本站原创AFOLLOW-UPSTUDYONTRANERREDTEACHERS&rsquo,ENGLISHPRONUNCIATION
&mdash,ACaseinGuangdong
ADISSERTATIONSUBMITTEDINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHEREQUIREMENTORTHEDEGREEOFBACHELOROFARTS
By
JACKIELAM
Supervisedby
Prof.NobleHofmann
SOUTHCHINANORMALUNIVERSITY,GUANGZHOU,P.R.CHINA
JUNE,2006
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thepletionofthisstudycouldneverhebeenpossiblewithouttheassistanceofmanypeoplerelated.
Firstandforemost,Iwouldliketoshowmyheartfeltgratitudetomysupervisor,ProfessorXXX.Knowledgeableandresponsible,Prof.Xprovidedmewithvaluableguidanceandsupportineverystageofwritingthisthesis.Hemadewell-informedandenlighteningmentsontheanizationofthechapters,tookpainstogothroughingreatdetaileverydraftofthethesis.
ThanksareduetoAssociateProfessorXX,MissYYandMissPP,whohelpedmealotincollectingdata.
IwouldliketoexpresygreatgratitudetomyclasateFFF,andmydearAustralianteacherKK,whohebeenofgreathelpinanalyzingthedata.Theyhebeenverypatientandresponsiblethroughoutthewholework.
Lastbutnotleast,Iwanttoacknowledgemydebttothesixtranerredteachers,whospenttimeinprovidingtheoralmaterialswhenhingtheirhandull.
ABSTRACT
Qualityofteachershasalwaysbeenpaidgreatattentionto,especiallythatofprimaryschoolteachers,whoplaythemostinfluentialroleinstudents&rsquo,elementarylearning.In2001,asthenewNationalEnglishCurriculumrequiresthatEnglishshouldbetaughtfromGrade3inprimaryschools,anewtypeofprimaryschoolEnglishteachersnamedtranerredteachers&rdquo,cameintobeing.Tranerredteachersarethosenon-English-majorprimaryschoolteacherswhoshifttoteachEnglishaftergraduationfromatrainingprogramcalledIn-serviceTrainingforTranerredTeachers&rdquoByfar,theseteachershebeenteachingEnglishforoverfouryears,buttherehebeenfewfollow-upresearchesontheirpronunciationuptillnow.Thepresentstudyinvestigatesonthepronunciationoftranerredteachersconcerningconsonantsandvowels.Thegoalistofindoutwhethertheseteachers,whohereceivedonly3-weekpulsoryresidentialtrainingandayearlongoptionalschool-basedtraining,aremakingprogressandpetentforelementaryEnglishteaching.
Astimewaslimited,sixtranerredteacherswerechosenasoursubjects.ThestudywascarriedoutonthebasisoftheanalysisoftheerrorsontherecordedmaterialoftheEnglishutteranceborneoutbythesetranerredteachers.
KeyWords：thefirst,thesecond,thethird
中文摘 要
教师素质一直都备受关注,特别是小学教师的素质更是如此,因为小学教师在学生初级阶段的学习起着举足轻重的作用.于2001年,应新英语课程标准的要求,英语要从小学三年级教起,因此,一种被称为转岗教师&rdquo,的小学英语教师产生了.转岗教师&rdquo,是指从在职转岗培训毕业后从事小学英语教学的非英语专业教师.至今为止,这些老师已经从事小学英语教育有四年多了,但很少关于这些转岗老师语音的后续调查.本研究基于转岗教师的语音情况,求证这些只受过三周英语专业培训和一年的在职培训的转岗教师是否有所进步且能胜任于小学英语教学.
由于时间有限,在1102名转岗教师中,6名被选为本研究的受试.本研究是通过给六位老师的英语口头表达录音,并对录音进行其错误分析.
关 键 词：关 键 词1,关 键 词2,关 键 词3
TableofContents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABSTRACT
中文摘 要
TableofContents
ChapterOneIntroduction
1.1Background
1.2SignificanceoftheEmpiricalStudy
1.urposeofthePresentStudy
1.4StructureofthePresentStudy
ChapterTwoLiteratureReview
2.1DefinitionofTeachers&rsquo,Beliefs
2.2Teachers&rsquo,BeliefsandTeachingBehior
2.3TheExpectedTeachers&rsquo,BeliefsoftheNewCurriculum
ChapterThreeMethod
3.1TheParticipants
3.2Procedures
ChapterFourResultsandDiscussion
4.1StatusQuooftheTeachers&rsquo,Beliefs
4.2TheRelationshipbetweenTeachers&rsquo,BeliefsandTheirTeachingBehior
4.3Teachers&rsquo,MostConcerninCoursePlanning
ChapterFiveConclusionandResearchImplications
5.1TheImportanceofTeacherTraining
5.2ModificationoftheAssesentSystem
5.3OfferingAdequateTeachingFacilities
ChapterSixLimitations
References
AppendixI
AppendixII
ChapterOneIntroduction
1.1Background
Therecentsocietaltrendsoutlineneweducationalaimsdesignedtocreatethehighlyskilledteachersnecessaryforthe21stcentury.Insuchanewphaseofeducation,fruitfulteachingouteisbasedlargelyonnewteachingskills,whichefromfrequentteachingreflectionandbeliefrenewal.
