The Interactive Relationship between Inductive- deductive Grammar Teaching, Gender and the Cognitive Style of Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

There has usually been hot friction on the issue of whether inductive or deductive teaching mode would be more beneficial to EFL/ESL learners; thus, this research study tried to discover the effect of inductive-deductive grammar teaching on grammar learning of Iranian male-female EFL learners with FD-FI cognitive styles. The participants were 82 freshmen EFL learners. They were between 19 to 22 years old and selected quasi- randomly from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. TOEFL and GEFT tests were administered respectively to homogenize and screen them. At last, after treatment, they took a posttest.  The analysis of data via independent t-test and paired samples t-test revealed no significant difference between males and females participants in grammar learning through inductive and deductive mode. Besides, results showed that deductive mode was effective in the grammar learning of all male and female participants whether the cognitive style was FD or FI. Furthermore, it was indicated that inductive approach was effective on female with FI cognitive styles, but ineffective on males with the same cognitive style.