000070036 EXPLORING HANOI UNIVERSITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS' BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING SPEAKING KHÁM PHÁ NIỀM TIN CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH DOANH VÀ CÔNG NGHỆ HÀ NỘI VỀ VIỆC DẠY NÓI
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Teaching is a multidimensional activity that involves social, educational, pedagogical, linguistic, personal, and cognitive dimensions, and since the 1970s the cognitive dimension has been recognized as central to effective teaching Across disciplines and educational settings, research has explored how teachers' beliefs shape their instructional practices, with evidence spanning general education, mathematics, and reading.
1994, as cited in Moini, 2008), and chemistry (Brisco, 1991, as cited in Moini, 2008)
Research on teacher cognition in language teaching gained prominence in the 1990s, a period Borg (2003) calls the "decade of change." During 1990–2000, researchers increasingly focused on teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning and how these beliefs shape teaching practices, classroom activities, and student learning outcomes (Moini, 2008) The central aim was to understand how teachers think about their work, the mental processes involved in planning and delivering instruction, the decisions made during teaching, and how these beliefs may evolve over time.
Teacher cognition in foreign and second language teaching refers to what teachers think, know, and believe, and to how these mental constructs relate to what teachers do in the classroom (Borg, 1998) Research shows that teacher cognitions and practices are mutually informing, with contextual factors shaping the extent to which teachers can implement instruction that aligns with their cognition (Beach, 1994; Tabachnick & Zeichner, 1986, as cited in Borg, 2003) According to Farrell & Patricia (2005), teaching is a cognitive activity, and teachers’ beliefs greatly influence their instructional decisions and classroom outcomes.
There has been a growing realization of the need to understand and account for the underlying belief systems of language teachers and the impact these have on their classroom practices (Borg, 1998) These belief systems inform teachers' instructional decisions in the classroom, shaping how language is taught and how students engage in learning.
Educational beliefs held by teachers are described as a structured set of principles derived from a teacher's prior experiences, school practices, and individual personality (Borg, 2003) The formation of these beliefs in the language teaching–learning process subtly influences the development of effective teaching methods and contributes to the improvement of learners' language learning abilities.
A substantial body of studies indicates that what teachers say and do in the classroom is shaped by their beliefs (Borg, 1998) Additional research emphasizes language teachers’ belief systems and their impact on classroom practices (Borg, 1998, 2003; Farrel, 1999) Because belief systems play a central role in teaching, teachers are unlikely to change their teaching style unless those beliefs are changed first.
Teaching methods, understood as complex cognitive activities, shape learning outcomes and there is a strong link between language instruction strategies and students’ performance in the target language Cooperative learning has emerged as an effective approach in language classrooms, with multiple studies linking it to improved student achievement across grade levels and subjects In the Hamzah and Ting (2010) ESL case study, researchers examined speaking-related issues and found that students viewed oral group work positively, which coincided with greater group participation and notable improvements in individual speaking assessments Data were collected from student questionnaires, interviews with three language teachers, and in‑class observations The findings indicate that group work can enhance speaking performance and carry meaningful pedagogical implications, making it a practical technique for teaching speaking Overall, teaching methods have a substantial impact on students’ success in learning.
Hanoi University of Business and Technology (HUBT) is a multi-training, multi-level institution in Hanoi offering a wide range of majors from vocational training and college to university level English is a compulsory subject for all students across every major The English training program at HUBT consists of two main components: the General Programme and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) In the General Programme, students build core English skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—from elementary to intermediate levels, with a particular emphasis on speaking to prepare graduates for professional work in foreign companies after graduation Yet conversations with final‑year students reveal that their spoken English does not meet the expectations of the English Department, and only a subset can communicate effectively This gap raises fundamental questions about the causes behind the limited speaking proficiency, which the researcher seeks to explore further.
Teacher thinking and the mental processes behind it form a belief system that determines the teaching methods they use This link between mindset and instructional choice shapes classroom practice and directly influences student learning outcomes Consequently, a teacher’s method selection, grounded in beliefs about how students learn best, has a significant impact on student engagement, understanding, and overall academic success.
In other words, teachers’ action in the classroom determined by their beliefs affects the outcome of teaching, hence, affect students’ study performance.
An investigation into HUBT teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking and their classroom practices is needed to determine whether a relationship exists between beliefs and practice The study will help answer whether teaching methods contribute to the problems observed in students’ speaking performance and aims to identify issues in speaking pedagogy, providing English teachers with in-depth insights to inform decisions about how to improve their students’ spoken English.
Aims of the study
This study investigates teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking at Hanoi University of Business and Technology (HUBT) and examines the relationship between these beliefs and their classroom practices Specifically, it aims to identify the core beliefs teachers hold about effective speaking instruction, determine how these beliefs shape instructional choices and classroom activities, and explore the factors that influence both beliefs and practices, such as teacher training, experience, and institutional context The outcomes are intended to inform professional development, curriculum design, and policy at HUBT to enhance the quality of speaking pedagogy and student achievement in English.
• To find out teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking at HUBT
• To examine the extent to which their beliefs are reflected in their practices in the classroom
To accomplish these objectives, the study seeks the answer for the following research questions:
1 What are the teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking?
2 Is there a relationship between teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking and their actual practices?
3 What factors influence teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching speaking?
Scope of the study
This study examined the English teachers in the English Department at HUBT The results are relevant to HUBT’s faculty, and the researcher hopes that the findings may also be applicable to English teachers at other universities whose characteristics are similar to those of HUBT’s faculty.
Significance of the study
This study is designed to yield multiple benefits First, participants will immediately benefit from the experience of reflection, enabling teachers to actively adjust their beliefs and teaching methodologies Second, the findings will provide the English Faculty Management Board at HUBT with new information to support innovative approaches to teaching English speaking Third, since research on teachers’ beliefs about literacy instruction has attracted relatively little attention in L2/FL teacher cognition literature (Borg, 2003), this study will extend the body of knowledge on second/foreign language teachers’ beliefs and, in particular, illuminate the literacy-instruction beliefs held by Vietnamese EFL teachers, an area that has been underexplored to date.
Organization of the thesis
The thesis is divided into five chapters:
Chapter 1, Introduction, presents the rationale for conducting the study, the scope of the study, its significance, aims as well as research methods.
Chapter 2, Literature Review, provides a theoretical framework for the study, including definition and methods of teaching speaking, teachers’ beliefs and research about the roles of teachers’ beliefs in classroom.
