% 3% 3%
7%
13%
21%24%
15%
11%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
28
noticed little or no differences are added but not discussed elaborately. Finally, a short
conclusion is given.
3.4.5.1 Men versus women
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education is useful?
Graph 11: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? Men vs. women
Graph 11 indicates that male students are clearly more pessimistic about the usefulness of
grammar education Dutch than female students. We can see that 31% of the male students
indicate a score between 0 and 4, meaning they state grammar education Dutch is not useful.
14% of the men even give a score between 0 and 2, which means they believe grammar
education Dutch is not useful at all. We can see that only 7% of the female students share the
opinion that grammar education is not useful and 3% believe it is not useful at all. A vast
majority of the women (79%) indicate a score from 6 to 10, taking the view that grammar
education Dutch is useful and 41% of the women even give a score from 8 to 10, meaning they
feel grammar education is very useful. The graph shows that the results for male students are
lower: 60% feel it is useful and 29% think it is very useful.
Graph 12: Do you think grammar education is useful during other language courses? Men vs. women
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Male
Female
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Male
Female
29
As can be seen in graph 12, male students are also more negative about the usefulness of
grammar education in language courses such as German, French, Latin and English than female
students. 15% of the male students indicate a score between 0 and 4, meaning that they state
grammar education in language courses is not useful and 6% of the men give a score from 0 to
2, which means they think it is not useful at all. Concerning the female students, 5% argue it is
not useful and only 1% believe it is not useful at all. However, almost three quarters (72%) of
the men indicate a score between 6 and 10, taking the view that grammar education in language
courses is useful. Almost half of the male students (45%) indicate a score from 8 to 10, stating
that grammar education in language courses is very useful. We can see that a vast majority of
the female students (88%) share the opinion that grammar education in language courses is
useful and more than the half (56%) believe it is even very useful.
Graph 13: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch learning plan? Men vs. women
Looking at graph 13, we can see that the results for this question are similar for male and female
students. The majority of the students find grammar is equally important as other aspects of
Dutch such as oral communication, written communication, literature and spelling. About a
quarter of the students believe it is less important and around a tenth think it is more important.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
More important Equally important Less important
Male
Female
30
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education in Dutch is useful
to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages?
Graph 14: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? Men vs. women
According to graph 14, female students clearly have a more positive attitude towards the
usefulness of Dutch grammar to master other aspects of Dutch such as oral communication,
written communication, spelling or literature. As can be seen, no less than 78% of the female
students give a score between 6 and 10, indicating that they feel Dutch grammar is useful to
master other aspects of Dutch. 37% of the women indicate a score from 8 to 10, meaning they
think Dutch grammar is even very useful to master other aspects of Dutch. Regarding the male
students, 62% state it is useful and a quarter take the view it is very useful. Almost a quarter
(22%) claim it is not useful and 14% declare it is not useful at all, whereas this is only 9% and
3%, respectively, for the female students.
Graph 15: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? Men vs. women
Graph 15 proves that female students are also more positive about the usefulness of Dutch
grammar to learn foreign languages than male students. 64% of the women give a score between
6 and 10, which indicates they claim Dutch grammar is useful to learn foreign languages.
Slightly more than a quarter (26%) of the female students indicate a score from 8 to 10, meaning
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Male
Female
0%
5%
10%
15%
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25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Male
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31
they declare Dutch grammar is very useful to learn foreign languages. Concerning the male
students almost half (46%) of them believe it is useful and 18% state it is very useful. 28% of
the men indicate a score from 0 to 4, which means they claim Dutch grammar is not useful to
learn foreign languages. 18% of the male students even give a score between 0 and 2, taking
the view it is not useful at all, whereas this is only 17% and 5%, respectively, for the female
students.
Do students in their final year of secondary education like grammar education in Dutch? Why
(not)?
