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An exploration of personal practical knowledge in Mexican primary EFL classrooms: in service teachers' beliefs, knowledge and practices

An exploration of personal practical knowledge in Mexican primary EFL classrooms: in service teachers' beliefs, knowledge and practices
An exploration of personal practical knowledge in Mexican primary EFL classrooms: in service teachers' beliefs, knowledge and practices
For the last four decades, there has been a global trend towards introducing English (or other additional languages) from the earliest years of compulsory education (Enever, 2018) which has led to a developing research agenda. Large-scale surveys (Emery, 2012; Garton, Copland & Burns, 2014; Goto Butler, 2009; Rixon, 2000, 2013) have given a specific account of policy implementation and contextual conditions for younger children EFL learning) provision.This study is concerned with primary EFL teacher cognition. It aims to give a local picture by analyzing three Mexican teachers’ classroom work in a private school and their conceptualization of that work.Research activity indicates the importance of the teacher and classroom environment in supporting learning, outcomes and therefore, policy sustainability (Enever, 2011). Recognizing the centrality of the teacher in young learner classrooms accords importance to investigating the knowledge, beliefs and understandings that underpin teachers’ decision-making and practice.This study investigated the Language Teacher Cognition (LTC) and Personal Practical Knowledge (PPK) of three EFL in-service primary teachers in a Mexican primary school. These case studies conducted over thirteen months documented teachers’ beliefs and experiential knowledge and how these related to their daily classroom practice. Qualitative data collected through class observation plus pre- and post-observation interviews allowed for detailed analysis of a) the expression of LTC and PPK, b) teachers’ classroom practices and c) the relationships between LTC, PPK and practice. The study found that these teachers’ experiential knowledge adjusts anddevelops to respond to both the urgencies of daily educational situations and to the challenges posed by contextual factors. It showed that teaching practices were underpinned by LTC and PPK relating to FL learning but also to more fundamental views which recognize the importance of the child, inclusion and a sense of a rich educational experience. It confirmed that primary EFL teachers’ PPK, LTC and practice are complex and situated, influenced by a myriad of factors such as their personal history as EFL learners, teacher education, beliefs, values, moral concerns and teaching goals.
University of Southampton
Mercau, Maria, Virginia
13fd2a26-3939-4888-8266-4e2339605499
Mercau, Maria, Virginia
13fd2a26-3939-4888-8266-4e2339605499
Porter, Alison
978474c5-8b0b-4dc6-8463-3fd68162d0cd
Kiely, Richard
2321c0cb-faf6-41e2-b044-2c3933e93d6e

Mercau, Maria, Virginia (2019) An exploration of personal practical knowledge in Mexican primary EFL classrooms: in service teachers' beliefs, knowledge and practices. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis, 310pp.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

For the last four decades, there has been a global trend towards introducing English (or other additional languages) from the earliest years of compulsory education (Enever, 2018) which has led to a developing research agenda. Large-scale surveys (Emery, 2012; Garton, Copland & Burns, 2014; Goto Butler, 2009; Rixon, 2000, 2013) have given a specific account of policy implementation and contextual conditions for younger children EFL learning) provision.This study is concerned with primary EFL teacher cognition. It aims to give a local picture by analyzing three Mexican teachers’ classroom work in a private school and their conceptualization of that work.Research activity indicates the importance of the teacher and classroom environment in supporting learning, outcomes and therefore, policy sustainability (Enever, 2011). Recognizing the centrality of the teacher in young learner classrooms accords importance to investigating the knowledge, beliefs and understandings that underpin teachers’ decision-making and practice.This study investigated the Language Teacher Cognition (LTC) and Personal Practical Knowledge (PPK) of three EFL in-service primary teachers in a Mexican primary school. These case studies conducted over thirteen months documented teachers’ beliefs and experiential knowledge and how these related to their daily classroom practice. Qualitative data collected through class observation plus pre- and post-observation interviews allowed for detailed analysis of a) the expression of LTC and PPK, b) teachers’ classroom practices and c) the relationships between LTC, PPK and practice. The study found that these teachers’ experiential knowledge adjusts anddevelops to respond to both the urgencies of daily educational situations and to the challenges posed by contextual factors. It showed that teaching practices were underpinned by LTC and PPK relating to FL learning but also to more fundamental views which recognize the importance of the child, inclusion and a sense of a rich educational experience. It confirmed that primary EFL teachers’ PPK, LTC and practice are complex and situated, influenced by a myriad of factors such as their personal history as EFL learners, teacher education, beliefs, values, moral concerns and teaching goals.

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Published date: December 2019

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 450211
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/450211
PURE UUID: 77f4a637-ce8c-442d-8f13-e9131246dcb3
ORCID for Alison Porter: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8462-1909

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 15 Jul 2021 16:52
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:26

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Contributors

Author: Maria, Virginia Mercau
Thesis advisor: Alison Porter ORCID iD
Thesis advisor: Richard Kiely

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