Reflection of Teacher Cognition in EFL Vocabulary Instructional Practices in Indonesia

Abstract

Teachers are highly influenced by their cognitions related to their ideas, to their views of the world, and to their values and conceptions of their environment. The study of teachers' cognitions forms a part of the process of understanding how teachers conceptualize their work (Hassankiadeh, 2012). Therefore, this study attempted to investigate the cognitions the Indonesian EFL teachers hold about vocabulary instruction along with analyzing reflected cognitions in their teaching practices in classroom context. This qualitative study used semi-structured interview and direct classroom observation to obtain the data from four Indonesian EFL teachers of senior high school. It was revealed that the teachers have well-developed cognitions about EFL vocabulary instruction. It is shown from their beliefs, understanding, and perceptions about the role of vocabulary, its importance in EFL teaching and learning including what words are taught and how words are taught. Moreover, some aspects of their cognitions about vocabulary teaching emerge to be in congruence with their vocabulary teaching practices although some inconsistencies have been identified as well.

“Words are picked up along the way” – Swedish EFL teachers’ conceptualizations of vocabulary knowledge and learning

“…Although the present study is based on a rather limited number of interviewees from only one region in Sweden, the results are nevertheless indicative. Like other studies on vocabulary and teacher cognition (e.g., Gerami & Noordin, 2013;Hermagustiana et al, 2017), it suggests that one of the most central components in language learning, namely vocabulary, appears to be left without further instruction in the EFL classroom. In terms of vocabulary development, the advantages and disadvantages of incidental learning thus seem to be a subject for further studies.…”

“…This understanding of vocabulary learning does not appear to be exclusive for the Swedish EFL teachers part of this study. Many prior studies report on teachers' overall understanding of the importance of vocabulary, but when asked how it is taught, the general answer appears to be that it is included in other activities (e.g., Gerami & Noordin, 2013;Hermagustiana et al, 2017;Lim, 2016). The teachers' focus on communicative skills and vocabulary as an integrated part of other activities was also discernible in their reports on how vocabulary is assessed.…”

EFL Prospective Teacher Educators’ Beliefs towards the Use of WhatsApp in English Learning and Teaching

“…A unified shelter of inquiry, "teachers' beliefs", has therefore emerged and expounded the teachers' beliefs as the beliefs of teachers about their work, students, subject matter, roles and responsibilities (Pajares, 1992). Hitherto, substantial scholarship has proved to show that the teachers' beliefs are the cornerstone for the success of instructional activities (see for example the studies of Borg & Al-Busaidi (2012); Hermagustiana et al (2017); Macalister (2012)). In that sense, the teachers' beliefs are the antecedent of teachers' behaviors or decisions in the classroom.…”

EFL vocabulary teaching beliefs and practices: The case of two teachers in Argentina

“…This choice allows us to compare vocabulary teaching practices in two scenarios with distinct characteristics such as the age and the motivational drive of the students (informal education is voluntary, whereas at school English is part of the curriculum) and class size (adult classes are usually smaller than secondary school classes). Besides, micro contextual factors may account for possible mismatches between teachers’ cognition and practices, as was mentioned in discussing the studies reviewed (Gerami & Noordin, 2013; Hermagustiana et al, 2017; Niu & Andrews, 2012), hence the relevance of considering them in case studies.…”

“…Studies relating teacher cognition and the practices deployed in vocabulary instruction are notoriously scarce, especially when compared to the wealth of research into grammar teaching cognition (Basturkmen, 2012; Borg, 2003). We report three studies comparing EFL teachers’ cognition with their classroom activity (Gerami & Noordin, 2013; Hermagustiana, Hamra, Rahman, & Salija, 2017; Niu & Andrews, 2012). These studies originate in countries where English has the status of a foreign language and were carried out in the context of formal education.…”