Graph 16: Do you like Dutch grammar education? Men vs. women
The results from graph 16 are clear: female students like Dutch grammar more than male
students. Slightly more than half of the women (53%) indicate a score between 6 and 10, which
means they like Dutch grammar. Furthermore, 17% of the female students even give a score
from 8 to 10, indicating they like Dutch grammar very much. Most male students, on the
contrary, give a score between 0 and 4, meaning they dislike Dutch grammar. 26% of the men
even give a score from 0 to 2, which indicates they dislike it very much.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Male
Female
32
Graph 17: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? Men vs. women
Graph 18: Why do you like Dutch grammar? Men vs. women
According to graphs 17 and 18, the main reasons why male and female students like or dislike
Dutch grammar are almost the same. Both men and women dislike grammar education in Dutch
because the teacher explains it in a boring way, the fact that it is not useful and their lack of
talent for grammar. Female students also indicate ‘the subject material is too detailed’ as a main
reason. Furthermore, both male and female students like grammar education in Dutch because
it is useful and the fact that they are good at it.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Male
Female
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Theteacher
explains itwell
Theteacher
explains itin a fun
way
It is useful We have aclear
textbook
I am goodat
grammar
Otherreason?
Male
Female
33
Do students in their final year of secondary education think they are able to parse and determine
word classes correctly?
Graph 19: Do you think you are you able to parse sentences correctly? Men vs. women
Graph 20: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? Men vs. women
Graphs 19 and 20 clearly demonstrate that male and female students have a similar opinion
towards these research questions. In general, the female students express a slightly more
positive opinion. A vast majority of both the male and female students claim they are good at
parsing and the determination of word classes. 62% of the women and 54% of the men give a
score between 8 and 10, which means they even believe to be very good at parsing sentences.
Concerning the determination of word classes, less male students (45%) and female students
(52%) indicate to be very good at it.
Conclusion
The results for this field comply with the assumptions made in 3.2.5. Female students are indeed
slightly more positive about their ability to parse and determine word classes correctly.
Moreover, women seem to like grammar education in Dutch slightly more than male students.
Both male and female students indicate the same reasons for liking or disliking Dutch grammar.
Women, however, add the reason ‘the subject material is too detailed’ to the main reasons for
disliking it. Concerning research questions 1 and 2, female students are more positive about the
usefulness of grammar education in Dutch and other language courses than male students.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Male
Female
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Male
Female
34
Furthermore, women express a more positive attitude towards the usefulness of Dutch grammar
to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages.
3.4.5.2 ASO versus non-ASO students
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education is useful?
Graph 21: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Graph 21 proves that ASO students are clearly more positive regarding the usefulness of Dutch
grammar than non-ASO students. No less than 78% of the ASO students give a score between
6 and 10, taking the view that grammar education is useful, whereas only 44% of the non-ASO
students share this opinion. The graph also shows that 33% of the non-ASO student indicate a
score from 0 to 4, meaning that they believe grammar education is not useful, while only 14%
of the ASO students take this point of view.
Graph 22: Do you think grammar education during other language courses is useful? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Looking at graph 22, we can see that ASO students are also more positive concerning the
usefulness of grammar education in language courses such as German, French, Latin and
English. The vast majority of ASO students (87%) indicate a score between 6 and 10, which
means they state grammar education in language courses is useful. More than half of the ASO
students (55%) give a score from 8 and 10, taking the view that grammar education in language
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASO
NON-ASO
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASO
NON-ASO
35
courses is even very useful. Regarding the non-ASO students, 64% claim it is useful and 41%
declare it is very useful.
Graph 23: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch learning plan? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Graph 23 indicates that the majority of both ASO (63%) and non-ASO (74%) students state
grammar is equally important as other aspects of Dutch such as oral communication, written
communication, literature and spelling. However, more ASO (29%) than non-ASO (15%)
students think grammar is less important than other aspects of Dutch.
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education in Dutch is useful
to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages?
