Teacher Beliefs As A Complex System English Language Teachers In China PDF Download

Since the early 21st century, the Chinese government has been launching a new round of nation-wide curriculum reform, which promotes the replacement of the traditional testoriented view of English with the communicative-based view. However, there is a serious research gap in the understanding of how local teachers perceive and react to the tensions arising from opposing views of English as subject matter (Widdowson, 2012; Zhang- Zhengdong, 2006; 2007). Drawing on the distinction between the views of "language as an object" and "language as a tool" (Ellis, 2012), this study examines the impact of the tool-vs-object tension on Chinese secondary school EFL teachers' beliefs about English and the extent to which tension-loaded beliefs are related to classroom practices. Guided by Yin-Yang theory, this study defines the research topic (beliefs about English) as a complex, self-conflicting system which comprises Yin-Yang interplay with regard to teachers' perceptions of context (where), content (what) and pedagogy (how), and proposes an eight-trigram model for analyzing data. A multiple-case study design is employed with Yin-Yang considerations, and case selection involves four participating teachers (Jing, Yun, Yao and Ping), who are from two schools (an urban school and a rural school), which are located in the same region (Beijing, the capital city of China). The research database includes field notes, interviews and audio/video recordings of teachers' classes. Eventually, a total of 19 core beliefs emerge from the data through a coding scheme which recognizes four types of belief-practice congruence, respectively termed Manifest Congruence, Latent Congruence, Subconscious Congruence and Embedded Congruence. A detailed description of each belief is followed by an analysis of its Yin-Yang nature, and each teacher's English-related beliefs are graphically summarized in the eight-trigram model, which allows for cross-case comparisons and the emergence of general patterns. Findings show that an individual teacher tends to hold beliefs that reflect opposing orientations of language at the same time and that there exist individual differences in the way teachers absorb and resolve tool-vs-object tensions, which has an impact on their idiosyncratic practices. It has also been found that their perception of tensions can be asynchronous along the three conceptual levels, as context-related tensions are found easier to be resolved than pedagogy-related tensions, and that experientially and reflectively enhanced beliefs are more likely to achieve pedagogical consistency. An analysis in light of Yin-Yang thinking lends support to the view that teachers' beliefs are situated in an inherently conflicting and complex system, and that this is contextually defined and practically constrained. It is argued that an optimal balance of Yin and Yang is essential for the development and maintenance of a belief system, and this has important implications for EFL education, educational research, teacher education, curriculum development and assessment reform in China. Finally, limitations of the study and recommendations for further research are also suggested.