A Comparative Study Of Full-time English M.Ed Student Teachers' Beliefs Before And After The Teaching Practicum

In recent years,teachers' beliefs have become the hot spot for scholars at home and abroad.Related researches point out that teachers' beliefs are both spiritual basis and the important concept of interpreting teachers' thinking and teaching behavior in the professional development of teacher.Therefore,whether the teachers have a good teacher's belief is essential to determine the level of their teaching.Based on the development and dynamic of teachers' beliefs,the relationship between teaching practicum and teachers' beliefs has also aroused the concern of many scholars.Teaching practicum is an essential course of teacher education.It provides an opportunity for Master of Education students in English to enter the actual classroom.And it is not just the combination of theory and practice,but also an important factor that affects their teachers' beliefs.This study attempts to explore the change and development of M.Ed student teachers' beliefs after teaching practicum and analyses the factors that influenced teachers' beliefs.It is hoped to offer some suggestions to pre-service teacher education program and teaching practicum.As to the aim of the research,the following three questions are raised: 1.What kind of teachers' beliefs have English M.Ed students established before the teaching practicum? 2.What changes have occurred on English M.Ed student teachers' beliefs after their teaching practicum? 3.What possible causes have led to changes of English M.Ed student teachers' beliefs during the teaching practicum? Based on convenient sampling,it takes 35 full-time English M.Ed students who will graduate from Inner Mongolia Normal University in June 2017 as participants.These students began their teaching practicum from October to December in 2016.English teacher beliefs questionnaire and interview are the main research tools.In the questionnaire,there are 32 questions that are divided into five dimensions: beliefs about English,learners,learning,teaching and teaching as a profession.Questionnaires are both distributed to M.Ed students before and after teaching practicum and the collected data are analyzed by SPSS 17.0.In order to learn more about what factors have affected teacher beliefs during the teaching practicum,five English M.Ed students are interviewed after their teaching practicum.Major findings of this study show that English M.Ed student teachers' beliefs have gone through a process of dynamic development during the teaching practicum,but there is no subversive change as a whole.Secondly,the influence of teaching practicum on English M.Ed student teachers' beliefs varies from person to person,including positive effects and negative effects.Thirdly,the change of M.Ed student teachers' beliefs is mainly reflected in strengthening and supplementing their original beliefs.Finally,during the teaching practicum various factors have an impact on M.Ed student teachers' beliefs,such as different teaching practicum school,instructors' teaching behaviors and instructions,students' classroom feedback and M.Ed students' teaching practice.According to the research results,this study gives some suggestions to perfect teaching practicum and Master of English education curriculum for further guiding and encouraging English M.Ed students to establish good,complete and open teachers' beliefs.