scholarly journals Spanish language teachers’ pedagogical beliefs in Chinese universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 41-53
Author(s):  
Xiuchuan Lu ◽  
Xiao Zou ◽  
Jian Tao
Keyword(s):  
Q Methodology ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Teaching Beliefs ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Student Centeredness

Understanding teachers’ beliefs is critical to improving educational practice. There is a significant need for research on foreign language teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, as these can exert an influence on students’ learning outcomes. This study draws on Kember’s (1997) theorization of teaching beliefs to explore the beliefs of Spanish language teachers regarding their pedagogy in Chinese universities. Twenty teachers from the Spanish departments in eight Chinese universities were recruited as participants, and a Q-methodology analysis with supplementary interview data identified three types of pedagogical beliefs: “integrated capacity-building”, “ELE learning outcome-focused”, and “social interaction-focused”. The findings suggest that ELE teachers in China no longer subscribe to the traditional teaching methodology which places themselves at the class center, and have instead progressed along a continuum from teacher-centeredness to student-centeredness. With a novel focus on Spanish teachers’ beliefs in Chinese universities, this study provides insights into the teaching of languages other than English (LOTEs) in China, and helps to expand the methodological repertoire in the field of linguistic research.

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.

scholarly journals On the Relationship between Iranian L2 Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs and L2 Learners’ Attitudes

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Maryam Sharajabian ◽  
Mahmood Hashemian
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Pedagogical Beliefs ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Language Schools ◽  
The Relationship

<p>The present study employed a descriptive survey design to investigate L2 learners’ attitudes towards language learning, and the possible effects of teachers’ beliefs on learners’ attitudes. Participants were chosen from among 2 groups: Twenty EFL teachers were asked to take part in this study and 80 from a pool of 213 learners at 2 language schools who were chosen to fill out the learners’ attitude questionnaire. The teachers were subsequently placed at/in 3 groups of high-opinion group (HOG), moderate group (MG), and low-opinion group (LG), and the attitudes of the learners of these 3 groups of teachers were compared to uncover the possible impact of teacher beliefs on learner attitudes. The relationship between the teachers’ beliefs and the learners’ attitudes was analyzed, and it that showed there was a statistically significant difference in the learners’ attitude scores for HOG, MG, and LOG. Analysis of the data showed that the learners of the HOG teachers gained significantly higher attitude scores than the learners of the MG teachers. Simply put, it was found that EFL teachers’ beliefs can influence their learners’ attitudes about language learning. Language teachers should learn about the effect of their beliefs and experience it and become more aware of practicing them.</p>

scholarly journals Evidence-informed teaching and practice-informed research

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 199-208
Author(s):  
Leila E. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Epistemic Cognition ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Roles Of Teacher ◽  
Do So

Abstract. In this commentary, I seek to join the ongoing conversation about evidence-informed educational practice that has been threaded through this special issue. I do so by drawing on related insights from the fields of teachers' beliefs and epistemic cognition and considering the roles of teacher education and educational research in improving (preservice) teachers' use of educational research. In particular, I focus on the merits of explicit research-based practice in teacher educators' teaching and ways that they can encourage preservice teachers' interactions with educational research in class, and methods of changing the beliefs that may underlie (preservice) teachers' engagement with educational research evidence, and finally, the need for clearly communicated research, including details of implementation.

Teaching Competencies of Pre-Service Spanish Language Teachers through the ECO method

2021 ◽  
pp. 516-535
Author(s):  
Lucas-Oliva Inés ◽  
García-Jiménez Jesús ◽  
Torres-Gordillo Juan-Jesús
Keyword(s):  
Design Thinking ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teaching Competencies ◽  
Challenge Based Learning ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Teaching Learning

Developing the teaching competencies of pre-service Spanish Language and Literature teachers is one of the current demands in higher education. A teaching-learning experience has been developed through the ECO method (Explore, Create, Offer), which is an innovative methodology inspired by Human Centred Design, Design Thinking, and challenge-based learning. The aim of the study was twofold: a) to check whether pre-service teachers perceive that their teaching competencies have improved after this experience; b) to find out the relationships between their perception of the different competencies and certain socio-demographic characteristics. A Likert-type questionnaire on teaching competencies before and after the experience was conducted. 92 participants took part in the pre-test and 66 in the post-test. The results show an improvement in the perception of their competencies at the end of the experience and high levels of motivation throughout the course. These improvements occurred regardless of socio-demographic characteristics such as age or educational background. It is concluded that the ECO method favours the acquisition of competencies, fosters motivation, and offers equal learning opportunities, thus fulfilling the democratising function of the university.

scholarly journals Understanding the Professional Practice of Teachers of Chinese as an Additional Language through the Lens of Teacher Agency

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7493
Author(s):  
Min Bao ◽  
Wei Ren ◽  
Danping Wang
Keyword(s):  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teacher Agency ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Materials Development ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Teachers Experiences ◽  
Teachers Beliefs

Teacher agency plays a key role in sustaining the professional practice of language teachers, including teachers of Chinese as an additional language (CAL), to ensure sustainable multilingualism in universities. This paper reports on an exploratory study that examined five CAL teachers’ experiences of using teaching materials in a leading Belarussian university. Drawing on theorization about teacher agency, the analysis of the participants’ experiences helped to reveal the manifestations of teacher agency in their engagement with teaching materials in their teaching, which emerged from interactions between individual aspirations and contextual conditions. In particular, the findings highlight that three factors, namely teachers’ beliefs, teacher identity, and relationships within their community, play significant roles in mediating the participants’ exercise of agency in using teaching materials. The findings not only contribute to the conceptualization of teacher agency, but suggest that pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and materials development of CAL teachers should be emphasized in supporting effective teaching, so that they can achieve sustainable professional practice to ensure sustainable multilingualism in universities.

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