An investigation of the relationship between the teaching beliefs and teaching behaviors of teachers of English as a second or foreign language

Research has shown that teachers' beliefs underlie their behaviors, but various factors can affect belief and behavior consistency. Understanding how teachers implement their beliefs in instruction has significant implications for teacher education programs. This study investigates the relationship between the self-reported beliefs, self-reported behaviors, and actual classroom behaviors of teachers of English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL). Their beliefs and behaviors are examined in five important areas of second language instruction: grammar instruction, corrective feedback, classroom interaction patterns, roles of the teacher, and planning and conducting lessons. It consists of a quantitative part, which is a questionnaire survey and a qualitative part, which includes videotapes of four ESL teachers' classes and stimulated recall sessions.These results suggest that research may have exerted influences on teachers' beliefs and behaviors to some extent. The differences between the experienced teachers and inexperienced teachers uncovered by the qualitative part of the study could be caused by inexperienced teachers' unstable beliefs as well as some contextual factors, such as time constraints and student characteristics.The findings enrich one's understanding about the process of teachers' growth as well as the relationship between teachers' beliefs and behaviors. These findings can serve as reference for teachers in terms of promoting reflection on their knowledge development and critical examination of their thinking and practice. The findings can also help teacher educators incorporate elements that are identified as conducive to teachers' development and provide support for teachers in potential problem areas.The quantitative results indicate that teachers' beliefs and behaviors are generally consistent with the research findings and that their self-reported beliefs and behaviors have significant positive correlations. The qualitative data show that experienced teachers' actual classroom behaviors are more consistent with their beliefs than that of the inexperienced teachers. Furthermore, the experienced teachers are found to be more conscious of their behaviors and more capable of articulating the underlying rationales. Professional education courses, teaching experience, teacher supervision, and reflection are identified as factors that facilitate the development of teacher knowledge in different aspects.