A Study On The Relationship Between Grammar Teaching Beliefs And Grammar Teaching Behaviors Of English Teachers In Junior High Schools

Since class teaching system has been created by Comenius, a teacher is always an important part in classroom teaching. In nearly thirty years, studies on teachers have transformed from explicit teaching behaviors to inner world which is called "teaching beliefs". Teaching beliefs are the views held by teachers on teaching itself, teaching contents, teaching methods, the roles of a teacher and learners, the design of teaching activities, teaching evaluation and so on. The studies on teaching beliefs have a huge repercussion, especially in the field of English grammar teaching. Many researches indicate teaching beliefs is a internal cause of all several types of teaching behaviors. Consequently, the research of teachers’ teaching beliefs, teaching behaviors and the relationship between them would play an important guiding significance for the front-line teachers in adjusting teaching beliefs to develop excellent teaching behaviors, which is also of great benefit to students’ improvement.The present study aims to study junior high school English teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs, grammar teaching behaviors and the relationship between them, with endeavors to answer the following questions:(1) What is the current situation of junior high school English teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs? Whether their individual differences (such as gender, teaching years, academic degree, type of school) have impacts on grammar teaching beliefs or not?(2) What is the current situation of junior high school English teachers’ grammar teaching behaviors? Whether their individual differences have impacts on grammar teaching behaviors or not?(3) What is the relationship between junior high school English teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and grammar teaching behaviors?(4) What factors influence the relationship? The present study applies quantitative and qualitative research methods. The authorfirstly employs questionnaire to explore the present situation of teaching beliefs of37teachersfrom different types of junior high schools (such as chief school, common school, privateschool, oil-filed school) in the city of Puyang in Henan Province, and analyzes how teachers’individual differences impact on their grammar teaching beliefs. In the second place, theauthor adopts classroom-observation to observe the37teachers for three months, analyzes thepresent situation of their grammar teaching behaviors and how teachers’ individual differencesinfluence grammar teaching behaviors. Then the author interviews8teachers whose teachingyears, academic degrees and types of school are different obviously and records theinterviews in order to explore the factors that influence their grammar teaching behaviors inactual class and teachers’ deep-rooted beliefs. Ultimately, the author applies SPSS17.0tocalculate the quantitative data gained in the research through descriptive statistics,independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis and paired-samples t-test.The study indicates that:(1) junior high school English teachers have basically driventraditional grammar teaching concepts out, their grammar teaching beliefs are influenced byteaching years, academic degree, type of school and gender;(2) in actual class, some Englishteachers still hold traditional grammar teaching ways, their grammar teaching behaviors areaffected by teaching years, academic degree, type of school, gender;(3) in the aspects ofgrammar learning evaluation, the interaction between teacher and students, grammar practiceand consolidation, English teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs are consistent with behaviors;in aspects of grammar teaching methods and the design of grammar teaching activities,English teachers’ grammar beliefs and behaviors are inconsistent.(4) the factors of theinconsistency between English teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and behaviors are mainlyincluding students’ actual situations in class, the character of each grammar rule, teachers’lacking of teaching reflection and internalizing advanced teaching theories into their ownbeliefs with difficulty, the pressure from society, school and parents.Therefore, junior high school English teachers should lay stress on adjusting their ownteaching beliefs, enhance self-reflection, strengthen the learning of advanced teaching theories,constantly communicate teaching experience with excellent teachers and make up fordeficiencies; meanwhile the school leaders and educational department should not onlystrengthen the training of advanced teaching theories, but also invite educational experts toshow teachers how to apply theories into teaching practice, which is actually helpful forimproving teaching effect.