Asamatteroffact,teachers&rsquo,beliefstendtoaffecteverythingtheydointheclassroom,nomatterimplicitorexplicit.Furthermore,teachers&rsquo,articulatedbeliefsisonething,andhowtheyapplytheminactualteachingisanotherthing.
1.2SignificanceoftheEmpiricalStudy
Aseducationpromotionisinevitableinthenewphaseofeducation,thebestwaytopromoteteachingouteistogetfeedbackfromteachersandlearnersandrefineteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingbehior.Judd(1981)andWade(2002)putforwardapplicablemethodologyforeducationimprovementbasedonsubstantialsurveys.Pateetal(1997)considerestablishinganintegrated,coherentcurriculumastheirultimateaimofresearches.
Manyotherexpertshealsoendowedgreatsignificancetothesesortsofresearch(Floden&,Klinzing1990,Pajares1992).AndBreenetal(2001)suggeststhattheseresearchescouldbeseenasameanstoexploringlanguageteaching.Infact,theseempiricalstudiescanhelptorefineteacherbeliefsandteachingbehioraswell.Mann(2005)addressesthat teachersdevelopbycollectingdataandreflecting.
1.urposeofthePresentStudy
Teachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingbehiorhebeenstudiedwidelyinthelastdecade(Pajares1992,Smith1997,Breenetal2001,Nunan2001,Wade2002,Burns2005).However,onlyafewqualitativestudiesaboutteachers&rsquo,beliefshebeencarriedoutthroughoutChina,letaloneinGuangdongProvince.Therefore,thereisagapinthisbodyofqualitativeresearchonteachers&rsquo,beliefsindifferentareasofGDsincetheimplementationoftheNewCurriculum.Thepresentstudyisattemptingtohelpfillthatgap.Furthermore,manyofthepriorresearcheswerecarriedoutonrelativelyallsamples,Woods(1996)madeastudyof8teachers,Wang(2002)targetedat3teachers,Zheng&,Jiang(2005)alsocarriedoutastudyupon3teachers.Hence,anothermotivationforthisstudywastomakeasurveyinconsiderablewidthandbreadth.
Thepresentstudytriestofindouttherelationshipbetweenteachers&rsquo,beliefsandtheirpracticalteachingbehiorintheNewCurriculumcontext,andinthemeantime,tofindoutsignificantproposalorteachertrainingandprovideeducatorswithvaluableperspectivesonteachingandcurriculumdevelopment.
1.4StructureofthePresentStudy
Startingfromdefinition,theauthorfirstofallfoundoutsomeexperts&rsquo,definitionofteachers&rsquo,beliefs&rdquo,,andthensummedituptobeamuchplainone.Thentheauthorproceededtomakeanalysisofthequestionnaires,aimingatfindingoutthestatusquoofteachers&rsquo,beliefsinGDProvince.Afterthat,theauthormadefurtheranalysisontheclassroomobservationlog,tryingtofindoutwhethertheteachers&rsquo,teachingbehiorwasconsistentwiththeirarticulatedbeliefs.Finally,face-to-faceinterviewswereconductedtofindouthowteachers&rsquo,beliefsguidetheirbehior,andwhatteachersusuallytakeintoaccountintheircourseplanning.
ChapterTwoLiteratureReview
2.1DefinitionofTeachers&rsquo,Beliefs
Definitionofbeliefayvaryaccordingtodifferentexperts.Sigel(1985)definesbeliefsaentalconstructionofexperience,whichguidesbehior.Nespor(1987)andWilliam&,Burden(1997)defineitasvaluesandattitudesoftheworldandisalsopredictorofbehior.Tobebrief,beliefstellbehior.
In1992,Pajareadeadefinitionofteachers&rsquo,beliefs&rdquo,asteachers&rsquo,attitudesabouteducation,aboutschooling,teaching,learning,andstudents(Pajares1992).Nespor(1987),Woods(1996)andWilliam&,Burden(1997)foundteachers&rsquo,beliefsiarmoreinfluentialthanknowledgeindeterminingclassroomwork.Breenetal(2002)alsoinfersthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsandexperiencesstronglyinfluencedclassroomwork.
Fromalltheabovedefinitions,theauthorsummedupteachers&rsquo,beliefs&rdquo,tobeteachers&rsquo,attitudesaboutteachingandlearning,whichwillaffecteverythingtheydointheclassroomteaching.
2.2Teachers&rsquo,BeliefsandTeachingBehior
Thewesterncountrieshadgonethrough3decadesintheresearchoftherelationshipbetweenteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingbehior.Freeman(2002)subdividestheperiodinto3broadtimeframes:workleadingupto1975,thedecadeofchange(1980-1990),andthedecadeofconsolidation(1990-2000).
Sincethe80s,anarrayofempiricalstudiesofteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingbehiorhebeencarriedout.Freeman(2002)probedtheimpactofteachers&rsquo,mentallives,priorknowledge,socialandinstitutionalcontext,etc.onteachingbehior,andfoundteachers&rsquo,beliefstoheapowerfulinfluenceontheirbehior.Actually,howteachers&rsquo,beliefsshapetheirbehiorinclassroomteachinghasbeenstudiedinvariousways(Meighan1990,Woods1996,Smith1997,Breenetal2001,B2003,Burns2005).
Chineseresearchershebeguntosetaboutstudyingteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingbehiorinrecentyears(Wang2002,Xia2002,Sun2005,Lou&,Liao2005).