Chapter 3, Methodology, reports the methodology used in the research including research questions, participants, instruments and the procedures for data collection and analysis.
Chapter 4, Findings and Discussion, reports and discusses the major findings.
Chapter 5, Conclusion and Recommendations, summarizes what is addressed in the study, points out the limitations, draws pedagogical implications and provides some suggestions for further study.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Speaking and methods in English language teaching
Speaking involves using words in an ordinary voice, uttering them clearly, and knowing how to use a language to express oneself and deliver speech In essence, it is the ability to translate linguistic knowledge into real communication Furthermore, speaking is the process of building and sharing meaning through verbal and nonverbal symbols across a variety of contexts.
English teaching involves multiple methods, but the most popular approaches in Vietnam are communicative language teaching (CLT) and the grammar-translation method This article provides a careful review of these methods, outlining their core principles, practical applications in Vietnamese classrooms, and their respective strengths and limitations to inform effective English learning and teaching strategies.
From the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries, a grammar-based approach grounded in Latin and Greek grammar guided the study of foreign languages In the nineteenth century, this method was widespread for language learning, shaping curricula and teaching practices, though by the end of the century there were noticeable moves toward Direct Methods.
Larsen Freeman (2000) pointed very clearly about the theory of language and learning of this method in their book.
To support effective language learning, it’s possible to establish native-language equivalents for all target-language words, ensuring precise comprehension and easier vocabulary mapping Students should also learn the form of the target language, with a focus on the grammatical rules that constitute a key area of knowledge they should be conscious of In this approach, literary language is prioritized over spoken language, providing a solid formal foundation for mastery.
Under the grammar-translation method, the fundamental aim of foreign language learning is to read the literature of the target language Becoming proficient at translation is a central objective for students, and as a consequence, practical communication is not the primary goal of instruction.
Language learning is facilitated when learners pay attention to the similarities between their first language and the target language In the third methodological approach, the deductive grammar strategy is common, presenting grammar as explicit rules to be applied and turning language study into a rigorous mental exercise According to Larsen-Freeman (2000), there is usually one correct answer in this framework.
2.1.1.1 Goals of Grammar translation method
This method helps learners “developing reading ability in an L2 and to foster intellectual development of learners (Wang, 2008) Also, this method encourages
“detail analysis of grammar rules and the application of grammar knowledge to backward and forward translation(both sentence and text level tasks)” (Wang, 2008)
In short, language learners have to do with memorizing rules and facts in order to understand and manipulate the morphology and syntax of the foreign language.
According to Lin (2010), the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) gained popularity in schools largely because it required teachers to have relatively few professional skills in the target language This approach emphasizes grammar teaching with little or no attention to pronunciation, listening, or speaking skills As a result, most learners were unable to develop their communication skills through this method.
According to Larsen-Freeman (2000), the Grammar Translation Method (GTM) uses both the target language and the learner’s mother tongue, with the mother tongue predominating in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) contexts Learners are expected to memorize fixed sets of vocabulary and grammar rules and then deduce how to apply them in exercises A central assumption of GTM is that reading knowledge is fundamental to foreign language learning, making reading and writing the dominant skills taught In this method, accuracy is prioritized over communicative usefulness, shaping classroom practice around form-focused drills and translation tasks.
Some language-learning approaches place greater emphasis on written language and translation than on achieving fluent spoken use They prioritize studying and translating texts from the target language into the learner’s native language, focusing on the most frequently used vocabulary and grammatical patterns This method relies on regular drills and targeted exercises to reinforce accuracy, comprehension, and translation skills as a core path to overall language proficiency.
Larsen-Freeman (2000) argues that most classroom interaction is teacher-centered, with little student initiation and limited opportunities for student-to-student dialogue The work also describes how evaluation is typically accomplished, noting that students are often required to complete written tests in which they translate from their native language to the target language or apply grammar rules to answer routine questions.
2.1.1.3 The main techniques used by the Grammar-Translation Method
The Grammar-Translation Method centers on teaching foreign language grammar through rule presentation, with exceptions and vocabulary lists translated into the learner’s mother tongue Translation is considered the most important activity, followed by grammar rule explanations, vocabulary drills, and translation exercises drawn from selected texts In addition, learners complete reading comprehension tasks, identify antonyms and synonyms from text words, memorize vocabulary from readings, form sentences with new words, and do fill-in-the-blank exercises, as well as write compositions on given topics (Larsen-Freeman).
This approach is usually called “communicative”, though other labels-particularly
“functional” or “notional” at its early stages has been also used as synonym The term
“communicative”, in relation with language teaching, “denotes a marked concern with semantic aspects of language” (Wilkin, 1978, as cited in Sierra, 1998).
Originating with Hymes, the concept of communicative competence reframes the study of human language by situating speakers within a social world According to Hymes (1972), communicative competence is what a speaker must know to communicate effectively within a speech community, encompassing the ability to use language appropriately in social contexts.
Communicative competence blends knowledge of a language with the ability to apply that knowledge in real-world contexts It is typically described as consisting of four interrelated sectors First, grammatical competence answers whether an utterance is formally possible and grammatically correct Second, acceptability considers whether a sentence is feasible beyond grammar, acknowledging that some grammatically correct forms may be limited by human information processing and thus not fully competent Third, sociolinguistic or contextual appropriateness asks whether the sentence fits the social setting, culture, and purpose of the interaction Finally, strategic competence covers the use of communication strategies to compensate for gaps, repair misunderstandings, and sustain effective interaction when difficulties arise.
“whether something is in fact done” means that a sentence may be grammatically correct, feasible, and appropriate in context but have no possibility of actually occurring.
Savignon and Wang (2003) present a classroom model of communicative competence grounded in Canale and Swain’s four components: grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence, and strategic competence They also identify five components of a communicative curriculum, including language arts objectives, purposeful personal L2 use, theatre arts, and additional elements beyond the classroom, which together underpin communicative language teaching (CLT) Savignon (1991) further argues that communicative competence describes the ability of language learners to interact with others in order to construct meaning In short, communicative competence is the capacity to convey and interpret messages and to negotiate meaning interpersonally within social contexts.
Bachman (1990) provided a theoretical framework for communicative language ability that consisted of knowledge structure, strategic competence, psycho physiological mechanisms, context of situation, and language competence that is further divided into
“organizational competence (grammatical and textual competences) and pragmatic competence (illocutionary and sociolinguistic competences)”.