Graph 24: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? ASO vs. non-ASO students
According the graph 24, ASO and non-ASO students express a similar opinion towards this
research question. On the whole, non-ASO students have a slightly more negative attitude than
ASO students towards the usefulness of Dutch grammar to master other aspects of Dutch such
as oral communication, written communication, spelling and literature. A vast majority of both
ASO and non-ASO students declare Dutch grammar is useful to master other aspects of Dutch.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Moreimportant
Equallyimportant
Less important
ASO
NON-ASO
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASO
NON-ASO
36
Graph 25: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Graph 25 demonstrates that ASO and non-ASO students also have a similar opinion towards
this research question. In general, ASO students express a slightly more positive attitude than
non-ASO students towards the usefulness of Dutch grammar to learn foreign languages. More
than half of both ASO and non-ASO students claim Dutch grammar is useful to learn foreign
languages.
Do students in their final year of secondary education like grammar education in Dutch? Why
(not)?
Graph 26: Do you like Dutch grammar? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Looking at graph 26, we can see that ASO and non-ASO students express a similar opinion
towards this research question. In general, ASO students seem to like Dutch grammar slightly
more than non-ASO students. Almost half of the ASO students (47%) and 42% of the non-ASO
students indicate a score between 6 and 10, meaning that they like Dutch grammar. However,
39% of the ASO students and 49% of the non-ASO students give a score from 0 to 4, indicating
that they believe Dutch grammar is not useful.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASO
NON-ASO
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASO
NON-ASO
37
Graph 27: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Graph 28: Why do you like Dutch grammar? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Graphs 27 and 28 prove that the main reasons for which ASO and non-ASO students like or
dislike Dutch grammar are quite similar. Both ASO and non-ASO students dislike grammar
education in Dutch because the teacher explains it in a boring way, the fact that it is not useful
and their lack of talent for grammar. Non-ASO students also indicate ‘the subject material is
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
ASO
NON-ASO
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Theteacher
explains itwell
Theteacher
explains itin a fun
way
It is useful We havea clear
textbook
I am goodat
grammar
Otherreason?
ASO
NON-ASO
38
too detailed’ as a main reason. Furthermore, both ASO and non-ASO students like grammar
education in Dutch because it is useful and the fact that they are good at it.
Do students in their final year of secondary education think they are able to parse and determine
word classes correctly?
Graph 29: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly? ASO vs. non-ASO students
The results from graph 29 are clear: ASO students are clearly more convinced they are able to
parse sentences correctly than non-ASO students. No less than 88% of the ASO students
indicate a score from 6 to 10, taking the view they are good at parsing sentences. 65% of the
ASO students even give a score between 8 and 10, which means they believe to be very good
at it. On the contrary, 18% of the non-ASO students indicate a score between 0 and 4, stating
they are not good at parsing sentences. However, almost three quarters (74%) of the non-ASO
students declare to be good at parsing and 38% claim to be very good at it.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASO
NON-ASO
39
Graph 30: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? ASO vs. non-ASO students
Graph 30 clearly shows that ASO students are also more convinced than non-ASO students
they are able to determine word classes correctly. No less than 87% of the ASO students give
a score between 6 and 10, indicating they think to be good at determining word classes. Slightly
more than half of the ASO students (54%) even indicate a score from 8 to 10, which means they
declare to be very good at it. On the contrary, 21% of the non-ASO students give a score from
6 and 10, taking the view they are not good at determining word classes. Nevertheless, 69% of
the non-ASO students feel they are good it determining word classes and 31% even declare to
be very good at it.
Conclusion
The results for this field are in line with the assumptions made in 3.2.5. ASO students are indeed
more positive about their ability to parse and determine word classes correctly. Regarding
research questions 1 and 2, ASO students are clearly more convinced of the usefulness of
grammar education in Dutch and other language courses than non-ASO students. Moreover,
ASO students express a more positive attitude about the usefulness of Dutch grammar to master
other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages. Concerning research question 3, ASO and
non-ASO students seem to express a similar opinion.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASO
NON-ASO
40
3.4.5.3 Latin versus non-Latin students
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education is useful?
Graph 31: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? Latin vs. non-Latin students
According to graph 31, Latin and non-Latin students have a similar opinion about the usefulness
of Dutch grammar. 78% of both Latin and non-Latin students indicate a score between 6 and
10, meaning they believe Dutch grammar is useful. Slightly more Latin students (44%) than
non-Latin students (36%) give a score from 8 to 10, which means they think grammar education
in Dutch is even very useful.
