The effects of grammar translation method and communicative approach practices on students? learning ability in foreign language teaching

This study is prepared to bring up the difference of the effects of grammar translation method and communicative approach which are used for foreign language teaching on students? learning levels. In the study, firstly, printed sources were scanned, information about the methods and approaches used to teach foreign language was given. Then, it was dwelt on grammar translation method and communicative approach. Practice process of the study was carried out on two 10th. Grade classes of Malatya Beydağı Abdulkadir Eriş Anatolian High School in the second semester of 2007?2008 academic year. Pretest- posttest experimental design with nonequivalent control group was used in the study. Before the practice, a test with 40 questions was given to 90 students of 10th. grade. After item analysis, a test with 25 questions was obtained. This test was given as pretest to the control group and experimental group. Afterwards, the subject ?the first and second type conditional sentences? chosen from English curriculum was taught to the control group with grammar translation group and it was taught to the experimental group with communicative approach during two weeks, totally 8 hours. At the end of this process, posttest was given to the groups. It was analysed with dependent and independent groups t test whether the differences between the test averages were meaningful or not. At the end of the practice, between the experimental and the control group students? pretest and posttest scores, a significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group in which communicative approach was used.