The relation between teachers' self-beliefs of L2 learning and in-class practices

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between Teachers' self-belief of L2 learning and in-class practices and decisions. Thirty L2 teachers and 50 L2 learners participated in this study. To assess the learners' general proficiency level, a standard Proficiency test (Oxford Placement Test, 2010) was administered. The participants were given a questionnaire including 22 questions specialized in teacher institutional design. Thirty teachers were observed by the researcher along with two colleagues as raters to achieve interrater reliability. Each teacher was observed two to five sessions continuously, their teaching was recorded by MP3 player to review again if needed. Some questions were specially designed to determine the teachers' justification about what they did, behaved, and decided during language teaching according to teachers' responses to the TBQ (Teacher Belief Questionnaire) and researchers' observation checklist. The results of the study showed that teachers' self-belief of L2 learning exert no particular sort of effect on L2 teachers' decision-making process and in-class instructional practices. © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.