Brown (1994) argued that classroom goals should address all aspects of communicative competence He suggested that language techniques be designed to engage learners in the pragmatic, authentic, and functional use of language for meaningful purposes, with fluency and accuracy treated as complementary principles underlying these techniques Ultimately, students must be able to use the language productively and receptively.
Teachers’ beliefs
As Moini (2008) notes, defining teachers' beliefs is not easy because they are not directly observable Kagan (1992) describes these beliefs as tacitly held assumptions and perceptions about teaching and learning Parajes (1992) also offers a perspective on teachers' beliefs, highlighting their role in shaping instructional choices and classroom practice Collectively, these views suggest that teachers' beliefs are internal, implicit frameworks that influence how teachers design, implement, and evaluate instruction.
“personal construct of teachers” that can help to understand teachers’ decision and teaching practices Borg (2003) uses the term “teacher cognition” referring to the
“unobservable cognitive dimension of teaching- what teachers know, believe and think” He suggests that:
Cognition, knowledge (and its subtypes), beliefs, attitudes, conceptions, theories, assumptions, principles, and the processes of thinking and decision making are commonly regarded as adequate for most purposes (Borg, 2006, as cited in Le, 2011).
In another study, the term “teachers’ beliefs” is referred as a “generic term” (Le,
Research indicates that teachers articulate their ideas, thoughts, and knowledge through statements that evaluate what should be done and what should be the case This demonstrates the interrelationship between teachers' beliefs and practices, as these beliefs guide teachers' behaviors and actions (Le, 2011).
2.2.2 The role of teachers' beliefs in teaching
Since the 1990s, teachers' beliefs about language teaching have become a central topic in the field, and understanding these beliefs is viewed as essential for improving educational practice Rios (as cited in Lin, 2010) argues that teachers' beliefs and practices interact and influence one another, highlighting a dynamic relationship between thought and action Richard and Lockhart (as cited in Lin, 2010) contend that grasping teachers' beliefs provides a clearer picture of how they typically teach Kagan (1992) notes that teachers’ beliefs are reflected through their teaching style, while Martinet (as cited in Lin, 2010) argues that these beliefs shape educational decisions and classroom practices, illuminating the link between teachers and the schooling process Therefore, without examining the thoughts, knowledge, and beliefs that influence what teachers do, our understanding of teaching remains incomplete.
13 the factors that determines the growth of teacher cognition cannot be properly understood
Educational research on teachers’ beliefs, as Johnson (1992) notes, rests on three core assumptions: first, teachers’ beliefs shape their judgments and perceptions; second, these beliefs play a central role in how information about teaching is constructed through classroom activities and in turning this construction into improvements in teaching practices and teacher education programs; and third, in language teaching, researchers have investigated how personal beliefs and knowledge of the pedagogical system inform ESL instructors’ instructional practices and decisions (Borg, 2003) Building on this, Ng and Farrell (2003) and Yim (1993), cited in Farrell & Patricia (2005), studied the extent to which teachers’ theoretical beliefs affect classroom practice and found evidence that what teachers say and do in the classroom is governed by their beliefs.
Andrews (2003) used a questionnaire to explore whether ESL teachers’ beliefs about subject matter were associated with their professional background and language proficiency among 170 teachers, and he conducted interviews and classroom observations with 17 of them The findings indicated that teachers’ cognitions about subject matter were related to their particular teaching practices in ESL settings.
In brief, research findings show that teachers’ beliefs have significant influence on their classroom practices and decision-making (Golombek,1998; Richards & Lockhart, 1994; Wilson,1998 as cited in Lin, 2010).
Factors that influence teachers’ beliefs
Teachers' beliefs develop through social construction, shaped by personal experiences and the settings in which they work, and these beliefs accumulate and evolve over time Borg (2003) argued that a teacher's personality, educational background, and professional experiences in life usually have a powerful impact on the development of their teaching styles.
K Graves ( 2000) suggested that teachers’ beliefs are established through their learning experience, working experiences and places, and their ongoing professional development Furthermore, Richardson (1996, as cited in Lin, 2010) proposed three types of experiences including personal experience, experience with schooling and instruction, and experience with formal knowledge They have primarily affected the development of beliefs about knowledge of teaching.
2.3.1 Teachers' beliefs and prior language learning experience
Beliefs formed early in life tend to resist change, persisting even in the face of contradictory evidence, a concept attributed to Nisbett and Ross (1980, as cited in Borg, 2003) These beliefs take shape as episodically stored materials derived from critical incidents in individual experience (Nespor, 1987, as cited in Borg, 2003) Consequently, teachers learn a great deal about teaching from their prior experiences as learners.
“apprenticeship of observation” (Lortie, 1975, as cited in Borg, 2003).
Every teacher has been a student, and those formative experiences often shape the mental image of what teaching should be and how a classroom should function Freeman (1992, as cited in Borg, 2003) argues that the “memories of instruction” formed through the apprenticeship of observation guide teachers’ classroom practices Johnson (1994) and Numrich (1996, as cited in Borg, 2003) further illuminate how these early schooling experiences influence teachers’ beliefs and instructional choices, underscoring the enduring impact of student experiences on contemporary teaching approaches.
How prior experience is linked to classroom practice emerges here: Johnson found that preservice teachers’ instructional decisions during a practicum are shaped by the mental images of teachers, the selection of materials, the design of activities, and the overall classroom organization that stem from their own experiences as second-language (L2) learners She concluded that these experiences as L2 learners influence how they envision and implement classroom practice during their practicum.
Preservice ESL teachers’ beliefs may be based largely on images from their formal language learning experiences, and in all likelihood, will represent their dominant model o f action during the practicum teaching experience (p.450)
Therefore, Borg (2003) concluded that studies of practicing teachers “provide further support for the belief that prior learning experiences shape teachers’ cognitions and instructional decisions.
2.3.2 Teachers' beliefs and academic background
Another source of influence is the academic background that teachers have Studies on teachers’ subject matter knowledge have focused on how the quality of teaching was compromised when teachers were educated in subject disciplines other than the one that they are teaching However, little has been said about how their own disciplinary backgrounds affect their personal beliefs and values and how they in turn filter through their conceptions of teaching and learning.
2.3.3 Teachers' beliefs and teacher education
Kagan (1992) proposed that the relationship between teacher education and trainee outcomes is not influential However, Dunkin (1995; 1996, as cited in Borg, 2003) raised serious doubt about this conclusion Nevertheless, in most studies, researchers have concluded that teacher education influences trainees’ cognition, though the precise nature of this impact varies across studies and even among different trainees within the same study.
