| Grammar has been a very important part of teaching English in junior high school.In China,the majority of students start learning grammar when they access junior high school.According to the English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education(2022),the aim of teaching grammar in junior high school is to develop students’ language skills by learning basic grammatical knowledge and mastering basic sentence patterns that can cultivate their communicative competence.In recent years,the focus of study on teachers has shifted from the performance of teaching behavior to teachers’ inherent teaching beliefs.Most of the previous research focused on exploring mature teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and behaviors,with few focusing on those of novice English teachers.Inexperienced teachers are in a crucial stage of teacher development,during which their beliefs and behaviors will be impacted and tested by a variety of factors.Hence,only by examining and analyzing the relationship between novice teachers’ beliefs and behaviors can we refine their teaching beliefs and improve their teaching behaviors,which are of critical importance for the growth of their professional practice.Through questionnaires,interviews and classroom observations,this study tries to answer the following questions about the relationship between grammar teaching beliefs and behaviors:What grammar teaching beliefs do novice English teachers hold in junior high school?What grammar teaching behaviors do novice English teachers have in junior high school?What is the relationship between novice English teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and behaviors?The major findings of this study are as follows:First,the results of the beliefs questionnaire showed that novice junior high school English teachers’ overall beliefs about teaching grammar reached a high mean of 4.15.This means that novice junior high school English teachers currently have positive beliefs about teaching grammar and that their teaching beliefs are in line with the new curriculum and have a communicative orientation.Female teachers tended to have more positive beliefs about the teacher-student role than male teachers,while male teachers tended to have stronger beliefs about how to teach grammar.Secondly,the results of the behavior questionnaire showed that novice English teachers also showed positive communicative tendencies in their grammar teaching behaviors,with an overall mean score of 3.88.However,the study found that female teachers and novice teachers with higher educational backgrounds tended to have a better grasp of grammar behaviors due to the influence of gender and education.Thirdly,there was both consistency and inconsistency between novice junior secondary English teachers’ beliefs and behaviors in grammar teaching.On the one hand,novice teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and behaviors showed great consistency in terms of grammar teaching awareness,grammar teaching design,and grammar learning strategies,with teachers’ teaching beliefs influencing their teaching behaviors and counteracting their teaching beliefs as their teaching behaviors developed.On the other hand,there are inconsistencies between novice teachers’ grammar teaching beliefs and behaviors in terms of teacher-student roles and grammar teaching evaluations,which are mainly influenced by teachers’ own learning experiences,teachers’own and others’ summaries of their experiences,teacher training or theoretical learning,students’ realities,and the pressure of examinations.Therefore,novice teachers should be aware of the relationship between their teaching beliefs and their teaching behavior,pay full attention to their teaching beliefs,and improve their teaching behavior;at the same time,school leaders and educational administrative parts should also strengthen the cultivation of teachers’ beliefs and the guidance of teachers’ teaching behavior to create a favorable environment for teachers’ professional development. |
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