Studies of Beliefs about EFL Teaching and Learning and Its Significance and Implications.docVIP

Studies of Beliefs about EFL Teaching and Learning and Its Significance and Implications 　　【Abstract】 This paper gives a brief review of teacher and learner beliefs， so as to highlight the important roles these beliefs play in EFL teaching and learning. Based on it， the paper goes deeper into the significance of the studies of beliefs for EFL teaching， learning， teacher education， etc. Furthermore， some implications emerging from the studies are discussed. 　　【Keywords】 teacher beliefs learner beliefs EFL teaching and learning 　　1 Introduction 　　Individual differences are considered the cause of different achievements， so they are being paid more and more attention by linguists， educationalists， and psychologists. Teacher and learner beliefs are regarded as one aspect of individual differences that may influence the processes and outcomes of second/foreign language learning and teaching （Kalaja Barcelos， 2003： 1）. 　　Although the term “belief” does not occur in journals so frequently， it， in fact， has been constantly discussed， since “many other concepts such as knowledge， attitudes， values， perceptions， and images are really beliefs in disguise” （Richardson， 1996： 104）. 　　The study of beliefs about second language learning began in the mid 1980s. However， only since the end of 1980s， did these studies begin to develop fast. The special edition of System （vol. 27， n. 4） with all the articles related to beliefs， and the book Beliefs about SLA： New Research Approaches published in 2003， are both good evidences of increasing interest in beliefs. 　　Studies have shown that both teachers and learners bring beliefs about language teaching and learning to the classroom that influence how they approach their teaching and learning （Richards Lockhart， 1996： 52）. 　　The importance of teacher beliefs was recognized and discussed by many researchers. Richardson （1996： 105-110） expounds the functions of beliefs in the practice of teaching and in learning to teach. Nespo