An Exploration Of The Relationship Between The Beliefs Of English Teachers In Primary School And Their Classroom Practice

In China, there are nearly 10 million children have been learning English since last decade. English curriculum as such an important subject has been introduced in primary schools.With the rapid development of cognitive psychology, the relationship between teachers' beliefs and classroom teaching practice has drawn researchers' attention. Many researchers have made a conclusion that the teachers' beliefs have a significant influence on the teachers' classroom teaching practice. However, at present, there are few types of research on the relationship between English teachers' beliefs and the classroom teaching practice in primary school.In this study, the author takes social constructivism and humanism as the theory basis and applies questionnaire, interviews and classroom observation as research instruments to explore what kind of teachers' beliefs they are holding and whether English teachers' beliefs are in accordance with their classroom teaching practice or not. twenty-six English teachers in two primary school are chosen as research subjects in this study. Though the questionnaire and the pre-observation interview, the beliefs of English teachers in primary school can be presented. The data of teachers' classroom teaching practice can be gained with the help of classroom observation. The author also manage to explain the reasons why the inconsistencies between teachers' beliefs and their classroom teaching practice exist according to the post-observation interview for teachers.The study indicates that though the English teachers of primary schools in Xinyu City have accepted advanced teachers' beliefs, they still can't give up the traditional teachers' beliefs. The traditional and advanced ones repel but attract each other in teachers' beliefs system. The author also finds that teachers' beliefs influence their classroom teaching practice, but in some respects, the teachers' beliefs are not always in accordance with their classroom teaching practice. By studying the results of the interview, the author finds that the less of school hours, the pressure from society, the expectation of parents' and social public opinion contain the application of teachers' beliefs to their classroom teaching practice. So to improve English teaching in primary school, government, society, school and teachers should cooperate with each other.