| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立台北師範學院 === 兒童英語教育研究所 === 90 === Many researchers indicated that in many cases, teachers’ beliefs influence foreign language teachers’ decision-making in classroom contexts and as well affect EFL students’ beliefs about foreign language learning. At the initial stage of English education in primary schools in Taiwan, one of the greatest concerns is the quantity and quality of primary school English teachers. As a result, this study firstly tried to present the picture of elementary school English teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning in five dimensions─beliefs about the role of culture in EFL learning, beliefs about the aptitude of EFL learning, rule-based beliefs, skill-based beliefs, and function-based beliefs. Then factors and variables forming and influencing beliefs were explored to give useful information to help both elementary school English teachers and trainers.
General data about teachers’ beliefs and their background information were derived from Likert 4-scale questionnaires returned by 415 elementary school English teachers in Taipei County. In addition to frequencies, independent-samples T-test and one-way ANOVA helped to illustrate some noticeable variables influencing teachers’ beliefs. Later on, more detailed information about how beliefs are formed and influenced were gathered by recording interviews of some primary school English teachers in Taipei County.
The result of the study showed:
1. Elementary school English teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning tended to be more skill-orientated.
2. There were significant differences caused by demographic background variables on teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning.
3. There were significant differences caused by educational background variables on teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning.
4. There were significant differences caused by career background variables on teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning.
5. Teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning had been constructed and influenced by diverse factors (c.f. personal learning experiences, public opinions and examples of other people around, motivation of EFL learning, knowledge of educational theory, etc.).
Teachers’ beliefs about EFL learning and how they were formed and affected were presented in the results of this study. It is hoped that the findings will help teachers know better about their own beliefs and trainers figure out ways of designing teacher training programs which are closer to elementary school English teachers’ need.
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