Freeman (1993, as cited in Borg, 2003) conducted a longitudinal study of changes in the practices of four foreign language teachers pursuing an in‑service master’s degree By analyzing interviews, classroom observations, and relevant documents, the study shows how tacit conceptions of teaching held by these teachers emerged during the course in the form of tensions, described as competing demands within their teaching In short, the development of a professional discourse enabled teachers to articulate and manage these tensions as part of their evolving professional practice.
Through guiding teachers to articulate and reflect on the tensions and to reconceptualise their understanding of their own practice, the program in this study exerted a clear influence on teachers’ cognition, consistent with Borg (2003).
2.3.4 Teachers' beliefs and teachers' own experience
Another major influence on teaching is teachers’ own experience Research in teacher education consistently shows that classroom experience is regarded as the most important source of knowledge about teaching, shaping how educators plan, implement, and refine their practice.
According to S Borg (2003), teacher cognition is not only a determinant of classroom practice but is also shaped by teachers’ accumulated experiences, revealing a dynamic, bidirectional link between what teachers think and what they do A body of studies further documents the significant impact of teachers’ experience on their cognitive processes, beliefs, and instructional choices, underscoring how cognition and experience mutually influence teaching and learning in real classroom contexts.
Crookes and Arakaki (1999) investigated the sources of ESL teachers’ ideas and found that the teaching experiences accumulated by teachers were the most frequently cited influence among participants in the study They indicated that this emphasis on classroom experience underscores its strong role in shaping teachers’ beliefs and approaches to instruction.
Many teachers described their experience as a uniquely personal, self-contained journey—a personal history of knowledge and ideas gained through trial and error about which teaching strategies and sources are effective in particular classroom contexts As one veteran teacher stated, the more practice you have, the better you know in the classroom what will work and what will not work.
According to Nunan (1992), experienced language teachers pay greater attention to language issues in the classroom, while less experienced teachers tend to prioritize classroom management The finding implies that with experience, teachers learn to automate the routines involved in managing the class, freeing cognitive resources to focus more on content and language instruction.
Research on teachers’ beliefs
As a major area of inquiry in language teaching, the study of teachers’ beliefs has attracted considerable attention from international research as well as scholars in our country, focusing on two core curriculum areas: grammar teaching and literacy instruction.
2.3.1 Overseas research on teachers' beliefs
2.3.1.1 Teachers' beliefs about teaching grammar
Research in English language teaching has provided much evidence of the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practices.
Farrel (1999) conducted a study with pre-service English teachers in Singapore, asking them to reflect on their past experiences of learning English and to share their views on teaching grammar in order to decide between inductive and deductive approaches to formal instruction The findings showed that these teachers’ decisions about which grammar instruction approach to adopt were shaped by how they had learned languages themselves, and as a result their classroom practices mirrored their prior language learning experiences.
Further insight into the relationship between teachers’ cognitions and their classroom practices in grammar teaching comes from Borg’s studies (1998, 1999, 2003) These investigations present authentic classroom events and use them as a basis for conversations with teachers, through which teachers’ beliefs and practical approaches to grammar instruction are made explicit.
Borg (1999) conducted a qualitative study of five teachers in Malta, using unstructured classroom observations and semi-structured interviews to examine how actual practices manifested in formal instruction The findings indicate that an interacting mix of experiential, cognitive, and contextual factors shapes teachers’ decisions about how grammatical terminology is used in their work The study also links teachers’ knowledge of grammar with their approaches to formal instruction, suggesting that beliefs about grammar influence instructional choices in the classroom.
According to Borg (2001), a comparison of two experienced EFL teachers shows that teachers' self-perceptions of their grammar knowledge can drive their pedagogical decisions The first teacher demonstrated confidence in his grammar knowledge by readily conducting impromptu grammar activities and by using students' questions as springboards for unplanned grammar discussions The second teacher, by contrast, seldom engaged in grammar work and only did so when he had prepared in advance His reluctance stemmed from a fear of not providing the correct answer, rooted in a negative experience earlier in his career Overall, the findings imply that teachers' beliefs about their own grammar competence can motivate or constrain classroom instructional choices.
Building on the link between cognitions and practice in grammar teaching, Phipps and Borg (2009) examined the tensions between teachers’ beliefs and their practices among three practicing English teachers in Turkey Analysis of the data showed that teachers’ beliefs were the strongest influence on their instructional decisions in grammar classrooms The authors also highlight the value of grounding the study of belief–practice tensions in qualitative analyses of teachers’ actual classroom practices.
Johnston and Goettsch (2000, as cited in Borg, 2003) examined the knowledge base underlying the grammatical explanations of four experienced ESL teachers in the United States Using Shulman’s categories—content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and knowledge of learners—they investigated how teachers’ language knowledge is formed In this study, content knowledge was defined as declarative knowledge of language, and the researchers found that education and experience are the two main sources shaping this knowledge They also emphasized the dynamic nature of teachers’ language knowledge, noting that teachers continually adjust their understanding as they store, process, reflect on, and revise what they already know.
Baleghizadeh and Farshchi (2009) conducted a study to examine Iranian EFL teachers' beliefs about the role of grammar in English language teaching in state schools and private language institutes, involving 117 male and female teachers who completed a questionnaire and were analyzed with an independent samples t-test The results showed that teachers from both settings expressed concern about the value of grammar in language teaching, but differences emerged across three domains: explicit grammar instruction, the balance between instruction versus exposure, and the presentation of grammar through authentic texts For example, teachers in state high schools tended to view explicit grammar teaching and direct instruction as more effective than natural exposure, shaping classroom practices toward analytic grammar instruction Overall, the study indicates that what teachers actually do in the classroom is influenced by their beliefs about how grammar should be taught.
In summary, the discussion of studies into teachers’ beliefs about grammar teaching has highlighted different perspectives from which this issue can be approach (Borg,
In 2003, it was suggested that teachers’ grammar knowledge can be assessed with test-like instruments, while questionnaires and interviews reveal teachers’ explicit beliefs, and teachers’ cognition can be studied by analyzing actual classroom practices These studies tie cognition closely to what teachers do in the classroom and to their reflections on that work, offering a window into how knowledge, beliefs, and practice intersect in language teaching.
2.3.I.2 Teachers' beliefs about literacy instruction
The following is on studies which have examined the thinking, knowledge and beliefs of second and foreign language teachers with respect to teaching reading and writing.
