The impact of theory and research on three ESL teachers’ beliefs and practices

Abstract

An increasing number of research studies report on improved and alternative approaches to the various practices of teaching. However, there often exists a gap between such research findings and any real transformations in pedagogical practices of teachers. This paper reports on a study that examined the impact of theory and research on the beliefs and practices of three English as a second language (ESL) teachers. The study aimed to evaluate possible factors that influence teachers’ resistance to change in pedagogies supported by educational research by taking form focused instruction (FFI) as a model approach for testing. Based on interview and observation data, the results indicate that teachers’ responses to the literature were framed by their existing beliefs about FFI. Teachers were seen to generally agree with theories and research findings that supported their own beliefs while rejecting the pedagogical usefulness of findings that differed from their own beliefs. The study suggests that to reduce the gap between research and pedagogy, it may be useful for professional development providers to use publications that report on current theory and research when working closely with practising teachers so as to make the findings more accessible and relevant to teachers’ own contexts and needs.