Abstract:
Listening for learners of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) is a complex cognitive process, success of which depends upon many factors, such as linguistic knowledge, conceptual awareness, cognitive processing, social factors and the like. It is not only a physical activity for EFL learners, it is also a process that requires learners’ mental processing and understanding. Listening takes up a significant part of the EFL curriculum for Chinese university English learners, especially the English majors. However, it has long been a challenge for, and weakness of, students. Most teachers and students at the tertiary level in China have concerns, doubts and complaints about the learning outcomes of EFL listening in the classroom. Little research has been reported, however, on what Chinese EFL teachers think about EFL listening and how their beliefs about EFL listening and listening instruction relate to their pedagogical practice in the classroom. This study aimed to fill this research gap at a time that teachers take the centre stage of educational institutions in China. Adopting a qualitative research design, this study included five cases over a 16-week academic semester from September 2015 to January 2016. Data collection consisted of two major phases and one supplementary stage. In Phase One (the first week of the semester) pre-observation interviews were conducted once with each participant, to provide a holistic overview of the participating teachers’ cognitions about EFL listening. In Phase Two (the 2nd – 16th week of the semester) classroom observations and postobservation interviews were held. The purpose of Phase Two was to gain insights into teachers’ EFL listening instruction in the classroom and to investigate their pedagogical decision-making and explanations for the inconsistency between their cognitions and practice. The subsequent interviews held with participants were to supplement the data, after the two major phases. The theoretical framework of this research is the combination of Borg’s model of language teacher cognition (S. Borg, 2015) and the Vygotskian approach to human learning and development, namely, the notion of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and mediation. Framed within Borg’s model, teacher cognition was explored not only from the three major sources of previous language learning: Schooling, professional development, and classroom teaching practice, but also from contextual factors that mediated teacher cognition. Data analysis took into account ZPD and mediation as significant constructs in the dynamic development of teacher cognition. The research findings revealed that teacher cognition about EFL listening fell into four main categories: (a) The nature of EFL listening; (b) an understanding of students and their learning; (c) the teaching and materials of EFL listening; and (d) reflection on the teaching of EFL listening. Teachers’ classroom instruction in EFL listening was characterized by their instructional techniques, procedures in handling listening materials, dynamic decision-making, and after-class homework. The relationships between teachers’ cognitions and their practices were found to be consistent generally, although there were inconsistencies. Subjective factors associated with both teachers and students, as well as various practical constraints, appeared to cause the inconsistencies between teachers’ cognitions about, and their teaching practice in, EFL listening. The constraints on teachers included the influence of traditional Chinese philosophies about education on their teaching, and insufficient knowledge about EFL listening. The constraints on students were mainly their uneven English proficiency levels, various learning needs, and low initiative in EFL listening. The practical constraints ranged from teaching materials to insufficient class time, large class sizes, pressure from tests, and technical problems in the language laboratory. This study has contributed to the existing literature in the field of teacher cognition in confirming and extending three themes: The elements that influence teacher cognition (S. Borg, 2015), the relationship between teachers’ cognitions and their instructional practices (Farrell & Ives, 2015), and the factors that mediate the consistency level between teachers’ cognitions and their instructional practices (Barnard & Viet, 2010; Q. Sun, 2017). The findings have implications for teacher cognition research, teacher educators, teaching institutions, and front-line teachers. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are also discussed.