Resumen de Spanish language teachers’ pedagogical beliefs in Chinese universities

Xiuchuan Lu, Xiao Zou, Jian Tao

• English

  Understanding teachers’ beliefs is critical to improving educational practice. There is a significant need for research on foreign language teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, as these can exert an influence on students’ learning outcomes. This study draws on Kember’s (1997) theorization of teaching beliefs to explore the beliefs of Spanish language teachers regarding their pedagogy in Chinese universities. Twenty teachers from the Spanish departments in eight Chinese universities were recruited as participants, and a Q-methodology analysis with supplementary interview data identified three types of pedagogical beliefs: “integrated capacity-building”, “ELE learning outcome-focused”, and “social interaction-focused”. The findings suggest that ELE teachers in China no longer subscribe to the traditional teaching methodology which places themselves at the class center, and have instead progressed along a continuum from teacher-centeredness to student-centeredness. With a novel focus on Spanish teachers’ beliefs in Chinese universities, this study provides insights into the teaching of languages other than English (LOTEs) in China, and helps to expand the methodological repertoire in the field of linguistic research.

• 中文

  了解教师的信念对于展开有效的教学实践活动至关重要。在外语教学领域，对教师教学信念的研究也尤为关键，因为它可以对学生的外语学习效果产生很大影响。本研究在Kember（1997）年的教师信念维度框架下对中国高校西班牙语教师的教学信念进行了探索。20位来自8所中国高校的西班牙语专业教师参与到了本研究当中。本研究采用Q方法进行量化统计，并结合半结构化访谈数据进行补充解释。研究发现，在中国高校西班牙语教师中存在三种类型的教学信念，分别是“综合能力培养型”、“西语产出聚焦型”和“社会互动强调型”。结果显示，中国的西班牙语教师不再固化在以教师中心为主要教学信念的传统维度上，相反，他们的教学信念在教师中心往学生中心过渡的连续体上移动发展，逐渐向学生中心信念倾斜。本研究通过对中国高校西班牙语教师教学信念的探索，可以为我们了解中国非英语教师的教学情况提供实证。同时，Q方法的使用也可以拓展这一新兴的量化方法在语言学界的运用。