‘Seeing is believing’: looking at EFL teachers’ beliefs through classroom interaction

Abstract This article explores the pedagogical beliefs and classroom interactions of two secondary school English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language teachers – one novice and one experienced – in the People’s Republic of China. Using interview and classroom observation data, our study depicts the teachers’ pedagogical beliefs about teaching and learning by comparing what they say about their professional practice with their classroom interaction. We argue that, by analysing teachers’ stated beliefs and their interactions while teaching, it is possible to gain a fuller understanding of the complex inter‐relationship between what teachers say they do and believe and how they interact with students. Our study has relevance to the growing body of literature on teacher cognition, and to research on classroom interaction and teacher development. Keywords: teacher beliefinteractionChineseteachinglearningculture Acknowledgements The authors gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the EFL teachers and students who took part in this study and the anonymous reviewers of Classroom Discourse for their constructive comments on the initial draft. Notes 1. Government‐funded secondary schools in Beijing are categorised as the following types: City Key School, District Key School and Ordinary School, primarily based on a school’s history, reputation and student academic achievement as shown in the major tests; for example, National College Entrance Examination. City Key Schools are preferred by parents and students for their better resources, more experienced teachers and so on; it is really competitive to gain a place in these schools. District Key Schools are not as good as City Key Schools; however, they are well‐regarded by parents and society. These schools enjoy good reputations in academic achievements, facilities, resources and support. Ordinary Schools are those with average academic results; students are less competitive in academic work and resources are not as advanced as City Key Schools. More importantly, usually these schools face difficulties in keeping really good teachers. 2. There are 19 districts in Beijing and each district has its own local educational authority that is responsible for weekly teacher professional development activities and test organisation. 3. See note 1. 4. Some very experienced teachers are nominated by their schools to local educational authority as lead teachers based on their merits of academic expertise, their student academic achievements, their qualifications, experiences and sometimes research profiles. These teachers are supposed to be innovative and up‐to‐date with teaching methodology. One of their designated responsibilities is to support inexperienced teachers by setting a good example.