Exploring pre-service teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning grammar: Implications for teacher education

Abstract

This article argues that it is essential to acknowledge the beliefs with which pre-service teachers enter universities as their beliefs could shape how they teach in the future. In our qualitative study, underpinned by metacognitive and attribution theories, we consider English Education pre-service teachers’ beliefs about learning and teaching grammar and the implications thereof for teacher education. The findings revealed firstly that participants’ beliefs were shaped by their experiences of the pedagogic practices in their schools. Secondly, it became clear that teacher education programmes cannot assume pre-service teachers’ competences, and should take cognisance of pre-service teachers’ backgrounds and levels of preparedness for university.