Comparing experienced and inexperienced foreign language teachers' beliefs about language learning and teaching
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: . Teachers ’ beliefs about language learning and teaching are an important concept to research as they affect the teachers ’ decisions when teaching (Johnson, 1994; Richards, 1998). Research has focused on how teachers ’ beliefs are formed (e.g. Lortie, 1975; Johnson, 1994) and on whether beliefs that prove to be inconsistent with the reality of the classroom can change (e.g. Weinstein, 1990; Brown and McGannon, 1998). Studies have mainly targeted the beliefs of inexperienced teachers and the effects of pre-service training on their beliefs (e.g. Joram and Gabrielle, 1998). There are also studies which compare the beliefs held by experienced and inexperienced teachers (e.g. Mok, 1994; Peacock, 2001). The study described in this paper comprises of two small-scale qualitative case studies carried out in Greece. The beliefs held by experienced and inexperienced teachers are compared and contrasted and the effects of pre-service training are explored. The focus is also on the factors that influence the shaping of teachers ’ beliefs and on the needs of experienced teachers from training. Also, a framework is suggested that can guide research on teachers ’ beliefs. The findings indicate that the context of work plays a pivotal role not only in the shaping of beliefs but also in aiding change. Also, with time, experienced teachers seem to focus more on the learner as a person rather than on language issues. There are small differences in the beliefs held by experienced and inexperienced teachers and no dramatic change has been identified in inexperienced teachers ’ beliefs after training.
Author: Evdokia Stergiopoulou
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1511653686