Johnson (1992) conducted a study to examine the extent to which ESL teachers hold theoretical beliefs that reflect the methodological divisions of skill-based, rule-based, and function-based approaches to L2 teaching, and whether these beliefs align with their classroom practices Using theoretical profiling instruments with 30 teachers, the study found that the majority held clearly defined beliefs reflecting a single methodological orientation, with almost all teachers adopting a function-based approach to reading instruction that emphasizes authentic language, real-life contexts, and meaningful communication An analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data showed that ESL teachers who possess clearly defined theoretical beliefs provide literacy instruction consistent with their theoretical orientation, supporting the idea that differences in theoretical beliefs can lead to differences in the nature of literacy instruction.
Collie Graden (1996, as cited in Borg, 2003) investigated the consistency between teachers’ reported beliefs and their observed practices in reading instruction Overall, her findings indicate that teachers’ stated beliefs generally align with their classroom practices, reproducing Johnson’s earlier results This parallel suggests that in reading instruction, teachers’ professed beliefs are typically reflected in their instructional behaviors.
In the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, several studies show that teachers’ beliefs about reading strategies do not strongly translate into their instructional practices Khonamri and Salimi (2010) surveyed 57 high school EFL teachers and found that, although teachers recognize the important role of reading strategies for reading comprehension, there is a clear gap between their stated beliefs and their self-reported classroom practices Similarly, Sukapdjo (2009) observed that middle school L2 teachers value foreign language literacy skills, yet even experienced teachers who lack targeted training in teaching reading and writing may justify their literacy instruction to stakeholders rather than to research or pedagogical recommendations Taken together, these studies recommend that teachers be equipped with solid pedagogical methods, because foreign language reading and writing practices are shaped by teachers’ beliefs and knowledge of biliteracy development.
Lee (1998) examined how ESL teachers' beliefs about writing align with their classroom practices Using a questionnaire survey and follow-up interviews, the study explored teachers' views on students' writing abilities across key dimensions, their self-reported instructional practices, and their beliefs about how writing should be taught and learned The findings reveal a gap between teachers' theoretical beliefs and their actual classroom practices Specifically, while many teachers acknowledged that coherence is important in writing instruction, the results showed a pronounced emphasis on grammar in both teaching activities and the evaluation of student writing.
Bum (1992, as cited in Borg, 2003) and Tsui (1996) investigated teachers’ beliefs and their writing-instruction practices in ESL contexts In Australia, Bum surveyed six beginning-level ESL teachers and identified five major areas that shaped how they taught writing: the nature of language as it relates to early language learning; the relationship between written and spoken language; the characteristics and strategies of beginning language learning; learners’ linguistic profiles and their capacity to acquire English; and the nature of the language classroom and the teachers’ roles within it The study showed that differences in teachers’ beliefs about these issues were reflected in the diversity of their writing-instruction practices.
Tsui’s study traces the two-and-a-half-year experience of an EFL teacher in Hong Kong who, dissatisfied with a product-focused approach to writing instruction, introduced process writing into her classroom Although teacher and student responses were initially positive, the approach produced problems such as fewer students finishing writing tasks and more grammar mistakes than in other classes Consequently, the teacher reverted to a product-oriented approach, which proved less time-consuming The study shows how the teacher’s beliefs and practices evolved over time and illustrates how institutional and curricular factors can constrain teachers’ ability to implement practices they consider desirable (Borg, 2003).
METHODOLOGY
Research questions
The aim of the study is to seek answers to the following questions:
1 What are the teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking?
2 Is there a relationship between teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking and their practices?
3 What factors influence teachers’ beliefs and practices in teaching speaking?
Subjects
Forty of the eighty English teachers in the English Department at Hanoi University of Business and Technology (HUBT) participated in this study The teachers were randomly selected to complete a questionnaire that was distributed to them within the department After completion, the researcher collected the responses and compiled information about the respondents A brief profile of these 40 teachers is provided below.
26 out of 40 teachers are female and the rest is 14 male.
47.5 % of the teachers is the young at the age of 21 to 30, 35% at the age under 40 (the middle age), and 17.5 % at the age of 41 to 50 (the old age)
47.5 % of the teachers have experience less than 5 years, 35% have 6-10 years’ experience, 17.5 % have e over 10 years of experience.
37.5 % of the teachers have a Bachelor’s degree, 10% have Diploma, and 47.5 % have a Master degree.
Table 1 summarizes the participants’ demographic information
Table 1: The participants’ demographic information
Experience (in years) Below 5 years 6-10 years 11-20 years
Instruments
To collect data for the investigation, the researcher uses two instruments: a questionnaire and class observation Each of these instruments will be described below:
Using questionnaires as a data-collection tool in belief studies is a common practice in the relevant literature (Peacock, 2001, as cited in Lai, 2005) The appeal of questionnaires lies in the argument that administering one to a group of people enables researchers to collect a huge amount of information in less than an hour, with personal investment that is only a fraction of what would be required for interviewing the same number of respondents (Dörnyei, 2003, as cited in Lai, 2005) Moreover, when questionnaire items are well-constructed, the data can be processed efficiently and relatively straightforwardly, especially with the support of modern computers and sophisticated word-processing software (Lai, 2005) Anonymity is another feature of questionnaires that enables respondents to provide more straightforward answers.
There are two parts in the self- reported questionnaire:
Part 1: Seeking respondents’ personal information
Part 2: Including two sections: Section 1 consists of 25 items to investigate what teachers think about the principles of teaching speaking (their stated belief about teaching speaking) and section 2 includes 25 items to describe how often they use a certain technique to teach speaking (their self-reported practices in the classroom)
This section draws on the personal information component of the questionnaire compiled by Lee (1998) It collects background data such as gender and age, and asks participants to provide information about their qualifications In addition, participants’ teaching experience is recorded as an important factor Collecting this background information is intended to address the fourth research question: What factors influence teachers' beliefs and practices in teaching speaking?
Part 2: Beliefs and practices statements
Larsen-Freeman, (2000) identified the principles of the language teaching methods by answering ten following questions:
1 What are the goals of teachers who use this method?
2 What is the role of the teacher? What is the role of the students?
3 What are some characteristics of the teaching/ learning process?
4 What is the nature of student-teacher interaction? What is the nature of student-student interaction?
5 How are the feelings of the students dealt with?
6 How is language viewed? How is culture viewed?
7 What areas of language are emphasized? What language skills are emphasized?
8 What is the role of the students’ first language?
10 How does the teacher respond to student errors?
The researcher based on this identification to develop the questionnaire items.