Allthesestudiescollectivelyshowthatclassroomactivitiesarehighlyinfluencedbyteachers&rsquo,beliefs.However,someresearcheroundtheirsubjectstobehetheotherwayround.
Argyris&,Schö,n(1974,1987)arguethatthereisalmostalwaysadiscrepancybetweenteachers&rsquo,beliefsandthewaysteachersact(William&,Burden1997).Sun(2005)addressesthatthemostprominentprobleminEnglishclassroomteachingtobethegapbetweenthenewlyacquiredteachingbeliefsandtheeducationalpractice.Wang(2002)andLou&,Liao(2005)alsofoundsuchadiscrepancybetweentheirsubjectteachers&rsquo,behiorandbeliefs.Iftherereallyexistssuchadiscrepancy,theteachingmaybeinefficientorevenconfusing,whichmaybringaboutaseriesofproblemsinteachingandlearning.
2.3TheExpectedTeachers&rsquo,BeliefsoftheNewCurriculum
Chancesarethatgivenbetterteaching,learnerswilllearnmore.Theneweraofeducationcallorimprovedteachingbeliefsandbehiorasinstrumentstofacilitateandimprovestudentlearning.Thenewlyimplementedcurriculumputforwardfiveteachers&rsquo,beliefsaollows:
Focusingonmonfoundation,preparingforfurtherdevelopment,
Offerinariousoptions,cateringforpersonalneeds,
Optimizingthelearningmodel,enhancingself-directedlearningpetence,
Concerningwithstudents&rsquo,emotion,enhancingculturalawareness,
Promotingtheassesentsystem,encouragingcontin uousdevelopment.
(citedfromSeniorEnglishCurriculum2003:2-3)
Asamatteroffact,suchbeliefswereraisedtomeetthenewdemandsofoursociety,tomeetthenewlearningneedsofourstudents.Onconditionthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingwereconsistentwiththeNewCurriculum,fruitfulteachingoutewouldbeyielded.
However,thequestionsare:What&rsquo,sthestatusquoofteachers&rsquo,beliefsDotheybeheinaccordancewiththeirarticulatedbeliefsAndwhatdotheteachersusuallytakeintoaccountinteachingTofindoutallthecorrespondinganswers,theauthorcarriedoutasurveyofteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingbehiorinGDProvince.
ChapterThreeMethod
Thesurveyconsistedof3instruments:①ateacherquestionnairedevelopedbytheauthor(consistedofthreesections:SectionOne--personaldataandexperience,etc,SectionTwo--a25itemteacherbeliefsectionbasedonthe5guidelinesoftheNewCurriculuminseniorhighpublishedbytheMinistryofEducation(Item1&ndash,5onBelief1,Item6-10onBelief2,andtherestmaybededucedbyanalogy),SectionThree--2openquestionsaboutteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteacherconcern)(SeeAppendix1),②anobservationlog(prisinggeneralinformationanda10-periodclassroomobservationlog(SeeAppendix2),③aninterviewoutline(SeeAppendix3).
ApilotstudywasconductedinoneTypeBschoolfromGuangzhouinearlySeptember2005.Basedonthefeedbackfromthepilotstudy,theauthormaderevisionsinthesurveyinstruments.
3.1TheParticipants
10schoolrom5ofthecitiesinGDProvinceparticipatedinthisstudy.Theparticipantswerecarefullychosen:thecapitalcityofGD--Guangzhou(广州),twoperipheralcities--Foshan(佛山)andNanhai(南海),tworelativelyremotecities--Puning(普宁)andShantou(汕头),respectively.10researchersdividedthe10schoolsamongthemduringtheirteachingpractices.However,only8schools&rsquo,datawereintactandpossibleforanalysis.Altogether,therewere27teacherromthese8schools.
Table1summarizesthecharacteristicsofallthesubjectteachers.18workedinGradeOne,and9workedinGradeTwo.Therewere17femaleand10maleteachers.Theteachershadvaryingdegreesofgeneralteachingexperiencerangingfrom1to43years.Theerageteachingexperienceacrossthesamplewas12.7years.Amongthem,26teachershadreceivedtheNewCurriculumtraining.
Table1.TheTeachers&rsquo,Characteristics
GenderGradeCurriculumTrainingAverageTeachingExperience(year)MaleFemaleOneTwoReceivedNotYetNo.101718926112.7
Forthesakeofbeingasobjectiveaspossible,School7andSchool8alsoexcludedinthefollowingdiscussions,becauseonlyonesubjectteacherwasailablefromeachofthesetwoschools.Consequently,thefollowingresultsanddiscussionswerebasedon6schools.
3.2Procedures
3.2.1TheTeacherQuestionnaireSurvey
Firstly,theresearchersinvitedtheteacherstofillintheTeacherQuestionnaire(TQ)andfixedatimewiththeteacherorclassroomobservation.Teacherilledinthegeneralinformationandindicatedthelevelofendorsementofeachofthe25itemsusinga5-pointLikert-typescaleprisingthecategoriesstronglydisagree,&rdquo,disagree,&rdquo,somewhatdisagree,somewhatagree,&rdquo,agree,&rdquo,andstronglyagree,&rdquo,scoredas1through5,respectively,thentheyrespondedtothe2openquestionsconcerningwithteachers&rsquo,opinionsandsuggestionsoftheNewCurriculum(seeTable2).
