This research explores teacher cognition and its impact on grammar instruction practices and learner development in EFL classes in Iraq. Teacher cognition refers to teachers' beliefs, knowledge, and experience and plays an important role in the processes of decision making and implementation of teaching strategies. Even though a great deal of emphasis has been laid upon the adoption of communicative approaches in language teaching practices, teaching of grammar still persists as being mostly based on traditional approaches. To examine the interrelation between teacher cognition, teaching practices, and learner development, a conceptual analysis approach was used in this research study. The focus was placed on the role of teacher cognition in the choice of teaching strategies and their implications for learners' development. The results of the study prove that teacher cognition and teaching practices have close ties. However, this relationship is often influenced by context and shaped by the need to satisfy the demands of examination systems. It becomes apparent that grammar teaching involves the combination of form-focused instruction and communicative language use. Only when teaching strategies correspond to the principles of communicative teaching and take into account learners' needs, learners' grammatical proficiency improves. Thus, a better understanding of teacher cognition and reflective practice can contribute to the improvement of grammar teaching practices and, thus, lead to learners' success.
Hassan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.