Teachers Beleifs Nina Espada

8/6/2019 Teachers Beleifs Nina Espada

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University students beliefs about

language learning and the effect of a

language acquisition course

Eleni Agathopoulou

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

GALA 14, Thessaloniki 14-16 December 2007


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Aim of the study

To investigate

beliefs about language learning in a group

ofGreek students who were alsoprospective language teachers

whether a second language acquisition

course may transform these beliefs


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The importance of beliefs

Beliefs about language learning influence

language learning and language-teaching

practices (Borg 1998, 1999, 2003;Peacock 2001).


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Students beliefs & language

learningStudents have incorrect beliefs about how

foreign languages are learned, which may

be detrimental on their learning(studies based on results from Horwitzs

(1988) Beliefs About Language Learning

Inventory, in Peacock 2001: 178).


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Possible effects of students beliefs

on language learningExamplesBelief: Learning a foreign language is mostly a

matter of learning a lot of grammar rules

Students may focus on learning grammar rules to theexclusion of other tasks.

Belief: People who speak more than one

language well are very intelligent

Students may blame slow progress/failure on lack ofintelligence, which may lead to more frustration

(Peacock 2001: 179)


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Teachers beliefs may affect

language teaching (& learning)Example: Assumed target: development of communicative

competence (implies focus on meaning).

BUT: Note teacher feedbackT: What did you do yesterday?

S: I played basketball.

T: Thats correct.

T: What time is it?

S: Half past ten.

T: Very good, Maria!


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Such feedback implies a certain belief

about how languages are learned

Stimulus > Response > Reward


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Language Learning beliefs are

difficult to change because

They may derive mainly from the many

years of ones prior learning (andteaching) experience, which filters out the

impact of empirically validated scientific

theories (Lortie 1975; Crow 1987; Holt-

Renyolds 1992 among others).


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Recommendation

Educational institutes should contribute to

the reconstruction of prospective teachers

lay theories as early as possible (Peacock,

2001; Goodwin, 2006).


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Previous research

University students changed their mind

regarding behaviourist beliefs after a one-

semester course in SLA (Macdonald et al.

2001).

University students (incorrect) beliefs

didnt change significantly after a 3-year

program in SLA and methodology(Peacock 2001).


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Initial impetus for the

present study


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Anecdotal dataExample 1

Question in final term exams of an SLA course:

Should primary school children start English classes beforethe age of eight or nine?

Answer:

No, because it may have negative effects on their L1.

What they had been taught:The younger the better (CPH) but it depends on number of

teaching hours, method etc.


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Anecdotal dataExample 2

Question by an young EFL teacher, with previous

exposure to SLA theories at university.

Why do my beginner students omit ed?

Ive taught them the rule for the regular past tense

so many times!

What she had been taught: There seems to be a"natural order" for the L2 acquisition of Englishmorphemes and ed is a late morpheme.


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May these examples indicate beliefs about

language learning not amenable to

change?

Need for further research in the relation

between specific course interventions and

student teachers belief development

(Cabaroglu & Roberts 2000).


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The present study


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Method

Participants: 46 students of the English D/ment, AUTH.Mean age: 19.5, 95% female.

Materials: a closed questionnaire (Lightbown & Spada

1999). It included12 statements, framed in a 6 pointLikert scale (1=strongly agree - 6=strongly disagree).

Procedure: the same questionnaire was administered inthe beginning and at the end of the course.

The final selection included answers only from studentswho had attended the course regularly.

Method of analysis: Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, SPSS


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The SLA course

Part of a four-year B.A. degree in EnglishLanguage and Literature, AristotleUniversity, Greece.

Students normally take this course in theirthird semester alongside with othercourses in theoretical linguistics.

Before this, they take an introductorycourse in linguistics in their first year ofstudies.


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Content of the SLA course

1) Learning a first language

2) Theories ofSLA

Behaviourism: The Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis

Innatism: Universal Grammar, Krashens monitor model

Interactionism Other theories: information processing, connectionism

3) Learner characteristics affecting SLA

Personality, Intelligence, Aptitude, Motivation, Learningstyle, Age

4) Learner languageinterlanguage, developmental sequences, fossilization,avoidance, cross-linguistic influence.

5) SLA in the classroom

focus on form/meaning, types of teacher feedback


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Results: pre-test

In the beginning, students agreed (mean= 2-) with 4statements:

5. The earlier a language is introduced in schoolprograms, the greater the likelihood of success.

6. Most of the mistakes which second language learnersmake are due to interference from the first language.

7. Teachers should present grammatical rules one at atime, and learners should practice examples of eachone before going on to another.

8. Teachers should teach simple language structuresbefore complex ones.

They didnt disagree (mean= 4+) with any of thestatements.


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Results: post-test

After the course students agreed (mean= 2-)

with none of the statements.