Table2.The2OpenQuestionsintheTeacherQuestionnaire
PleasewritedownyouropinionsandsuggestionsoftheNewCurriculum1.Themostobviouschanges①&hellip,②&hellip,③&hellip,2.Themosturgentproblemstobesolved①&hellip,②&hellip,③&hellip,
AsisshowninTable2,Question1tellswhetherteachershenoticedthemostobviouschangesofthecurriculum.AndQuestion2enablestheauthortoperceivetheteachers&rsquo,mostconcern,whichwouldserveasabasistofindoutwhetherteachersadoptedparticularteachingstrategiestoenhancetheirstudents&rsquo,weakpoint,sincetheyhenoticedwheretheproblemslied.
3.2.2ClassroomObservation
Astheremayexistadiscrepancybetweenteachers&rsquo,beliefsandbehior,andapartfromthis,teacherayoverstateorunderstatethebeliefsunderlyingtheiractualpractice.Therefore,whetherteachersteachinaccordancewiththeirbeliefscanonlyberevealedfromtheobservationofpracticalteaching.
Hence,theseconddatacollectionmethodwasbaseduponasubstantialclassroomobservationlog.Theresearchersrecorded10periodsofEnglishclassesofeverysubjectschool.The10Englishclasseswerenotspecificallychosen,butobservedatrandom,generatingathoroughandobjectivedata.Theobservationfocusedonclassroomactivities,multimediaapplied,textbookdealt,assesentforms,andoptionalcourses,etc.
3.2.3TheInterview
Inordertoprehendmoreabouthowteachers&rsquo,beliefsguidetheirbehior,andwhatteachersusuallytakeintoaccountintheirteaching,face-to-faceinterviewswereadded,andtheinterviewwithteacherswassemi-s tructured.Table3showstheoutlineoftheinterview.
Table3.OutlineoftheSemi-structureInterview
InterviewSubject:SeniorHighEnglishTeachersinGuangzhou①HowdoyouusuallydesignalessonAndwhataboutactivities②HowdoyoulikethepresenttextbookAndhowdoyouapplyit③DoyouthinkitisnecessaryforstudentstoenhancetheirculturalawarenessHowdoyouhelpyourstudentsenlargetheirscopeofbackgroundknowledge
Theauthorarrangedinterviewswith12SeniorOneEnglishteacherrom6schools(ComprisingTypeA,TypeBandTypeCschools)inGZ,2teacherromeverysubjectschoolparticipatedintheinterview.Theinterviewswererecordedimplicitlybymp3,andweretranscribedintowrittenlanguagelater.
3.2.4DataAnalysis
AlldatawereanalyzedusingtheStatisticalPackageforSocialScientists(SPSS),release10.0andMicrosoftExcel,release2003.
MeanandstandarddeviationoftheTQwereanalyzedbyusingDescriptives,histogramsweregeneratedbyusingExceltoillustratetheresultoreplainly.Andwithin-groupdifferencesof25teachers&rsquo,beliefsofthe6subjectschoolswereanalyzedbyusingOne-wayANOVA.
ChapterFourResultsandDiscussion
Afterallthedatawerecollected,theauthorbegantoarrangethedataandanalyzethem.Firstly,theauthorsortedoutallthereceivedquestionnaires.AndfoundoutthevalidpercentoftheTQwas100%.Table4indicatesthegeneralinformationofthequestionnairesobtainedfromthe6schools.
Table4.InformationoftheReceivedTQ
QuestionnaireReceivedValidInvalidValidPercentNumber25250100%
4.1StatusQuooftheTeachers&rsquo,Beliefs
4.1.1MeanandStd.DeviationoftheTQ
Startingfromdataanalysis,theauthorcarriedoutDescriptiveStatisticsanalysistoanalyzetheTQ,showingthatallthemeansofthe5beliefsarewithintherangeof3.5to4.4&rdquo,,therefore,conclusioncanbedrawnthatallthesubjectteachersAgree①&rdquo,witheverybeliefadvocatedintheNewCurriculum.ThentheauthorputthedatafromFigure1intotheMicrosoftExcel,generatingahistogramaollows:
Figure1.MeanofEveryBelief
BeliefsNMeanS.D.B1254.0560.4917B2253.9920.6843B3254.3600.5132B4254.3440.5050B5253.9040.5200
Asisillustratedabove,thehistogramindicatesthatthemeansofBelief2(Offerinariousoptions,cateringforpersonalneeds)andBelief5(Promotingtheassesentsystem,encouragingcontinuousdevelopment)scorethelowestamongthefivebeliefs.Thecausesofthisresultmaybe:optionalclassandformativeevaluation,etc.arenewlyadvocated,paredwiththeotherbeliefs,andittakestimetogetthoroughendorsementfromalltheteachers.Whereas,thoseofBelief3(Optimizinglearningmodel,enhancingself-directedlearningpetence)andBelief4(Concerningwithstudents&rsquo,emotion,enhancingculturalawareness)scorerelativelyhigh,becauselearner-centeredandbackgroundknowledgehebeenheardoflongbefore.
Afterthat,theauthormadeanotherDescriptiveStatisticsanalysistofindoutthemeanandstandarddeviationoftheteachers&rsquo,beliefsineverysubjectschool.Figure2illustratestheresultsoftheDescriptiveStatisticsanalysis.Meanof4ofthesubjectschoolsisalsowithintherangeof3.5to4.4&rdquo,,asameconclusioncanbedrawnthattheseschoolsAgree&rdquo,withtheNewCurriculum,andSchool2andSchool3gotameanhigherthan4.4&rdquo,,what&rsquo,more,meanofSchool2iswithin4.5to5&rdquo,,whichindicatesthatteacherromschool2Stronglyagree&rdquo,withtheNewCurriculum.
