The Development Of Pre-service English Teacher’s Teaching Method Belief:A Narrative Inquiry

In recent years,with the development of foreign language teaching and teacher cognition research,the research on foreign language teachers’teaching beliefs has gradually become the focus of scholars at home and abroad.As the driving force of teachers’ teaching practice,teaching beliefs will have an important impact on the actual teaching effect of the classroom.What researched the most in this field is the relationship between teachers’ teaching beliefs and teaching behaviors and the factors that influence their relationship.Most relevant researches were conducted with case studies.Besides,research participants mainly focus on college English teachers or experienced teachers,and there is less research on pre-service English teachers.Therefore,based on former researches,this study mainly focuses on the characteristics of pre-service English teachers’ teaching methods beliefs’ development during the teaching practicum.To be specific,it includes three aspects:beliefs about motivating students,beliefs about dealing with student responses and beliefs about instructional strategies for developing oral skills.This study uses classroom observation,conversations,and teaching journal records collection as data collection methods.The participant is a post-graduate student majored in English education in a key normal university.Narrative inquiry was adopted to explore the following research puzzles:(1)What are the characteristics of pre-service English teacher Wendy’s teaching methods beliefs’ development during the teaching practicum?(2)How are these characteristics influenced and shaped by social,cultural and institutional narratives,if there any?The findings demonstrated that Wendy’s teaching methods beliefs’ development process is a complex one,which mainly includes three characteristics.First of all,the development process is a dynamic one,and it is keeping change at a certain degree over the whole research process.Her own learning and teaching experience plays a very important part in this process.Secondly,the development process cannot be separated from specific context,which was demonstrated most vividly by the second characteristic.That is Wendy’s belief toward dealing with student responses.Thirdly,there is not a one to one relationship between the development of her teaching method beliefs and teaching behaviors.Changes in beliefs and behaviors do not occur simultaneously.In this study,Wendy’s teaching method beliefs changed first,then the teaching behaviors.According to the findings of this study,three suggestions could be put forward to improve the teaching practicum.Firstly,pre-service teachers themselves should reflect on their classroom behavior and existing beliefs frequently.Secondly,we should construct a better environment for school teaching and learning.Thirdly,the university should create more opportunity for the communication between pre-service teachers and school administrators.