ERIC Number: EJ796699
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jun
Pages: 14
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0346-251X
EISSN: N/A
An Armenian English Language Teacher's Practical Theory of Communicative Language Teaching
Feryok, Anne
System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, v36 n2 p227-240 Jun 2008
Previous studies have shown that teacher cognitions and practices can be inconsistent, particularly with claims about communicative teaching practices. This article describes the practical theory of a state school EFL teacher in Armenia who claimed to be using a communicative approach to language teaching by considering her stated cognitions and observed practices and the contextual factors that influenced them. Data included six months of e-mail interviews, two on-site classroom observations, and one on-site interview; this study will focus on the observation of a grade 9 lesson which the teacher described as communicative. Analysis of the interview data shows that the teacher articulated a cohesive, coherent practical theory. The observation showed that she implemented many of her stated cognitions; however, some cognitions appeared to diverge in practice. Both her cognitions and practices were influenced by her understanding of the context in which she worked; meeting different expectations in particular may have contributed to the divergence between cognitions and practices.
Descriptors: Observation, Theory Practice Relationship, Foreign Countries, Grade 9, Language Teachers, English (Second Language), Teaching Methods, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Communicative Competence (Languages), Context Effect, Interviews, Schemata (Cognition)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 9
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Armenia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A