Figure2.MeanofEverySubjectSchool
SchoolsNMeanS.D.S153.7280.4502S244.5300.3523S344.4100.3965S434.0933.3717S533.7867.2344S664.2067.4236Total254.1312.4607
Figure1andFigure2revealthatteacherromeverysubjectschoolAgree&rdquo,orStronglyagree&rdquo,witheveryteacher&rsquo,sbeliefputforwardintheNewCurriculum.Figure2alsoindicatesthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsdifferindifferentschools.Thehistogramdisplaysimpressivedifferencesamongthesubjectschoolsplainly,andschool1&,5bearagreatdistancefromSchool2&,3intheendorsementoftheNewCurriculum.Toconfirmthishypothesis,aOne-wayANOVAanalysiswasconducted.
4.1.2AComparisonofTeachers&rsquo,BeliefsinEverySubjectSchool
Whenmeansofthebeliefswerepared,theOne-wayANOVAresultsindicatedthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsindifferentschoolsdifferedsignificantly,sig.等于.047,P<,0.05(illustratedinFigure3).Since26outofthe27teachershegottheNewCurriculumtraining.Thepossiblecausesofsuchdifferencemaybeduetoteachers&rsquo,differentinterpretationoftheNewCurriculum,restraintoftheirstudents&rsquo,levelorconfinementoftheparticularteachingcontextineverysubjectschool.
Figure3.One-wayANOVAofTeachers&rsquo,Beliefs
SumofSquaresdfMeanSquareFSig.BetweenGroups2.1555.4312.786.047WithinGroups2.93819.155Total5.09324
Tomakeaclassificationofallthesubjectschools,HomogeneousSubsetsanalysiswasdirected.Figure4demonstratedthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsinSchool1andSchool5weresignificantlydifferentfromthoseinSchool3andSchool2,fortheyarenotinthesamecolumn.School4,6,3and2areidenticalintermsofendorsementoftheNewCurriculum,becausetheyareinthesamecolumn.
Figure4.HomogeneousSubsetsofEverySubjectSchool
NSubsetforalpha等于.05Schools123DuncanSchool153.7280School533.78673.7867School434.09334.09334.0933Scho ol664.20674.20674.2067School344.41004.4100School244.5300Sig..134.054.170
UsesHarmonicMeanSampleSize等于3.913.
DescriptiveStatisticsoftheTQrevealedthatallsubjectteacherromGDProvinceAgree&rdquo,orStronglyagree&rdquo,withtheNewCurriculum.AndOne-wayANOVAanalysisillustratedthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsvariedfromoneschooltoanother.School2andschool3scoredthehighestamongthe6schools,whichindicatedthattheyendorsedtheNewCurriculumthemost.However,chancesarethatsometeachersshowedgreatapprovaltotheNewCurriculumjustbecausetheyknewaboutitfromtheteachertraining.However,howtheybeheinactualteachingstillremainsaquestion.Furthermore,teachers&rsquo,articulatedbeliefsisonethingandhowtheyapplytheirbeliefsintoteachingisanotherthing.
4.2TheRelationshipbetweenTeachers&rsquo,BeliefsandTheirTeachingBehior
Tofindoutwhetherteachersteachinlightoftheirbeliefs,analysisoftheanswerstothe2openquestionsintheTQwasconducted.Withtheteachers&rsquo,mostconcerninmind,furtheranalysisonwhetherteachersadoptedparticularstrategiestotackletheobstacleswasdirected.
4.2.1Teachers&rsquo,ArticulatedBeliefs
Thedatarevealedalmost72opinionsandsuggestionsputforwardbyallthesubjectteachers.Table5listedoutfivemostwidelysharedcategoriesofteacherconcernforeachquestion.
Table5.TeacherConcernontheCurrentCurriculumandTeaching
Item1.ThemostobviouschangesoftheNewCurriculum①moredemandingforteachersandstudents,②renewalandincreaseofthecapacityofthetextbook,③moreinteractionbetweenteachersandstudents,④focuoreoncultivatingstudents&rsquo,integrativeabilityinlearning,knowledgeapplying,participation,cooperationandmunication,⑤closertoauthenticdailylife.Item2.Themosturgentproblemstobesolved①therenewalofteachers&rsquo,teachingbeliefsandstudents&rsquo,expectationsofteaching,②theconflictbetweentheNewCurriculumandtheCollegeEntranceExamination(theconflictbetweenintegrativeskillsdevelopmentandexam-orientededucation),③theconflictbetweenstudents&rsquo,abilityandthehighlydemandingnewteachingmaterialsandactivities(esp.listening),④thecoherenceofthejuniorhightextbookandseniorhighone(esp.vocabulary),⑤largecapacityofthecontentinthetextbookversusinadequatecoursehours(notenoughtimeforassimilationandconsolidation).
Tosumup,mostteachershenoticedtherenewalofthecurriculumandheperceiveditscharacteristicsandadvantages.Theyalsofoundthecurrentcurriculumtobemoredemandingfortheirstudents,owingtothedramaticallyincreasedcapacityofthetextbookandlimitedcoursehours.Inthemeantime,theycallforcoherenceofthejuniorhighandseniorhighcurriculum,andnewtestingformula.Thesearethesharedconcernofmostteachers,however,thequestionsare:Sincethey&rsquo,venoticedtheproblems,didtheyadoptparticularteachingbehiortomakeupforthisOrhowmanyteachersheattemptedtoOnlysubstantialobservationcouldtell.