Graph 32: Do you think grammar education during other language courses is useful? Latin vs. non-Latins students
Looking at graph 32, we can see that Latin students are clearly more positive than non-Latin
students about the usefulness of grammar education in language courses such as German,
French, English and Latin. Almost all Latin students (98%) give a score between 6 and 10,
taking the view that grammar education in language courses is useful. Moreover, slightly more
than three quarters of the Latin students indicate a score from 8 to 10, meaning they claim it is
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Latin
Non-Latin
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Latin
Non-Latin
41
even very useful. Regarding the non-Latin students, the vast majority (88%) declare it is useful
and 44% feel it is very useful.
Graph 33: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch learning plan? Latin vs. non-Latin students
Graph 33 shows that Latin and non-Latin express an almost identical opinion regarding this
question. The majority of the students feel grammar is equally important as other aspects of
Dutch such as oral communication, written communication, literature and spelling. About a
quarter of the students think it is less important and around a tenth state it is more important.
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education in Dutch is useful
to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages?
Graph 34: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? Latin vs. non-Latin students
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Moreimportant
Equallyimportant
Less important
Latin
Non-Latin
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Latin
Non-Latin
42
Graph 35: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? Latin vs. non-Latin students
Graphs 34 and graph 35 demonstrate that Latin and non-Latin students have a similar opinion
about the usefulness of Dutch grammar to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign
languages. The majority of both Latin (80%) and non-Latin students (70%) argue Dutch
grammar is useful to master other aspects of Dutch and about a third indicate it is very useful.
Regarding the usefulness of Dutch grammar to learn foreign languages, 66% of the Latin
students and 56% of the non-Latin students believe it is useful and about a quarter state it is
very useful.
Do students in their final year of secondary education like grammar education in Dutch? Why
(not)?
Graph 36: Do you like Dutch grammar? Latin vs. non-Latin students
Graph 36 proves that more Latin (54%) than non-Latin students (43%) indicate a score from 6
to 10, which means they like grammar education in Dutch. However, more non-Latin (18%)
than Latin students (8%) indicate a score between 8 and 10, indicating they like Dutch grammar
very much. On the other hand, 21% of the non-Latin students give a score from 0 to 2, meaning
they dislike it very much, whereas this is only 10% for the Latin students.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Latin
Non-Latin
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Latin
Non-Latin
43
Graph 37: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? Latin vs. non-Latin students
Graph 38: Why do you like Dutch grammar? Latin vs. non-Latin students
Graph 37 demonstrates that the main reason why Latin and non-Latin students dislike grammar
education is different. Non-Latin students indicate ‘the teacher explains it in a boring way’ as
the main reason, while Latin students prefer giving another reason than the ones we offered: ‘I
prefer the other aspects of Dutch’, ‘In my opinion, language skills are more important than
language knowledge’, ‘We have never paid much attention to it’, etc. Moreover, non-Latin
students indicate ‘I am not good at it’ as the second main reason, while only a small part of the
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Latin
Non-Latin
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%
Theteacherexplainsit well
Theteacherexplains
it in afun way
It isuseful
We havea clear
textbook
I amgood at
grammar
Otherreason?
Latin
Non-Latin
44
Latin students indicate this reason. Graph 38 proves that Latin and non-Latin students do like
Dutch grammar for the same reasons: ‘it is useful’ and ‘I am good at it’.
Do students in their final year of secondary education think they are able to parse and determine
word classes correctly?
Graph 39: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly? Latin vs. non-Latin students
The results from graph 39 are clear: Latin students are clearly more convinced they are able to
parse sentences correctly than non-Latin students. Almost all Latin students (96%) give a score
from 6 to 10, which means they believe to be good at parsing. Slightly more than three quarters
of the Latin students (78%) indicate a score between 8 and 10, taking the view they are very
good at it. Moreover, not a single Latin student indicates a score lower than 5, meaning that
none of the Latin students state to be bad at parsing. Regarding the non-Latin students, 85%
declare to be good at parsing sentences and 58% think to be very good at it.
