scholarly journals Identifying Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Teaching EFL and Their Potential Changes

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Andrés Suárez Flórez ◽  
Edwin Arley Basto Basto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Public University ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teaching Practicum ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Bachelor Of Arts ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching ◽  
Weekly Journal ◽  
Journal Entries

This study aims at identifying pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching English as a foreign language and tracking their potential changes throughout the teaching practicum. Participants were two pre-service teachers in their fifth year of their Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages program in a public university in Colombia. Data were gathered through a modified version of Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory before the practicum, eight weekly journal entries administered during ten weeks, and two semi-structured interviews at the end of the teaching practicum. The findings revealed that most of the pre-service teachers’ beliefs changed once they faced the reality of the classroom.

scholarly journals Understanding Malaysian ESL pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning through metaphors

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-361
Author(s):  
Wan Noor Miza Wan Mohd Yunus
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Multiple Roles ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Teaching Practicum ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching

Teaching metaphors are often used in teacher education programmes for pre-service teachers to critically reflect on their teaching. Metaphors not only give insights into teachers’ beliefs and principles about teaching and learning but may also guide classroom practices. This article sought to explore three Malaysian ESL pre-service teachers’ teaching metaphors in different situations during their teaching practicum. The study also explored what the selected metaphors revealed about the pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs. Data in this study was collected qualitatively by using semi-structured interviews and reflective tasks assigned after the pre-service teachers’ teaching practicum at local government schools. Findings indicated that the pre-service teachers have multiple roles, which are represented by various metaphors they formulated in different situations. It has been suggested that metaphors can be effective in eliciting beliefs as the constructed metaphors reveal much about the roles of the pre-service teachers. The major beliefs about teaching and learning generated by the research participants include meeting students’ needs, varying teaching approaches, and facilitating students. The implications of this study are for teacher educators to utilize metaphors in teacher education programmes and to acknowledge pre-service teachers’ beliefs as this may highly impact their practices and development.

scholarly journals THE PRONUNCIATION COMPONENT IN ESL LESSONS: TEACHERS’ BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah ◽  
Juliana Othman ◽  
Fatiha Senom
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching

Research has shown that teachers’ beliefs on teaching and learning exert an influence on their actual classroom practices. In the teaching of English pronunciation, teachers’ beliefs play a crucial role in the choice of pronunciation components taught in the ESL classrooms. This paper explores teachers’ beliefs about teaching English pronunciation in Malaysian classrooms and the extent to which these beliefs influenced the teachers’ classroom instructions. Employing a multiple case study of five ESL teachers in secondary schools, this study investigated the beliefs the teachers have formed about pronunciation focused areas and classroom practices in teaching English pronunciation. Data were collected through actual classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with the teachers and students. The findings of the study found that ESL teachers seem to believe that pronunciation skills are to be taught integratedly with other English language skills. Results also indicate a discrepancy between these teachers’ beliefs on the focused areas of pronunciation and the stated curriculum specifications.  Additionally, the ESL teachers seem to have vague and contradictory beliefs about pronunciation focused areas. These beliefs are based on their previous language learning and professional experience as well as other contextual factors such as examination demands and time constraints. As a result, these beliefs lead to the pronunciation component being neglected despite it being stipulated by the curriculum.

Exploring teacher written feedback in EFL writing classrooms: Beliefs and practices in interaction

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110576
Author(s):  
Xiaolong Cheng ◽  
Lawrence Jun Zhang ◽  
Qiaozhen Yan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Comprehensive Approach ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Feedback Strategies

As an important instructional affordance, teacher written feedback is widely used in second language (L2) writing contexts. While copious evidence has shown that such a pedagogical practice can facilitate L2 learners’ writing performance, especially their writing accuracy, little is known about how novice writing teachers conceptualize and enact written feedback in contexts of English as a foreign language (EFL). To fill this gap, we examined four novice writing teachers’ espoused written feedback beliefs and their actual practices in Chinese tertiary EFL writing classrooms. Based on data from semi-structured interviews and students’ writing samples, we found that they adopted a comprehensive approach to feedback provision, and were most concerned with errors in language, particularly grammar when providing feedback. These teachers almost reached a consensus in their beliefs about feedback scope and feedback focus, but they held varying beliefs about feedback strategies. Additionally, this study revealed the complexity of belief-practice relationships, in terms of the coexistence of consistencies and inconsistencies. Specifically, these teachers’ beliefs paralleled their practices in feedback scope, but their beliefs and practices mismatched with regard to feedback focus and feedback strategies. This article concludes with a discussion of the important pedagogical implications.

scholarly journals The effect of microteaching lesson study on the beliefs of EFL student teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Fitri Budi Suryani ◽  
Rismiyanto Rismiyanto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Teaching Experiences ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Before And After

Microteaching lesson study, that is a variation of lesson study applied by student teachers in microteaching course, provides the environment for EFL student teachers to collaborate, engage, and reflect on their ideas, beliefs, and teaching experiences. Such condition is a fertile ground that enables the student teachers' beliefs of language learning to change. Recent studies show that some education programs have changed the beliefs of student teachers. However, no studies have discussed the changes of beliefs of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers experienced in microteaching lesson study. This present study aims to investigate the effect of microteaching lesson study on EFL student teachers� beliefs. The data were collected using a questionnaire on Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) adapted from Horwitz administered before and after microteaching lesson study. The participants were the EFL student teachers enrolling in a microteaching lesson study class at Universitas Muria Kudus. The study reveals that the beliefs of EFL student teachers did not change significantly after they experienced microteaching lesson study. Time seems to be one of the most influential factors in hindering the changes of beliefs of the EFL student teachers. Therefore, this study suggests that EFL student teachers be given more time to practise teaching in the microteaching course.

