Understanding EFL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices in EFL Classrooms: A Phenomenological Approach to the Impact of Teacher Education Program in Bangladesh

Abstract

The construction of teacher beliefs through teacher education programs and their impact on classroom practices has drawn enormous attention in the concurrent literature. Yet in Bangladesh, little is known about the construction of teacher beliefs through teacher education programs and the impact of teacher beliefs on their classroom practices. Pertinently, the current study aimed at answering the questions regarding teachers’ beliefs about teaching before and after the completion of the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) programs to identify the changing patterns of their beliefs. In addition, the study explored their classroom practices to examine whether teachers’ beliefs are in line with their classroom practices after the TESOL programs. Undertaking a phenomenological approach, data were collected from four university teachers through the method of semi-structured interviews and semi-structured classroom observations. The participants were TESOL graduates. We adopted a thematic analysis to analyze our findings. The findings suggested that a dramatic change took place, as a result of TESOL programs, concerning teachers’ beliefs about their role in the classroom, their teaching methodologies and teaching material resources, and their understanding of effective teaching, classroom management approaches, and qualities of a good teacher. Additionally, the classroom observation data was a testimony of the reflection of their newly shaped beliefs on their classroom practices.