Graph 40: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? Latin vs. non-Latin students
Graph 40 clearly shows that Latin students are also more convinced than non-Latin students
that they are able to determine word classes correctly. Almost all Latin students (98%) give a
score from 6 to 10, meaning they state to be good at determining word classes. Moreover, no
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Latin
Non-Latin
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Latin
Non-Latin
45
less than 78% of the Latin students indicate a score between 8 and 10, taking the view they are
even very good at it. Almost no Latin students believe to be bad at determining word classes.
Concerning non-Latin students, 81% claim to good at determining word classes and 42% argue
to be very good at it.
Conclusion
The results for this field partially comply with the assumptions made in 3.2.5. Latin and non-
Latin students have a similar opinion towards the usefulness of Dutch grammar and the
usefulness of Dutch grammar to learn foreign languages, which is not in line with our
assumptions. The results for research questions 3 and 4, on the other hand, do comply with the
assumptions. More Latin students than non-Latin students are convinced they are good at
parsing and determining word classes correctly. Moreover, Latin students like grammar
education in Dutch more than non-Latin students. However, more non-Latin students like Dutch
grammar very much. Concerning research question 1b, Latin students are clearly more positive
about the usefulness of grammar education in language courses. Latin and non-Latin students
express a similar opinion regarding research questions 1c and 2a. Both groups believe grammar
is equally important to other aspects of Dutch and state grammar education in Dutch is useful
to master other aspects of Dutch.
3.4.5.4 Future language students versus future non-language students
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education is useful?
Graph 41: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful? Future language vs. non-language students
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Language studies intertiary education
no language studies intertiary education
46
Graph 41 shows that students who are thinking of taking language studies in tertiary education
(81%) are slightly more convinced that grammar education is useful compared to students who
are not thinking of taking language studies (70%). Moreover, 41% of the future language
students and 36% of the future non-language students believe grammar education Dutch is very
useful.
Graph 42: Do you think grammar education during other language courses is useful? Future language vs. non-language students
According to graph 42 almost all future language students (95%) and no less than 79% of the
future non-language students state grammar education in language courses such as German,
Latin, French and English is useful. Slightly more than three quarters (76%) of the students who
are thinking of taking language studies in tertiary education find grammar education in language
courses is very useful. On the contrary, only 46% of the students who are not thinking of taking
language studies share that opinion.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Language studies interiary education
No language studies intertiary education
47
Graph 43: Do you think grammar education is important compared to other aspects of the Dutch learning plan? Future language vs. non-language students
Graph 43 indicates that future language students and future non-language students have a
similar opinion towards this research question. The majority of both groups state grammar is
equally important as other aspects of Dutch such as oral communication, written
communication, literature and spelling. About a quarter of both future language and non-
language students believe it is less important and slightly more future non-language students
claim it is more important.
Do students in their final year of secondary education think grammar education in Dutch is useful
to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages?
Graph 44: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch? Future language vs. non-language students
10%
26%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
More important Equallyimportant
Less important
Language studies intertiary education
No language studies intertiary education
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Language studies intertiary education
No language studiesin tertiary education
48
As can be seen in graph 44, future language students (86%) are clearly more convinced than
future non-language students (68%) about the usefulness of Dutch grammar to master other
aspects of Dutch such as oral communication, written communication, spelling and literature.
86% of the future language students give a score from 6 to 10, meaning that they argue grammar
education in Dutch is useful to master other aspects of Dutch. Moreover, 41% of the future
language students indicate a score between 8 and 10, which means that they think it is even
very useful. Regarding future non-language students 68% and 31%, respectively, share this
opinion.
Graph 45: Do you think grammar education in Dutch is useful to learn foreign languages? Future language vs. non-language students
Graph 45 demonstrates that future language and non-language students have the same opinion
regarding this research question. Slightly more than half of both groups indicate a score between
6 and 10, which means they think Dutch grammar is useful to learn foreign languages. 35% of
the future language students and 21% of the future non-language students even give a number
from 8 and 10, meaning that they believe it is very useful.
Do students in their final year of secondary education like grammar education in Dutch? Why
(not)?