The researcher selected two language teaching methods—Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and the Grammar Translation Method (GTM)—as the theoretical basis for the questionnaire items CLT is widely regarded as an effective approach that advocates practices that develop learners’ ability to communicate (Chang, 2011), while GTM has long been a popular language teaching method in Vietnam, reflecting its enduring influence in the region.
In this section, the teachers are asked to respond to a 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree and strongly agree) to show their beliefs about teaching speaking.
CLT beliefs statements consist of the items 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22,
23, 24 indicating the principles of the communicative language teaching
GMT beliefs statements include the items 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 16, 17, 18, 25 representing the principles of the grammar translation method.
Section 2: Self-reported practices statements
Participants respond to a five-point Likert scale (never, rarely, sometimes, often, very often) describing how frequently they use each technique for teaching speaking, with higher scores indicating more frequent use; the survey distinguishes communicative language teaching (CLT) techniques from grammar-translation method (GTM) techniques, listing CLT techniques in items 1, 2, 4, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and GTM techniques in items 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 16, 17, 18, 25.
Classroom observation is a quantitative method for measuring classroom behaviors through direct observation It is a valuable strategy for studying language teacher cognition because it provides evidence of what happens in the classroom and offers a concrete descriptive basis for examining what teachers know, think, and believe Therefore, this study adopts classroom observation as an additional research instrument to complement the questionnaire and to partly confirm the relationship between teachers’ stated beliefs and their reported practices.
An observation sheet, grounded in the theory of language teaching described in Chapter 2, contains items that correspond to the questionnaire to triangulate teachers’ stated beliefs with their self-reported practices (see Appendix 4 for the observation scheme) Three teachers will be selected for classroom observation based on their questionnaire results, prioritizing those who most support CLT Each participating teacher will be observed once, teaching a 55-minute speaking session to a group of first-year students.
Procedure
Data were collected over a four-week period using a 50-item questionnaire distributed to 40 of the 80 English-language teachers in the English Department at Hanoi University of Business and Technology (HUBT).
Step 1: The questionnaires which were coded from T1 to T40 were distributed among
A total of 80 teachers with varying teaching experience, qualifications, ages, and genders participated in the study The researcher compiled a data sheet with three columns: the first column labeled from T1 to T40, the second column for recording each teacher’s real name, and the third column for assigning a pseudonym (see Appendix 4) When questionnaires were submitted, the researcher recorded the participants’ codes and real names while replacing the real names with pseudonyms in the third column to protect confidentiality This setup enabled the researcher to identify and follow up with the teachers who were most supportive of CLT for selection in class observations.
Step 2: The researcher analyzed the data to explore the teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking and compared this result with the teachers’ self-reported practices results to find out if there was any relationship between their stated beliefs and their self-reported practices After that, the researcher chose three teachers who had strong beliefs in CLT for class observation to back up for the results that had been found out The class observation was carried out one time for each teacher during 55 minute period The researcher based on the observation scheme (see Appendix 3) to give the tick “yes” or “no” for teachers’ practices assessment The researcher also analyzed the differences of teachers’ beliefs among groups of different age, sex, qualification and experience.
Step 3: The conclusion of teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking was drawn out.
Results AND DISCUSSION
Results
Table 2: Information about teachers’ reported beliefs (No@)
(J= strongly disagree; 2= disagree; 3= neutral; 4= agree; 5= strongly agree)
An important goal for students is to be able to translate each language into another language.
To speak well, students should be conscious of the grammatical rules of the target language
It is good if the interaction in the classroom is from teacher to the students
A fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature written in it.
Having the students get the correct answer is very important
It is important for students to leam about the form of the target language
The teacher is authority in the classroom It is important that students get the correct answer
The teacher evaluates students' performance based on written test
Deductive application of an explicit grammar rule is a useful pedagogical technique
It is possible for students to find first language equivalents for all target language words
Teachers should emphasize on teaching students to communicate through
0(0.0%) 0(0.0%) 1(2.5%) 16(40.0%) 23(57.5%) 4.55 interaction in the target language
The social context of communicative events is essential in giving meaning to utterances
The classroom is a community where learners learn through collaboration and sharing.
The use of the first language should be limited
The teacher evaluates students' performance based on ability to communicate in tasks she/he assigns
Teachers should focus on meaningful and purposeful tasks rather on language structure
Learning to use language forms appropriately is an important part of communicative competence
The target language is a vehicle for classroom communication, not just the object of the study
Teachers should create opportunities for students to develop both accuracy and fluency
The goal is to enable students to communicate in the target language
One of the teachers’ major responsibilities is to establish situations likely to promote communication
The teachers should act as a facilitator (e.g.) in setting up communicative activities and as advisor (e.g.) during the activities
Games are very important because they have certain features in common with real communicative events
Teachers should be tolerant of learners’ errors
Teachers should use authentic, from-life materials (e.g magazines)
Among the 25 statements, the first ten reflect GTM principles and the last fifteen reflect CLT principles as held by teachers Only five of the ten GTM items achieved mean scores above 3.0, with just one item reaching a mean of 4.08 By comparison, fourteen of the fifteen CLT items produced mean scores ranging from 3.43 to 4.55, and nine of these exceeded 4.0 This pattern indicates that teachers hold stronger beliefs in CLT than in GTM. -**Support Pollinations.AI:** -🌸 **Ad** 🌸Powered by Pollinations.AI free text APIs [Support our mission](https://pollinations.ai/redirect/kofi) to keep AI accessible for everyone.
Analysis of participants' beliefs reveals notable differences in perceptions of the teacher's role The GTM principle, which treats the teacher as the classroom authority, received a mean score of 2.98, while the CLT principle, which positions the teacher as someone who creates situations to promote communication, earned a higher mean score of 3.93 These results suggest a stronger alignment with a communicative, student-centered teaching approach, indicating that respondents view the facilitator role as more favorable than the traditional authority role.
Similarly, in terms of the evaluation process, item 24 (CLT principle) mentions to the way of evaluating students’ performance based on students’ ability to communicate received the mean score of 4.18 In contrast, in item 25 (GTM principle), teachers evaluate students’ performance based on written test just got the mean score of 2.83.