4.2.2ObservationLogofPracticalClassroomTeaching
Bearingtheteachers&rsquo,mostconcerninmind,theauthorproceededtoanalyzeallthedataontheteachers&rsquo,behiorintheclassroomasrecordedinthe6researchers&rsquo,classroomobservationlogs.The10-periodclassroomobservationlogsrecordedmorethan5teacherromGradeOneandGradeTwoineverysubjectschool.Hence,thesedatacoveredarangewideenoughtorepresentthewholesubjectschool.
ClassificationandanalysisoftheobservationlogrevealedthatmostschoolsadoptedthetextbookNewSeniorEnglishforChina,whileschoolsinFoshanandNanhaiadoptedtheoneSeniorHighEnglish.Nearlyalltheschoolsappliedthetextbooklexiblybysupplyingextramaterials,omitting,adapting,orsimplifyingthecontentstomeettheirstudents&rsquo,particularlevel.Intermsofmultimediafacilities,2schoolswerefoundtobeequippedonlywithradiosandprojectors.2schoolshen&rsquo,tofferedoptionalcoursesyet,andonly50%ofthesubjectschoolscarriedoutformativeevaluation.Table6outlinessomeotherbasicpracticalteachinginformationcollectedfromtheclassroomobservation.
Table6.ThePracticalTeachingInformation
ClassroomActivitiesOptionalCoursesMultimediaApplicationFormativeEvaluationSchool1Reading,chorus,discussion,survey,petitionofwords,writing,retellingNewConceptEnglish,WritingRadio,puterNotyetSchool2Reading,chorus,discussion,role-play,writing,listeningAudio-lingua-visualEnglish,LearningbySingingRadio,puterNotyetSchool3Reading,chorus/RadioYesSchool4Reading,chorus,discussion,drills,role-play,interview,surveyInquiryStudyRadio,puterNotyetSchool5Discussion/Radio,projectorYesSchool6Chorus,discussion,role-play,dictationNewConceptEnglishRadio,projector,puterYes
Theabovetablelistsoutallthepracticalteachinginformationrecordedintheclassroomobservationlogs,revealingallthesubjectteachers&rsquo,teachingbehior.Inordertofindoutwhethertheseteachers&rsquo,particularteachingbehiorisalignedwiththeirconcern,theauthordrewoutthemostwidelysharedbeliefsofeverysubjectschoolandtriedtofindouthowthesebeliefsinfluencedteachers&rsquo,teachingbehior.Table7showstheteacherconcernandtheirparticularteachi ngbehiorineverysubjectschool.TheresultsshowedthatteachersinSchools1,4and6adoptedparticularclassroomactivitiestoenhancetheirstudents&rsquo,weakpoints,andtocultivateparticularskills,whileSchool3failedtoemployexpectedteachingstrategies(seeTable7).
Table7.TeacherConcernandTeachingBehior
TeacherConcernParticularClassroomActivitiesSchool1HowwouldEnglishbetestedinCollegeEntranceExam(CEE)Writing,retelling,petitionofwordsSchool2ThesequenceofgrammarisunsystematicN.OSchool3①Toincreasestudents&rsquo,interestinEnglish,②Toincreaseinstructionofculturalbackgroundknowledge,③Torenewteachers&rsquo,beliefs,④TogetridoftheconflictbetweenthenewcurriculumandCEE.Reading,chorusSchool4Students&rsquo,oralEnglishistoopoortocarryoutclassroomactivitiesChorus,discussion,drills,role-play,interviewSchool5/N.OSchool6①Thedramaticallyincreasedcapacity,esp.vocabularyisdemanding,②Thelisteningpartsinthetextbookareverydifficult.Dictation
a)N.O等于notobserved,
b)TeacherromSchool5saidtheyhadnomentontheNewCurriculum.
ItwasstrikingfortheauthortofindthatSchools2and3,asisshowninFigure4,althoughscoredthehighestinthemeanofTQ,actuallyfailedtoteachinaccordancewiththeirbeliefs,orfailedtorenewtheirbeliefs(themostconcerninSchool2wasgrammarinstruction&rdquo,).TheauthorguessedthattheexplanationaybethatteacherromSchools2and3werequitewellinformedofthenewbeliefs,however,theyhadn&rsquo,tappliedthemfullyinpracticalteaching,thusresultinginthediscrepancybetweentheirbehiorandbeliefs.
Amongthoseschoolsthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsandtheirbehiorwereconsistent,School4hadarelativeconformityinteachers&rsquo,beliefsandpracticalclassroomteaching,andwaswellequippedwithmultimediaandofferedvariousclassroomactivitiestoenhancestudents&rsquo,integratedskills.Andlastbutnotleast,itwastheonlyoneofthe6schoolsthatofferedtheoptionalcourse&mdash,InquiryStudy,inwhichstudentswentintothemunitytodosurveys(seetable6).
4.3Teachers&rsquo,MostConcerninCoursePlanning
Alltheaboveanalysisdemonstratedthatteachers&rsquo,behiorswereconsistentwiththeirbeliefsinmostschools,whilesometeachers,forexample,inSchool2andSchool3,failedtoteachinaccordancewiththeirbeliefs,althoughtheyscoredthehighestintheTQ.Nevertheless,chancesarethattheseteacherayactuallyheeacrossdifficultiesinteaching,orintherenewalandapplicationoftheirbeliefs.
