EFL student-teacher's perceptions of vocabulary teaching and learning

San Salvador de Jujuy

Otro; 26th ARTESOL Annual Convention: Searching for your True North in ELT; 2014

ARTESOL

Research in teacher cognition in Applied Linguistics can be traced back to the 1980s and has received increasing attention in language teaching and learning. This interest has been driven by a dual purpose. The first is a desire to analyze the role teacher cognition plays in teachers? lives (Borg, 2003). The second is to better understand the relationship between teachers? mental constructs and their role in decision making and building a theory of teaching and learning (Woods, 1996; Borg, 2003; Barcelos & Abrahao, 2006). In this respect, it is mostly accepted that teachers? beliefs are of crucial importance as they constitute a baseline along which teachers? actions are performed and decisions are made (Borg, 2011; Erkmen, 2012). One of the most significant findings of research in teacher cognition is concerned with the relationship between student-teachers´ beliefs and teacher education programs (Kagan, 1992; Richardson, 1996; Adams & Krockover, 1997, as cited in Borg, 2006). Analyzing and understanding teachers? beliefs, assumptions, knowledge, intuitions and cognitive representations (all of these summarized for purposes of simplification under the term ?perceptions?) is essential to determine how and to what extent student-teachers? perceptions are modified or adjusted throughout their teacher education. Previous research studies on teacher cognition carried out at the School of Languages, Cordoba National University have focused on student-teachers? perceptions regarding the practicum (Helale, Requena & San Martín 2010; San Martín, Requena & Helale 2011; Requena, San Martín, Helale & Mandrile, 2012) and the teaching of phonetics and phonology (Helale & San Martín, 2011). The present study seeks to explore the perceptions that student-teachers have about teaching and learning vocabulary before and after attending TEFL methodology classes and undertaking the practicum. The context of this study is the EFL Teacher Education program at the School of Languages, Cordoba National University. 30 participants participated in the study; 15 of them had just completed their first practicum period and the other 15 were about to begin it. The data collection instrument was an electronic questionnaire which included both closed and open-ended questions about different dimensions of teaching and learning vocabulary. The results show that the two groups of student-teachers conceive of vocabulary teaching and learning in different ways. Some similarities are also found. The impact of teacher education on student-teacher?s perceptions is also discussed.