However, regarding the area of language emphasized, both CLT item and GTM item received the agreement from the teachers In particular, item 12 (CLT principle) which refers to the necessity to teach students to communicate through interaction in the target language got the mean score of 4.55, which accounts for 97.5 % “agree” and
“strongly agree” Item 16 (GTM principle) favors of learning grammatical rules in the target language to speak well obtained the mean score of 3.98 with 75% “agree” and
“strongly agree” In this case, the teachers seem to be of two minds They think that both teaching grammar and teaching students to communicate are essential to teaching speaking.
An analysis of teachers' stated beliefs shows that, for the language aspect emphasized, teachers approve of both Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) and Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) In other aspects, GTM is favored by 6 of the 10 principles, while CLT is approved for 14 of the 15 principles This pattern indicates that teachers hold stronger beliefs in CLT than in GTM when teaching speaking to students.
Table 3: Information about teachers’ self-reported practices (No@)
(1= never; 2= rarely; 3= sometimes; 4= often; 5= very often)
I make students apply grammar rules immediately after studying
I make students translate new words from English into
If the students make errors or do not know answer, I provide them with the correct answer.
I decide whether an answer is correct or not, if it is incorrect, I select another to provide the correct answer or I give the correct answer
I focus on teaching grammar as my first priority
7 I emphasize teaching students reading skill 1(2.5%) 5(12.5%) 5(12.5%) 17(42.5%) 12(30.0%) 3.85 17
I control during lesson and I let little interaction among students
I make students translate one passage from English into
6 I teach student grammar rule carefully 3(7.5%) 11(27.5%) 6(15.0%) 13(32.5%) 7(17.5%) 3.25 25
I design written tests to evaluate student tests to evaluate students’ performance
I move around groups and give advice or answer questions
I give each group of students a strip story and a task to perform
I evaluate students’ performance based on their ability in the tasks that I assign
I give students the directions for the activity in the target language
I use role play techniques when teaching speaking for students
10 I ignore students’ errors 5(12.5%) 7(17.5%) 1(2.5%) 16(40.0%) 11(27.5%) 3.53 when they perform
I remind students their role when they role play
I let students work with their partner or in group to perform the task I assign
I take advantage of the tasks that help me evaluate students' performance based on not only accuracy but also fluency.
I let student play a language game during the speaking lesson
I use authentic, from-life materials to help students expose to natural language in a variety of situations
I develop students' ability to manage the process of negotiating meaning with their interlocutors.
I design tasks that enable students to use real language and emphasize the process of communication rather than just mastery of language forms
I make students use the target language during communicative activities and I also use it for explaining the activities to students or in assigning homework
I use different tasks to encourage students to communicate as much as possible during lesson.
Table 3 shows the mean scores for each technique as reported by teachers based on their self-reported practices during speaking lessons, and overall, there is a clear mismatch between teachers’ stated beliefs and their actual classroom practices, suggesting a gap between what teachers claim to value in speaking instruction and what they report implementing.
From the table, all ten GTM techniques were used frequently, with mean scores ranging from 3.15 to 4.15; four techniques scored above 4.0, indicating that teachers often to very often apply these techniques in teaching speaking, while in contrast only one belief item—“An important goal for students is to be able to translate each language into another language”—was agreed upon in the beliefs section.
In section 4.1.1, the mean scores for 9 of the 15 CLT principles in teachers' stated beliefs exceed 4.0, indicating a strong preference for Communicative Language Teaching By contrast, in teachers' self-reported practices, only one technique attains a mean score above 4.0, falling between "often" and "very often" on a five-point scale For example, teachers report moving around groups to give advice or answer students' questions, illustrating a gap between declared CLT beliefs and actual CLT practices.
Only 7 out of the other 14 techniques obtained the mean scores of 3.38 to 3.9 (evaluating students’ performance based on their ability in the tasks that the teachers assign, giving students the directions for the activity in the target language, using role play techniques when teaching speaking for students, ignoring students’ errors when they perform, reminding students their role when they role play, letting students work with their partner or in group to perform the task the teachers assign) The mean score of these techniques arranged between “sometimes” and “often” This shows that the teachers apply GTM techniques in teaching speaking more frequently than CLT techniques.
A picture of contrast between “beliefs” and “practices” section can be found in the following cases.
Within GTM principles, items 3 and 5—“Deductive application of an explicit grammar rule is a useful pedagogical technique” and “It is possible for students to find first-language equivalents for all target language words”—are the least advocated by teachers in observed practice; however, in self-reported practices, these two items are described as being used often.
“very often” used by the teachers.
Item 12 (Teachers should emphasize on teaching students to communicate through interaction in the target language) that obtained the highest agreement of teachers among 15 CLT principles (the mean score of 4.55) now got the least frequency of use with the mean score of 1.85 indicating that the teachers “never” or “rarely” apply this technique as they stated in their beliefs report.
Similarly, item 21, with a mean score of 4.18, indicates that teachers strongly support limiting the use of the first language in speaking lessons In contrast, the mean score of 1.9 for teachers’ self-reported practices suggests that, in actual classroom settings, teachers rarely implement this restriction This discrepancy between belief and practice points to a gap between attitudes toward L1 use in speaking activities and real-world instructional behavior.
“never” and “rarely” did as they stated at first.
Item 13 (“Teachers should focus on meaningful and purposeful tasks rather on language structure”) that obtained the strong beliefs from the teachers (the mean score of 4.13) is one of three techniques that got the least frequency of use with the mean score of only 2.02.
There is a notable gap between teachers’ stated beliefs about language teaching and their self-reported practices While teachers express strong support for Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), they continue to use Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) techniques when teaching speaking This discrepancy reveals a misalignment between what teachers say they believe about effective instruction and what they actually implement in the classroom Ultimately, professed CLT beliefs do not consistently translate into CLT-grounded practice in speaking instruction.