Tofindoutthepossibledifficulties,interviewswithteacherustbeconductedtofindouthowteachers&rsquo,beliefsguidetheirbehior,andwhattheyusuallytakeintoaccountincourseplanning.Theauthoranalyzedtheanswerstotheopenquestionsintheteachers&rsquo,questionnairesandtheinterviewrecordsofthe12teachers,reflectingtheteachers&rsquo,mainconcernincourseplanning,whichcanbesummedupaollows:
①ManydemandsoftheNewCurriculumversuslimitedcoursehours.TheNewCurriculumiuchmoredemanding,therearesomanytaskstofulfillinclassthatwenolongerhetimetoreviewthelessons,andstudentsintendtobeobliviousofwhattheyhelearntsoonafterclass.&rdquo,accordingtomostsubjectteachers.
②Theconflictbetweenintegratedskillsdevelopmentandexam.IntheopenquestionsintheTQandtheinterview,manyteacherscalledforacorrespondingandplausibleCollegeEntranceExaminationformula,whichwasexpectedtobealignedwiththeNewCurriculum,
③Inlackofteachingfacilities.Theobservationlogsrevealedthatmostareasstilllackedforthebasicteachingnecessitiessuchassoundlabsandmultimedia,etc.(seeMultimediaApplicationinTable6).
Inaword,thereexistedthreefactorsthatteacherswouldtakeintoaccountincourseplanning.
Tosumup,analysisofthequestionnairesshowedthatteachers&rsquo,beliefsvariedgreatlyfromoneschooltoanother,themeanofwhichfluctuaterom3.7280to4.5300.Classificationoftheclassroomobservationlogsrevealedthatteachers&rsquo,behiorwasconsistentwiththeirbeliefsinmostschools,whilesometeachers&rsquo,practicalteachingwasdisjointedfromtheirarticulatedbeliefs.Analysisoftheteacherconcernandtheinterviewenabledtheauthortoperceivewhatteachersconcernthemostinteaching.
ChapterFiveConclusionandResearchImplications
Thepresentresearchcarriedoutasurveyofthestatusquoofteachers&rsquo,beliefsandtheirteachingbehiorintheNewCurriculumcontextinGuangdongProvincebymeansofquestionnaire,classroomobservationlogandinterview.Byintensiveanalysis,theauthorfoundthatfirstly,teacher&rsquo,sbeliefsdifferedsignificantlyfromoneschooltoanother,secondly,teachersinmostschoolsteachinaccordancewiththeirbeliefs,whereassometeachers&rsquo,behiorwasdisjointedfromtheirbeliefs,althoughtheyshowedthattheyStronglyagree&rdquo,withtheNewCurriculumintheTQ.Inthemeantime,theauthorgotapleasantsurprisetofindthatoneoutofthe6subjectschools,aschoolfromShantou,hadarelativeconformityinpracticalclassroomteachingandteachers&rsquo,beliefs.Finally,amoreintensiveanalysiswaadetofindouttheteachers&rsquo,difficultiesinrenewingtheirbeliefsorapplyingtheirbeliefsintoteaching.
Alloftheabovefindingsstimulatedtheauthortoreflectandresultedinmuchenlighten ment.Thefindingromthestudysuggestedthatimpactofvaryingsocialandinstitutionalcontextplayedasignificantroleinteachers&rsquo,thinkingandaction.Andteachertrainingshouldalwaystaketheleadingroleinthelongrunofeducationalreform.Tobemorespecific,3implicationsgeneratedfromthestudy.Theywererelatedtoteachertraining,assesentsystemandteachingfacilities,respectively.
5.1TheImportanceofTeacherTraining
Fromtheinterviews,theauthorfoundthatmostteachers,especiallytheinexperiencedteachers,expressedthattheyneedprofessionalguidancetohelpthemenhancetheirteachingskills.Infact,continuouspre-serviceandin-serviceteachertrainingshouldbeheldregularly,makingsurethatteachersarenewlyinformedofthesocietaltrendandarequalifiedtomeetthenewteachingdemands.
Asweallknow,teachertrainingusedtofocusonteachingskills.However,thenewlyexpectedteachers&rsquo,beliefsandteachingskillsrequireformoreefficienttraining,whichconsistsofbeliefrenewal,professionaldevelopmentandmultimediaapplication.
5.1.1TrainingonBeliefRenewal
ThepresentresearchfoundthatmanyexperiencedteacherswereresistanttotheNewCurriculum,someofwhomwerestillteachingintheirassumedbestway,regardlessofthenewdemands.Theseteachersneedtobeinformedthatthe21stcenturycallornewteachingskillstobringstudentsupbyusinghighlyskilledteachingstrategiesandcurriculathatconnecttotherealdailylifeandcaterfordifferentneedsofstudents,andmotivationalaswell.Andtraditionalteacherswouldbeconfrontedwiththedangerofdroppingoutiftheywerenotqualifiedenoughtorespondtothenewmission.Tobearfruitfulteachingouteinthenewphaseofeducation,teachersaresupposedtoteachinariousandcreativeway.Sometimes,practicingthesameskillindifferentwayseachtimeandfulfillingsometasksinacreativewaywouldbreedpleasantoute,forinstance,hingoralclassesinanopenairoracafé,,ifpossible,orwritingareportwithananizedpractice/visitbeforehandwillprobablycheerupthestudents.