Graph 46: Do you like Dutch grammar? Future language vs. non-language students
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Language studies intertiary education
No language studies intertiary education
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
language studies intertiary education
No language studiesin tertiary education
49
Again, graph 46 shows that there are little differences between future language and non-
language students regarding this research question. In general, future languages students seem
to like grammar education in Dutch slightly more than future non-language students. Slightly
more than half of the future language students give a number between 6 and 10, indicating they
like grammar education in Dutch. 44% of the future non-language students share this opinion.
Graph 47: Why do you dislike Dutch grammar? Future language vs. non-language students
Graph 48: why do you like Dutch grammar? Future language vs. non-language students
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Language studies in tertiaryeducation
No language studies in tertiaryeducation
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Theteacherexplainsit well
Theteacherexplains
it in a funway
It isuseful
We havea clear
textbook
I amgood at
grammar
Otherreason?
Language studies in tertiaryeducation
No language studies intertiary education
50
According to graphs 47 and 48, the main reasons why future language and non-language
students (dis)like grammar education in Dutch are the same. Both future language and non-
language students dislike grammar education in Dutch because the teacher explains it in a
boring way, the fact that it is not useful and their lack of talent for grammar. Furthermore, they
like grammar education in Dutch because it is useful and the fact that they are good at it.
Do students in their final year of secondary education think they are able to parse and determine
word classes correctly?
Graph 49: Do you think you are able to parse sentences correctly? Future language vs. non-language students
Graph 50: Do you think you are able to determine word classes correctly? Future language vs. non-language students
Graphs 49 and 50 prove that future language and non-language students express a similar
opinion regarding their ability to parse and determine word classes correctly. A vast majority
of both groups take the view they are good at parsing and determining word classes.
Conclusion
The results for this field do not comply at all with the assumptions made in 3.2.5. Future
language and non-language students seem to like grammar education in Dutch as much and
share the same opinion about their ability to parse and determine word classes correctly.
Concerning research questions 2b, about the usefulness of Dutch grammar to learn foreign
languages, future language and non-language students also same the share opinion. However,
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Language studies intertiary education
No language studiesin tertiary education
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Language studies interiary education
No language studiesin tertiaryeducation
51
future language students are more convinced about the usefulness of Dutch to master other
aspects of Dutch. Regarding research question 1, future language students are more convinced
about the usefulness of grammar education in Dutch and other language courses.
52
4 CONCLUSION
This research aimed to gain more insight into the attitude of students in their final year of
secondary education towards grammar education in Dutch. Therefore, we tried to provide an
answer to the following research questions: “Do students in their final year of secondary
education think grammar education in Dutch and other language courses is useful?”, “Do they
take the view Dutch grammar is useful to master other aspects of Dutch or to learn foreign
languages?” “Do they like Dutch grammar education? Why (not)?” and “Do they argue to be
good at parsing and determining word classes?” Finally, we also researched whether there are
significant differences between men and women, ASO and non-ASO students, Latin and non-
Latin students and future language and non-language students. Our study revealed the following
significant results.
The majority of the questioned students believe grammar education is useful both in Dutch and
other language courses. Regarding grammar education in language courses, the students even
take the view it is ‘very useful’. Moreover, most students argue that grammar education is
equally important as other aspects of the Dutch learning plan. The majority of the respondents
also state that their grammar knowledge of Dutch is ‘useful’ to ‘very useful’ to learn foreign
languages. Even more students seem to find that their grammar knowledge of Dutch is ‘useful’
to very useful’ to master other aspects of Dutch such as oral communication, written
communication, spelling and literature. Concerning the research question whether the students
like Dutch grammar education, the opinions are divided. 46% state they dislike Dutch grammar
whereas 41% indicate they do like grammar education. The main reasons for disliking Dutch
grammar are that the teacher explains it in a boring way and the fact that they think it is not
useful. The main reasons for liking Dutch grammar are the fact that the students believe it is
useful and that they are good at it. When asked about their ability to parse sentences and
determine word classes correctly, the students expressed a quite positive attitude. The vast
majority of the students indicate they feel to be able to determine word classes correctly and
even more students declare they are able to parse sentences correctly.
