Exploring Chinese EFL teachers' knowledge and beliefs relating to the teaching of English reading in public primary schools in China

Abstract

The present study explored knowledge and beliefs about reading instruction of Chinese teachers teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile and the Survey of Basic Language Constructs Related to Literacy Acquisition were administered to 262 EFL teachers in the south‐eastern part of China. Additionally, three teachers were interviewed, and their instructional practices were observed. The results showed that there was no correlation between teachers' self‐efficacy beliefs and the performance on the knowledge of basic language construct survey. However, it was found that teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices were mediated by the Chinese EFL contextual factors. Educational and practical implications are discussed.

Teachers' beliefs and practices in teaching reading at Islamic secondary schools in Indonesia

“…However, none of the participants' views about good reading instruction reflect the need to develop students' metacognitive reading skills. This finding is in line with Chinese EFL teachers in a study conducted by Luo et al (2019) in which teachers are reported to find difficulties in using metalanguage in their reading instruction. The teachers are aware that reading involves the students' activation of schemata in the cognitive process (Barnawi, 2013), although they have not been able to extend their understanding to help students make efficient use of the cognitive process.…”

“…Emphasizing the "means-oriented actions", teachers in their study reported particular classroom procedures-reading, translation, rehearsing, and testing the vocabulary-which often downplays students' agency in the classroom reading activities (Bakken & Lund, 2018, p. 82). Moreover, these routines are legitimized by the testing culture of ELT in many countries, such as Norway and China (Bakken & Lund, 2018;Luo et al, 2019). In the context of the present study, the teachers' belief in prioritizing teaching reading to the test can be understood within the heavy examination orientation characterizing ELT in Indonesia (Sukyadi & Mardiani, 2011).…”

“…These findings are in line with Yusuf et al's (2017) research, namely, that vocabulary is the biggest challenge in reading instruction. Similarly, this problem is also persistent for EFL Chinese teachers in teaching the vocabulary aspect of reading (Luo et al, 2019). This particular issue can be attributed to "teachers' insufficient knowledge of basic constructs related to literacy acquisition" (Luo et al, 2019, p. 279).…”

“…Although these teachers reported the belief about their role to facilitate students' reading comprehension, there is a gap in how this belief translates into their teaching practices. This problem can be attributed to many factors, such as their limited awareness of research-based reading instruction (Fuchs et al, 2019), the examination orientation which takes up too much space in the reading curriculum (Luo et al, 2019), and their limited understanding of practical strategies to teach reading effectively (Bakken & Lund, 2018). All these issues call for attention from teacher education programs to support teachers in improving their reading instruction.…”

Effectiveness Analysis of English Newspaper Reading Teaching Based on Deep Learning from the Perspective of Online and Offline Hybrid Teaching

“…Moreover, English newspapers and periodicals cover a wide range of contents, which can enable students to obtain relevant knowledge and information in various fields in the process of reading, help students understand the cultural background of different countries and regions, and enable students to more objectively understand the traditional culture and modern civilization of other countries and peoples [ 6 ]. On the other hand, to a certain extent, it can also deepen students' recognition of their own culture, which is conducive to the formation of students' correct outlook on life, and values, and lay a solid foundation for their future study, work, and life [ 7 ]. The significance and function of English newspaper reading are shown in Figure 1 .…”