EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices: between declarative and procedural knowledge
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15332/erdi.v7i2.2006Keywords:
Teachers’ beliefs, pedagogical practices, communicative approach, reflective practices, ELTAbstract
Objectives and text type. In the following research report, we give an account of the partial results from a study in which the practices and beliefs of a group of English teachers were characterized and correlated.
Research methodology. To reach the objectives, a qualitative case study was proposed at a languages center in a Colombian private university. Surveys, document analysis, interviews and class observations were used as methods of data collection.
Findings. Among the main findings, we could identify that teachers have a clear understanding of the communicative approach, which is the adopted methodology to teach foreign languages by the institution in which the study was carried out. Nevertheless, we also found that the observed methodological practices differ from what the English teachers reported. That is, we found a gap between what is declared and what is done.
Conclusions. Based on the main findings, we suggest that the teachers of teachers, administrators and English teachers should strive to articulate their declarative and procedural knowledge to achieve the objective of developing competences in a foreign language.
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