53
- Male versus female students
Female students are slightly more positive about the usefulness of grammar education in Dutch
and other language courses and the usefulness of Dutch grammar to master other aspects of
Dutch and learn foreign languages. Moreover, women seem to like grammar education in Dutch
slightly more than male students and believe they are better at parsing and determining word
classes correctly. Both male and female students indicate the same reasons for liking or
disliking Dutch grammar. Women, however, add the reason ‘the subject material is too detailed’
to the main reasons for disliking it.
- ASO versus non-ASO students
ASO students are more positive about their ability to parse and determine word classes
correctly. ASO students are clearly more convinced of the usefulness of grammar education in
Dutch and other language courses than non-ASO students. Moreover, ASO students express a
more positive attitude about the usefulness of Dutch grammar to master other aspects of Dutch
and learn foreign languages. ASO and non-ASO students express a similar opinion towards the
question whether they like grammar education in Dutch.
- Latin versus non-Latin students
Latin and non-Latin students have a similar opinion towards the usefulness of grammar
education in Dutch, the importance of grammar compared to other aspects of Dutch and the
usefulness of Dutch grammar to master other aspects of Dutch and learn foreign languages.
Nevertheless, Latin students are clearly more positive about the usefulness of grammar
education in language courses. Moreover, more Latin students than non-Latin students are
convinced they are good at parsing and determining word classes correctly. Latin students like
grammar education in Dutch more than non-Latin students. However, more non-Latin students
like Dutch grammar very much.
- Future language versus non-language students
Future language and non-language students seem to like grammar education in Dutch as much
and share the same opinion about their ability to parse and determine word classes correctly.
About the usefulness of Dutch grammar to learn foreign languages, future language and non-
language students also same the share opinion. However, future language students are more
convinced about the usefulness of Dutch to master other aspects of Dutch. Furthermore, future
language students are more convinced about the usefulness of grammar education in Dutch and
other language courses.
54
Limitations and possibilities of this research:
The results of this study give an idea of the attitude of students in their final year of secondary
education towards grammar education in Dutch. However, it ought to be mentioned that only a
small part of the Flemish students participated in our survey. Moreover, we tried to sketch the
general attitude of students in their final year of secondary education. A more detailed research
per branch of education, per research question, etc. would probably result into more accurate
findings. Nevertheless, this study provides a solid basis for further research. It would, for
example, be interesting to compare the differences and similarities between the students’ and
teachers’ attitude.
55
5 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cappelle, P. (2011). Dutch grammar in secondary education: a research about the attitude of
Flemish teachers of Dutch towards grammar education. Unpublished Master’s thesis.
University College Ghent: Faculty Applied Linguistics.
Dekeyser, E. (2014). Alignment between grammar in the Dutch language curricula of primary
and secondary education. An attitude study among teachers of Dutch. Unpublished
Master’s thesis. Ghent University: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.
Devos, F. (2012). Grammatica in het Vlaamse lager en secundair onderwijs: een verkennend
attitude-onderzoek bij leerkrachten. Over taal, 51 (5), 134-137.
Devos, F. & Van Vooren V. (2015). A correlative study on language and non-language
students’ metacognitive aspects of spelling. INTED 2015 Proceedings CD. Madrid:
IATED, 2798-2803.
Masquillier, B. & Lippens, M. (2013). Grammatica in het Vlaams lager en secundair
katholiekonderwijs: een verhaal van samenhang en continuïteit. Over Taal, 52(5), 129-
131
Nederlandse Taalunie. (2007). Onderwijs Nederlands in Nederland, Vlaanderen en Suriname.
Retrieved from
http://taalunieversum.org/sites/tuv/files/downloads/taalpeilonderzoek_2007.pdf
Pelgrims, L. (2012). Continuïteit of kloof tussen het basisonderwijs en het secundair
onderwijs? Een sprong in het ongekende…katholieke Hogeschool Leuven –
Departement Lerarenopleiding Heverlee. Retrieved from
http://www.scriptiebank.be/sites/default/files/webform/scriptie/AFSTUDEERPROJEC
T%20-%20PAPER.pdf
Siebens, L. (2014). Het vak Nederlands in de overgang van het basis- naar het secundair
onderwijs: een verkennend attitudeonderzoek bij leerlingen. Unpublished bachelor’s
dissertation. Ghent University: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.