5.1.2TrainingonProfessionalDevelopment
Firstly,teachersareencouragedtogetfurthereducationtobroadentheirhorizonandenlargetheirscopeofknowledge,sothattheywillhelessdifficultiesinhelpingstudentsenhancetheirculturalawareness.
Secondly,teachersareexpectedtopromotetheirteachingskillsbyreflection,andinteraction,etc.Anon-lineteachingforumcanbesetupasaby-producttoofferteacherschancestoexchangeexperienceandthought.Thisstudyrevealedthatteacherromdifferentareasvariedintheirteachingbeliefsandclassroompractice.Hence,itwouldbebeneficial,ifpossible,toestablishanon-lineteachingforum,suchasBBS,Group,etc.forexchangingideasandexperience.
Finally,trainingonresearchmethodsshouldbeofferedtoteachersandteachersbeencouragedtocarryoutschool-basedresearchesoreducationalexperiments.Bythisway,teacherscanreflectfromthefindingsorfeedback,andimprovetheirteaching,evenhelptorefinethecurriculum.
5.1.3TrainingonMultimediaApplication
Theinterviewrevealedthatsometeachersdidn&rsquo,tapplymultimediatofacilitatingtheirteachingjustbecausetheyhen&rsquo,tmasteredtheskills.Hence,adequatetrainingshouldbecarriedouttoensurethatteacherasterbasicskillsinmultimediaapplicationtofacilitatingclassroomteaching.Andmoredemandingskillsinmanagingblogs,BBS,Zone,orGroup,etc.aredesired.
Nowadays,nearlyeveryclasshasestablishedaGroup,andstudenteetintheGroupoutofclass.ThetopicsusuallyrangefromliveTVprogramstohomeworkandanswerstothehomework,andsoon.Someclassoutingsarealsodecidedandanizedhere.
Beinginspiredfromthis,theauthorthoughtthatmaybeagroupforInquiryStudieswouldbepossibleifdirectedinasystematicway.Infact,theauthorhadtriedtoestablishsuchaGroupinSenior1forEnglishlearning,wherestudentswereadvocatedtomunicateinEnglish②.Andtheauthorfoundittobeeryadvisablewaytofosterstudents&rsquo,interestinstudyandtohelpthemlearnEnglishwhileentertaining.
5.2ModificationoftheAssesentSystem
TheanswerstotheopenquestionsandtheinterviewrecordsillustratedthatmostteacherswereconcernedwiththeCollegeEntranceExamination(CEE).Andsomeofthemexpressedthattheywillstillteachintheirtraditionalways,becausetheythoughtthattheirstudents&rsquo,ultimateaimofseniorhighstudywastogetahighmarkintheCEE,anditwasthisideathatmadetheteachingremainexam-oriented.Fortunately,thereweremuchmoreyoungteacherstaughtinlightofthenewbeliefs,andfortheseteachers,theirmostconcernwas:WhatwouldbetestedinCEE&rdquo,Therefore,anewassesentsystemisimperativeunderthenewsituation.Luckily,theNewCurriculumputforwardformativeevaluation&rdquo,,anditwillbenefitbothteachingandlearning,aslongasitisconductedsystemically.
Nevertheless,theobservationlogrevealedthat50%ofthesubjectschoolshadn&rsquo,tdirectedthestudentstomakeself-evaluationinalearningprocesileaswasexpected,inotherwords,formativeevaluation&rdquo,wasnotyetcarriedoutthoroughly.
Asamatteroffact,theconceptofabinationofformativeevaluation&rdquo,andsummativeevaluation&rdquo,,thoughnewlyimplemented,issignificantandworthy.Forma tiveevaluationisbeneficialinthatitenablesstudentstogetasenseoftheirprogressandachievementpromptlyinthelongrunoflearning.
Wu(2003:38-41)arguesthatwecanmotivatestudentsbymodifyingtheassesentsystem,sheadvocatesanalyticassesent&rdquo,,inwhichteachersofferdiachronicevaluationandevaluatestudentswithadynamicview.Sheendedthereportbysaying,Ashiftinthewayweevaluatelearnerscanworkwonders.&rdquo,Infact,amodificationofthepresentassesentsystemmayhelptomakeourteachingmuchmorequalityoriented.
5.3OfferingAdequateTeachingFacilities
Theobservationlogsalsoshowedthattherestillexistedsomeschoolslackinginprojectors,TVsetinclassroom,letaloneputeraccesstotheInter,educationandinformationwebsites.Asweallknow,thecurrenttrendineducationwitnessesanincreasingemphasisonvariousoptionsandmulti-accesorself-directedlearning.Actually,theschoolboardsortheMinistryofEducationareresponsibleforsupplyingtheunderdevelopedareaswithtechnologicaladvances.
ChapterSixLimitations
Thisresearchintendedtocollectdatafrom10schoolsof5citiesinGDProvince,whichwasprovedtobeimpossiblebecauseofvariousreasons,theauthorcanonlycollectintactdatafrom8schools,and2schoolswereexcludedinthediscussions,becauseonlyoneteacherquestionnairewasretrievedfromeachofthesetwoschools.Theauthorhopedthatfurtherresearchwouldbecarriedoutinthiieldtofindoutmoreperspectiveoreducationdevelopment
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AppendixII