By the book (or not): A case study exploring the relationship between teacher cognition and teaching materials and resources

Abstract

While various models of language teacher cognition (e.g. Borg, 2003Borg, , 2006Woods, 1996) have focused on the internal factors (teacher beliefs and knowledge) of teacher decision-making and in-class practices, little research has zeroed in on the effects of external factors on these decisions. Contextual factors, such as student engagement, culture and learning materials, while acknowledged, have rarely been explored in depth. Existing research shows that contextual factors do have an effect on how teachers of English think, yet the effect that language learning materials and resources have on teacher cognition and behavior remains largely unexplored. ESL and EFL teachers, both in Canada and abroad, were asked to complete a questionnaire, then interviewed, to create a more complete picture of the influence that resources and learning materials (availability, quality, and how teachers create their own in the absence of suitable options) have on how teachers make decisions about teaching, both in and out of the classroom. Findings suggest that contextual issues such as employment contexts and working conditions, issues of control, and levels of established knowledge can significantly affect the decisions teachers make about classroom dynamics, the learning/teaching materials they choose to use, and the classroom culture they establish/promote. Though few differences were noted among teachers who identified themselves as teaching ESL or ESL, teaching environments played a role for many respondents.iii