Contextualization Strategies Used by Pre-service Teachers’ in Teaching English Grammar in Malawian Secondary Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore contextualization strategies used by pre-service teachers when teaching English grammar during their teaching practicum in secondary schools in Malawi. The study employed a qualitative single case study design. From the population of 130 University of Livingstonia pre-service teachers, 10 were purposefully sampled because they took English as their major or minor teaching subject.  Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and document analysis of English textbooks, lesson plans and schemes of work. After collection, data was stored in a flash disk and was served in Google drive for safety in case of loss.  Analysis of the data was done thematically after sorting it into categories. Ethical principles were considered to protect participants’ privacy. The criteria of trustworthiness i.e. credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were also ensured. Key findings show that pre-service teachers used a number of contextualization approaches such as authentic assessment, authentic materials, cooperative learning and integration of literature to teach grammar. The study recommends that teacher education institutions should effectively train pre-service teachers on how to use the strategies to teach English grammar so as to enhance meaningful learning among secondary school students.