Van Vooren, V. (2008). Grammar education ‘in Dutch’. Study of the Dutch grammar level in
the final year of secondary education in Flanders and the Netherlands. Unpublished
Master’s thesis. University College Ghent: Faculty Applied Linguistics.
Van Vooren, V. & Devos, F. (2008). Grammaticaonderwijs: het oude zeer. Over taal, 47 (4),
90-92.
Vleminckx, M. (2012). Nederlandse grammatica in het lager onderwijs. Een kritische kijk op
het hedendaagse grammaticaonderwijs. Unpublished bachelor’s dissertation.
University College of Ghent: Faculty Applied Linguistics.
56
6 APPENDIX
Personalia
Geslacht ᴑ Jongen
ᴑ Meisje
Onderwijsnet ᴑ Gemeenschapsonderwijs
ᴑ Katholiek onderwijs
Onderwijsvorm ᴑ ASO ◊ Zonder Latijn
◊ Met Latijn
ᴑ TSO
ᴑ KSO
ᴑ BSO
ᴑ Andere
Denk je eraan om talen te gaan studeren in het hoger onderwijs? ᴑ Ja
ᴑ Nee
1. In welke mate vind je het nuttig om aandacht te besteden aan grammatica (woordsoorten en
zinsontleding) in het vak Nederlands? (Duid aan op een schaal van 0-10)
2. In welke mate vind je het nuttig om aandacht te besteden aan grammatica tijdens andere
taalvakken zoals Frans, Duits, Latijn of Engels? (Duid aan op een schaal van 0-10)
3. Vind je Nederlandse grammatica belangrijker dan, even belangrijk als of minder belangrijk dan
andere aspecten van het vak Nederlands zoals spreken, schrijven, literatuur en spelling?
ᴑ Belangrijker
ᴑ Even belangrijk
ᴑ Minder belangrijk
4. In welke mate denk je dat grammaticaonderwijs Nederlands belangrijk is om andere aspecten
van het vak Nederlands zoals spreken, schrijven, literatuur en spelling beter onder de knie te
krijgen? (Duid aan op een schaal van 0-10)
5. In welke mate denk je dat grammaticaonderwijs Nederlands belangrijk is om vreemde talen onder
de knie te krijgen? (Duid aan op een schaal van 0-10)
6. In welke mate ben je in staat om zinsfuncties (zoals onderwerp, lijdend voorwerp, bijwoordelijke
bepaling) correct te benoemen? (Duid aan op een schaal van 0-10)
7. In welke mate ben je in staat om woordsoorten (zoals zelfstandig naamwoord, bijwoord,
voornaamwoord) correct te benoemen? (Duid aan op een schaal van 0-10)
8. In welke mate doe je graag Nederlandse grammatica? (Duid aan op een schaal van 0-10)
57
9. Indien je een score hebt gegeven tussen 0-5, waarom doe je het niet graag? (Meerdere antwoorden
mogelijk)
ᴑ De leerkracht legt het niet goed uit
ᴑ De leerkracht brengt het op een saaie manier
ᴑ De terminologie is niet eenduidig
ᴑ De leerstof is te uitgebreid
ᴑ Ik zie er het nut niet van in
ᴑ Het handboek is onduidelijk
ᴑ We hebben geen handboek
ᴑ Ik ben er niet goed in
ᴑ Andere reden: …
10. Indien je een score hebt gegeven tussen 5-10, waarom doe je het graag? (Meerdere antwoorden
mogelijk)
ᴑ De leerkracht legt het goed uit
ᴑ De leerkracht brengt het op een leuke manier
ᴑ Het is nuttig
ᴑ We hebben een goed/duidelijk handboek
ᴑ Ik ben er goed in
ᴑ Andere reden: …
Hartelijk dank voor je medewerking!