The relationship between personal beliefs and pedagogy

Abstract

Research on teachers' professional development has examined teachers' education, beliefs and behaviors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how personal belief system theory is connected with teacher perceptions of pedagogy and classroom environments in a private adult learning facility for English learning in Macau, China. The participants in this study were classroom teachers in a learning community who believed in collaborating to create environments for best practices. Two main research questions guided this study: 1) What is the relationships between teachers' personal belief systems and their classroom practice; and 2) How do teachers' educational experiences as K-12 affect their pedagogy at adult English language learning programs? Three types of data collection methods were employed: interview, classroom observation, and field note markings. The findings of this study described teachers' utilizing their personal belief systems to engage their students through interactive teaching strategies, which was counter-intuitive for both teachers and students who had been taught with Eastern teaching styles. This research study contributes to the personal belief system theory and broadens the understanding of the perspectives and concepts of English teaching and supervising. The beliefs of teachers influenced their understanding about teaching, as well as their classroom practices.