4.1.3 Analysis of teachers' beliefs in relation to teachers' background 4.I.3.I Teachers' beliefs and age
Table 4: Teachers’ beliefs among different age group
Group 1 (G l): aged from 20-30 (young teachers)
Group 2 (G2) aged from 31-40 (middle-aged teachers)
Group 3 (G3) aged from 41-50 (old teachers)
Deductive application of an explicit grammar rule is a useful pedagogical technique 2.58 2.21 3.43
It is possible for students to find first language equivalents for all target language words 2.37 1.79 2.00
It is important for students to learn about the form of the target language 2.74 3.93 3.57
A fundamental purpose of learning a foreign language is to be able to read literature written in it 3.26 4.00 4.29 8
An important goal for students is to be able to translate each language into another language 3.53 4.64 4.43
Having the students get the correct answer is very important 3.47 3.43 3.71
To speak well, students should be conscious of the grammatical rules of the target language 3.63 4.14 4.57
It is good if the interaction in the classroom is from teacher to the students 3.95 3.79 3.29
The teacher is authority in the classroom It is important that students get the correct answer 3.26 2.93 2.29
The teacher evaluates students’ performance based on written test 2.84 2.79 2.86
The classroom is a community where learners learn through collaboration and sharing 4.26 4.50 4.43
Games are very important because they have certain features in common with real communicative events 3.79 3.50 3.86 4
The social context of communicative events is essential in giving meaning to utterances 4.32 4.50 4.43
The goal is to enable students to communicate in the target language 4.11 3.57 4.14
10 Teachers should be tolerant of learners’ errors 4.11 3.00 2.43 12
Teachers should emphasize on teaching students to communicate through interaction in the target language 4.63 4.50 4.43 13
Teachers should focus on meaningful and purposeful tasks rather on language structure 4.42 3.71 4.14
Learning to use language forms appropriately is an important part of communicative competence 4.42 4.21 3.14 15
The target language is a vehicle for classroom communication, not just the object of the study 4.21 3.79 4.29 19
One of the teachers' major responsibilities is to establish situations likely to promote communication 4.37 3.57 3.43
The teachers should act as a facilitator (e.g.) in setting up communicative activities and as advisor (e.g.) during the activities
21 The use of the first language should be limited 4.42 3.86 4.14 22
Teachers should use authentic, from-life materials (e.g magazines) 3.11 2.71 1.57
Teachers should create opportunities for students to develop both accuracy and fluency 4.63 3.50 3.71
The teacher evaluates students’ performance based on ability to communicate in tasks she/ he assigns 4.37 4.07 3.86
As shown in Table 4, there is no substantial age difference between Group 1 (young teachers) and Group 2 (middle-aged teachers), nor between Group 2 (middle-aged) and Group 3 (old teachers); however, there are notable age differences between Group 1 (young teachers) and Group 3 (old teachers).
Discussion
Analysis of the self-reported beliefs questionnaire reveals that most teachers favor communicative language teaching (CLT) over the grammar-translation method (GTM) As reported in section 4.1.1, CLT comprises 15 of the 25 items, and 14 of these items show higher agreement or strong agreement than disagreement or strong disagreement, whereas GTM includes 10 items with only 6 receiving teacher approval.
Although teachers' stated beliefs did not fully align with their classroom practices in some aspects, the data show a discrepancy: GTM received approval from teachers on only six of its ten principles, yet in self-reported measures all ten GTM techniques were described as being used with high frequency, with mean scores ranging from 3.15 to 4.15 on a five-point scale, indicating that teachers often to very often apply these techniques in teaching speaking.
Secondly, with regards to CLT principles, fourteen ones got the “agreement” and
Teachers demonstrated strong agreement with Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), with mean scores ranging from 3.43 to 4.55, signaling firm belief in CLT principles In self-reported practices, they indicated they only often or very often apply eight CLT techniques, while six of the seven techniques they endorsed are never or rarely used in teaching speaking, revealing a clear mismatch between stated CLT beliefs and actual classroom practice.
To triangulate the questionnaire findings, the researcher conducted classroom observations to assess whether the practices of the three teachers who favor CLT align with their stated beliefs The results in section 4.1.4 show that, although these teachers express strong commitment to Communicative Language Teaching, their speaking lessons still employ Grammar-Translation Method techniques, such as grammar-focused activities, excessive attention to students' errors and accuracy, and instructions that require students to apply grammar rules precisely during speaking tasks.
Generally, teachers 2 and 3 tended to follow a traditional, grammar-focused approach, even though they professed stronger beliefs in CLT (Communicative Language Teaching); however, their actual classroom practices did not align with the beliefs they reported in their beliefs statement.
Viewing the factors may have impact on teachers’ beliefs, the researcher finds out some issues.
Age is a key factor shaping teachers' beliefs, which in turn drive classroom practices Older teachers tend to favor traditional, grammar-focused instruction, while younger teachers are more open to modern approaches like communicative language teaching (CLT), leading to differing instructional choices.
Findings suggest that teacher experience does not uniformly shape beliefs and classroom practices, with younger teachers showing higher endorsement of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) principles, likely due to recent college training in communicative methodologies and greater adaptability to evolving language-teaching trends In contrast, semi-experienced and experienced teachers are less likely to adopt or endorse communicative approaches, possibly because their training is older and rooted in different methods Experienced teachers may be more anchored in traditional approaches such as the grammar-translation method, which emphasizes grammar and accuracy and shapes different language-teaching goals, making them less inclined to change As a result, more experienced teachers are less likely to approve of or implement CLT in speaking lessons.
Qualification does not significantly influence teachers' beliefs or classroom practices The study finds that MA-qualified teachers tend not to apply Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) principles when teaching speaking, whereas BA-qualified teachers are more likely to implement these CLT methods in their speaking instruction There are no differences between male and female teachers in either beliefs or practices, indicating that gender does not determine what teachers believe or actually do in the classroom.
The findings from the questionnaire and class observation indicate a discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and their actual practices, a pattern consistent with Karavas-Doukas (1996, as cited in Chou, 2002) In a study of 14 Greek English teachers, participants showed agreement with CLT principles, yet classroom observations revealed an eclectic approach that combined traditional and communicative elements Choi (1999, as cited in Chou, 2002) similarly found that Korean EFL middle-school teachers hold positive beliefs about CLT, but their instructional practices remain more teacher-centered than learner-centered In a related study, Khonamri and Salimi (2010) reported that high school EFL teachers regard reading strategies as important for comprehension and see a need to teach them, yet there was no significant correlation between beliefs about reading strategies and self-reported classroom practice, underscoring an inconsistency between beliefs and practice.
Several factors explain the mismatch between teachers’ beliefs and practices in CLT First, teachers may lack the procedural knowledge required to implement communicative language teaching (Mohammed, 2006, as cited in Khonamri & Salimi, 2010) Contextual factors in classroom life—such as large class sizes and students with varying levels of motivation and English proficiency—can hinder teachers from enacting their beliefs (Fang, 1996, as cited in Khonamri & Salimi, 2010) Li (1998, as cited in Chou, 2002) found CLT difficulties stem from teachers’ limited English proficiency, deficiencies in strategic and sociolinguistic competence, insufficient CLT training, and misconceptions about CLT, while students’ low proficiency, reluctance to participate, and lack of motivation to develop communicative competence further impede effective implementation.