A Study Of The Relationship Between Grammar Teaching Beliefs And Teaching Behaviors Of Senior Middle School English Teachers

Teachers have been playing an important role in the teaching and learning activities at all times and in all countries. In the past few decades, researches about teachers have transformed from teachers'explicit teaching behaviors to their implicit mind world, and teachers'beliefs have become an important research topic. In educational circles, studies on teachers'belief at home and abroad have aroused a lot of reactions in recent years. Many findings reveal that there is a close relationship between teachers'beliefs and their teaching behaviors. What else, some other findings also show that the relationship between them seems weak. As we know, teachers do not live in a vacuum, and their teaching beliefs and behaviors will be surely effected and challenged by factors from all aspects. Thus, only after we learn the relationship between teachers'beliefs and behaviors, can we know why teachers perform their lessons in their own way. English is a very important subject in basic education, and for Chinese students, grammar learning can be called a shortcut way to learn it well. As the education in high school has a pivotal influence in students'life-long development, it is meaningful to explore the relationship between teachers'beliefs and behaviors in senior middle schools so as to refine teachers'beliefs and improve their teaching methods as well as teaching effects.This study explores the relationship between grammar teaching beliefs and teaching behaviors of English teachers in senior middle schools using both quantitive and qualitative methods. The author first analyzes the current situations of 120 teachers'grammar teaching beliefs and behaviors from four senior middle schools in Shandong Province with the help of questionnaires. Then, by interviewing six of the teachers, the author examines the factors that influence the teachers'current beliefs and behaviors. Finally, through classroom observations of three teachers, the thesis checks if teachers'beliefs do have a certain influence to their teaching behaviors. The study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one introduces the background of the study, its purpose, significance and so on. Chapter two reviews the literature so as to provide theoretical background to the study. The third chapter describes the methodology of this thesis, including the frame of the study, the methods used and the procedures for data collection while chapter four reports the results of the study and its further discussions. Chapter five, the final part of the paper, summarizes the findings of the study, puts forwards some suggestions to relevant teachers, leaders and organizations, and describes some reflections about this thesis as well.The findings indicate that: (1) Senior middle school English teachers'grammar teaching beliefs as well as their teaching behaviors show great similarities, but because of the influence of teachers'teaching age, teachers'highest degree and the geographical position of the schools, there also exist some differences in some specific details of teachers'teaching beliefs and behaviors. (2) There are areas where teachers'grammar teaching beliefs converge with or diverge from their grammar teaching behaviors. But in general, teachers'grammar teaching beliefs do have a certain influence to their grammar teaching behaviors. (3) The relationship between senior middle school English teachers'grammar teaching beliefs and teaching behaviors are mainly affected by teachers'learning experience, teachers'own teaching experience or others'teaching experience, teachers'training or theoretical study, students'actual situation, the pressure of the exams and so on. So teachers should pay enough attention to their teaching beliefs as well as the factors that work on their beliefs in order to refine their beliefs and improve their teaching behaviors. At the same time, school leaders and administrative department for education should try to create a good environment for teachers'specialization development. For example, they should enhance teachers'training and guidance to help teachers reflect their teaching beliefs and behavior so that teachers can teach more effectively.