Beliefs, attitudes, and reflections of EFL pre-service teachers while exploring critical literacy theories to prepare and implement critical lessons

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Abstract

Foreign language teaching and learning is an issue of high relevance nowadays in Colombia. Unfortunately, language teaching has often been reduced to the mastery of language structures, disregarding the vast number of possibilities that language teaching provides to involve students in the discussion and analysis of issues that affect their everyday life. Shifting language teaching toward this goal, however, has to be emphasized more in language teacher preparation programs. To gain a better understanding of the implication of this shift, this study explored the beliefs, attitudes, and reflections of three student-teachers from a foreign language teaching program at a public university towards the exploration of Critical Literacy theories, and the design and implementation of critical lessons. In this exploratory case study, data collected included audio-recordings of class discussions and individual interviews with the three participants, their reflections during different stages, and class observations of their lesson implementation. Results from this study suggest that exposing future EFL teachers to Critical Literacy approaches to language teaching can have various effects on their perspectives towards education and their teaching practice. Thus, those effects might be influenced by factors such as their teaching experience, their backgrounds, and their prior beliefs.

Translated abstract

La enseñanza y aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras es un tema de alta relevancia actualmente en Colombia. Desafortunadamente, la enseñanza de idiomas se ha reducido frecuentemente al dominio de estructuras lingüísticas, ignorando las numerosas posibilidades que brindan estos para involucrar a los estudiantes en la discusión y análisis de situaciones que afectan su vida diaria. Sin embargo, esta transformación en la enseñanza de lenguas debe comenzar en los programas de formación de maestros. Con el objetivo de comprender las implicaciones de esta transformación, este estudio exploró las creencias, actitudes y reflexiones de tres docentes de lenguas extranjeras en formación, en su fase de práctica docente, pertenecientes a una universidad pública, frente a la exploración de teorías críticas y el diseño e implementación de planes de clase que involucraran dichas teorías. Los datos del estudio fueron recogidos mediante grupos focales, entrevistas, reflexiones escritas, planes de clase y observaciones. Los resultados de este estudio sugieren que exponer futuros docentes de inglés a teorías críticas para la enseñanza de idiomas puede tener diferentes efectos en su percepción hacia la educación y su práctica docente. Además, dichos efectos pueden estar influenciados por factores como su experiencia de enseñanza precia, sus experiencias de vida y creencias previas.

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Most cited references 57

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The Discovery of Grounded Theory

Barney G. Glaser, Anselm L. Strauss (1967)

Most writing on sociological method has been concerned with how accurate facts can be obtained and how theory can thereby be more rigorously tested. In The Discovery of Grounded Theory, Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss address the equally Important enterprise of how the discovery of theory from data--systematically obtained and analyzed in social research--can be furthered. The discovery of theory from data--grounded theory--is a major task confronting sociology, for such a theory fits empirical situations, and is understandable to sociologists and laymen alike. Most important, it provides relevant predictions, explanations, interpretations, and applications.In Part I of the book, Generation Theory by Comparative Analysis, the authors present a strategy whereby sociologists can facilitate the discovery of grounded theory, both substantive and formal. This strategy involves the systematic choice and study of several comparison groups. In Part II, The Flexible Use of Data, the generation of theory from qualitative, especially documentary, and quantitative data Is considered. In Part III, Implications of Grounded Theory, Glaser and Strauss examine the credibility of grounded theory.The Discovery of Grounded Theory is directed toward improving social scientists' capacity for generating theory that will be relevant to their research. While aimed primarily at sociologists, it will be useful to anyone Interested In studying social phenomena--political, educational, economic, industrial-- especially If their studies are based on qualitative data.