They disagreed (mean= 4+) with 2 statements:

(3) People with high IQs are good language

learners.

(10) Teachers should use materials that expose

students only to those language structures which

they have already been taught.


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Language learning beliefs before

and after taking the SLA course

* indicates p


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Statements reflecting a behaviorist view

Pre Post

(1) Languages are learned mainly through

imitation.

3.91 4.30

(2) Parents usually correct young childrenwhen they make grammatical errors.

2.61 3.87*

(6) Most of the mistakes that second

language learners make are due to

interference from their first language.

1.72 2.22

(9) Learners errors should be corrected as

soon as they are made to prevent the

formation of bad habits.

2.26 3.67*

(12) Students learn what they are taught. 3.20 4.00*


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Statements relating to the grammatical sequencing

of language teaching - ((7) with behaviorist

overtones)

Pre Post

(7) Teachers should present grammatical

rules one at a time, with students

practicing examples of each one beforegoing onto another.

1.83 2.74*

(8) Teachers should teach simple language

structures before complex ones.

1.24 2.11*

(10) Teachers should use materials that

expose students only to those

language structures which they have

already been taught.

4.00 4.07


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Statements relating to learner variations

Pre Post

(3) Students with high IQs are good

language learners.

3.83 4.26

(4) The most important factor in

second language acquisition

success is motivation.

2.41 2.26

(5) The earlier a second language isintroduced in schools, the greater

the likelihood of success in

learning that language.

1.57 2.07


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Statement relating to learner-learner

interaction (with behaviorist overtones)

Pre Post

(11) When learners are allowedto interact freely (for

example in group or pair

activities), they learn each

others mistakes.

3.83 3.50


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Summary of group results

Significant changes :

in 3/6 of behaviorist beliefs

In 2/3 of beliefs relating to the grammatical sequencingof language teaching, one of which had behavioristovertones. (However, the unchanged belief had a meanof 4.0 at the pre-test and 4.07 at the post-test, whichcorrectly indicates disagreement).

Changes indicate movement from (incorrect) convictionto skepticism.

No significant changes in beliefs regarding learnervariations (where evidence offered in the SLA coursewas inconclusive).


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Individual data analysis of significantly

changed behaviorist beliefs (2, 7, 9,12)

Agreement disagreement 15.8 % (28/184)

Agreement skepticism 15.2 % (29/184)

Skepticism disagreement 19 % (35/184)

Remained skeptical/in disagreement 15.8% (29/184)

Remained in agreement 27.7% (51/184)

Skepticism agreement or

disagreement skepticism

6.5 % (12/184)


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Individual data analysis (%) of significantly

changed behaviorist beliefs

correct change no change incorrect change


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Discussion

The SLA course did have an impact on incorrectlearners beliefs.

Changes concerned areas of knowledge for whichSLA research has offered conclusive evidence.

The impact of the SLA course was not dramatic asshown by

the degrees of certainty in changed beliefs

the number of students who changed beliefs

the lack of change of beliefs in 3/7 of the areas ofknowledge for which SLA research offersconclusive evidence.


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Conclusion

Preservice teaching programs ought to

provide multiple opportunities for studentteachers to wrestle with their own

preconceived and taken-for-granted

beliefs about teaching and learning.

(Goodwin 2006)


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Suggestions for future research

Investigation of TESOL University

students beliefs in their final year of

studies, after having being exposed to

more courses relevant with theories about

language learning and teaching.

Combination of quantative & qualitative

measures to assess the impact of relevantcourses.


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References

Borg, S. 2003. Teacher cognition in language teaching: a review of research onwhat language teachers think, know, believe, and do". Language Teaching36(2):81-109.

Borg, S. 1999. Studying teacher cognition in second language grammar teaching.System 27(1): 19-31.

Borg, S. 1998. Teachers' pedagogical systems and grammar teaching: A qualitativestudy. TESOL Quarterly32(1): 9-38.

Cabaroglu, N. & Roberts, J. 2000. Development in student teachers pre-existingbeliefs during a 1-year PGCE program. System 28(3):387-402.

Davis, A. 2003. Teachers' and Students' Beliefs Regarding Aspects of LanguageLearning. Evaluation and Research in Education 17(4): 207222.

Goodwin, A.L. 2006. Challenging student teachers' images of teaching.AcademicExchange Quarterly. Retrieved January 2007, from :file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/USER/My%20Documents/BELIEFSPAPER/goodwing%202006%20Challenging%20student%20teachers'%20images%20of%20teaching.htm

MacDonald, M., Badger R. & White G. 2001. Changing values: what use aretheories of language learning and teaching?. Teaching and Teacher Education17(8): 949-963.

Peacock, M. 2001. Pre-service ESL teachers beliefs about second languagelearning: a longitudinal study. System 29(1): 177-195.

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