scholarly journals Learners’- produced learning materials: a step towards learner autonomy in EFL Grammar classes

2018 ◽  
pp. 20-42
Author(s):  
Amal Msimeer ◽  
Eman Elmejie ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Materials ◽  
Language Classes

This paper presents an experimental research study in which the two researchers aim to promote learner autonomy in language learning by means of learner-produced learning materials. The study was conducted at the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts in Misurata, Libya during the academic term-spring 2018. The participants were 50 Libyan students who major in English and they were all enrolled in semester 2 and studied Grammar II course. The participants were required to produce their own learning material which was about a particular grammar item. Semi-structured interviews with the participants were undertaken to know about their reaction towards the experience of taking responsibility to create a learning material, what autonomous strategies they were able to develop while designing the learning materials, what type of learning materials they were able to produce. The findings of the current study revealed that learner autonomy can be fostered in EFL classes in Libya and that Libyan students can develop some autonomous learning strategies. It is concluded that learner-produced learning materials can be a successful and an effective tool to promote learner autonomy in EFL (English as a foreign language) classes.

Beliefs about foreign language learning among students training to teach English as a foreign language

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 645-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julide Inozu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Learning Beliefs ◽  
Trainee Teachers ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Language Learning Beliefs

Teachers' beliefs and theoretical knowledge have important effects on their classroom practice and teaching methodology. As trainee teachers' beliefs are critical to their professional development, and ultimately to their learners' improvement, an investigation of the language learning beliefs of trainee English as a foreign language teachers is particularly important. In keeping with this idea, the author examined the key beliefs trainee teachers held relating to language learning during their period of training. Although a few developmental changes were found over the period of training, the overall responses of the trainee teachers remained the same throughout the years of training in most of the beliefs researched.

Teacher agency in pragmatic pedagogy

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zia Tajeddin ◽  
Mehri Bagheri
Keyword(s):  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Scant Attention ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching ◽  
Pragmatic Knowledge ◽  
Pragmatic Instruction

Despite the existence of a large body of research on pragmatic instruction, teachers’ beliefs about teaching and assessing pragmatic competence have received scant attention. The present study sought to investigate Persian-speaking EFL teachers’ beliefs and perceived knowledge about pragmatic instruction and assessment and their self-reported instructional practice. To achieve this aim, a questionnaire was administered to 204 EFL teachers and 30 of these teachers also participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings showed that even though the teachers were aware of the importance of pragmatics, they did not consider themselves highly competent in teaching the subject to learners or in the assessment of learners’ pragmatic abilities. The most frequent method they reported having used was pragmatic corrective feedback. Further, the teachers believed that their colleagues and institute directors also gave little weight to the improvement of learners’ pragmatic abilities, and they further argued that textbooks and exams, while containing some pragmatics-related sections, failed to enhance and measure learners’ pragmatic knowledge. These results have critical implications for teachers’ pragmatic awareness in their professional development and for the inclusion of more explicit pragmatic activities in textbooks.

Online Informal Language Learning Among Foreign Language Teachers

2020 ◽  
pp. 315-332
Author(s):  
Violeta Jurkovič ◽  
Vita Kilar ◽  
Nives Lenassi ◽  
Darja Mertelj
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Online Behaviour ◽  
Insight Into

Today's online world provides foreign language users and learners with a multitude of opportunities to engage in a variety of language activities. A social group that can derive major benefits from the availability of online resources in different languages is foreign language teachers. Based on an ‘emic' approach, this study involves case studies of three experienced foreign language teachers that used diaries over a period of eight weeks to report on every instance of online use of their predominant foreign language and English. Semi-structured interviews were used to obtain insight into online behaviour that was not specifically related to the eight-week period of diary-keeping. The results indicate that the online uses of the three participants, although they belong to the same social and age groups, display great variety in terms of online activities and the predominant language used to perform these activities.

Indonesian parental perspectives of international school partnerships involving millennial learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-119
Author(s):  
Ahmad Bukhori Muslim ◽  
Herli Salim ◽  
Sri Setyarini
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
International School ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Partnerships ◽  
International Partnership ◽  
Parental Perspectives

Despite being long-standing practice among schools across the world, most studies on international school partnerships focus on its benefits and challenges as perceived by teachers and students. Little emphasis has been given to parental perspectives and support, particularly among low-income families. With the increase of community involvement in education, how this partnership program may benefit the foreign language learning of millennials has become a matter of increasing concern among parents. This qualitative study explores Indonesian parents’ perspectives of international school partnerships between Indonesian and Australian schools, and how these partnerships support the learning of English as a foreign language and technology utilization. Results from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews indicate parental belief that the program reviewed is an authentic approach to foreign language learning and an appropriate mode of technology-based self-expression. To facilitate their children’s learning of English and development of cross-cultural understanding, most parents, despite economic limitations, are willing to support their children’s involvement in the international partnership that is the focus of this study.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document