Teachers' beliefs about appropriate methodology in Thai Secondary level English education

Language teacher cognition research has been a growing area of research interest in recent times. However, the majority of studies of teacher cognition in relation to teacher change have focused on pre-service and novice, rather than experienced teachers. Additionally, most research has been carried out in contexts other than the public secondary school EFL settings where most English education goes on in the world. The present study aims to redress this tendency by deeply investigating the beliefs and practices of three experienced Thai EFL teachers working in a public secondary school in Thailand. Also investigated are the sources of their beliefs and how these have developed over time throughout the teachers’ lives. Using a range of methods including semi-structured interviews, stimulated recall, classroom observation, Snake interviews, repertory grid interviews and research diary, the present study focuses on Thai EFL teachers’ beliefs concerning appropriate methodology, a notion of importance both at the macro level of educational change and at the micro level of individual classrooms, where teachers can be viewed as key change agents. Adopting a personal construct theoretical perspective, the study reveals that the teachers’ beliefs and practices have been particularly informed by their core constructs, which have deep roots in their personal biographies and are tightly tied to their sense of self. Furthermore, the findings cast light on the extent to which individual teachers may or may not change according to their core constructs. These results carry important implications for those involved in change management, teacher education, and teacher cognition research.