Teachers' beliefs and practices about Chinese vocabulary teaching

Abstract

Vocabulary is essential in first language teaching and learning, serving as the basic building blocks for language processing and development. Enhancing students’ vocabulary knowledge can improve their literacy and language skills, promote cognitive development, and refine critical thinking. However, there is a lack of research on teacher beliefs and practices about vocabulary teaching in the L1 Chinese context, and the relationship between these beliefs and practices remains unclear due to conflicting findings. Furthermore, there is a dearth of theoretical and practical research exploring the impact of teachers’ factors on students’ vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. To address these gaps, this study conducted a sequential exploratory mixed- methods approach to explore: (1) What are teachers’ beliefs about Chinese vocabulary teaching? (2) What are teachers’ practices about Chinese vocabulary teaching? (3) How are the above beliefs and practices related? (4) What are the effects of teachers’ factors on students’ vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension? Phase One study used qualitative data from interviews (N=20), classroom observations (N=8), stimulated recall interviews (N=8), and document analysis (N=8) to investigate 4th-grade teachers’ beliefs and practices about Chinese vocabulary teaching and their relationship. Based on the findings, questionnaires were developed and validated for the Phase Two quantitative study to further investigate 1st to 6th-grade teachers’ beliefs and practices, and their relationship (N=337). Phase Three study collected quantitative data from 4th-grade teacher questionnaires (N=38) and student tests (N=1228) to explore the effect of teachers’ vocabulary teaching on students’ achievement in vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. Both the qualitative and quantitative studies systematically described teachers’ beliefs and practices about Chinese vocabulary teaching, including teaching and assessment aim, content, approach, and educational technology. Findings showed that teachers primarily focused on meaning-oriented vocabulary teaching, with more interactionist teaching employed than behaviorist teaching. While there was extensive but peripheral use of educational technology, insufficient emphasis was placed on self-regulated learning. In both the qualitative and quantitative studies, four profiles emerged regarding the relationship between teachers’ vocabulary teaching beliefs and practices: consistency-high, consistency-low, inconsistency-high belief with low practice, and inconsistency-high practice with low belief. The qualitative study revealed transformational and developmental relationship in these profiles over time. Both the qualitative and quantitative studies revealed that influencing factors, such as schooling, professional coursework, contextual factors, and teacher agency, had an impact on the four profiles. The quantitative study showed that students’ learning strategies and metalinguistic awareness predicted their vocabulary knowledge, which in turn predicted reading comprehension. Teachers had an impact on students’ vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension, and teacher profiles influenced students’ vocabulary knowledge. Overall, the main theoretical implication is the development of a comprehensive conceptual framework that elucidates the complex relationships between teachers’ beliefs and practices about vocabulary teaching, the factors influencing these relationships, and the impact on students’ vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. The study’s practical implications include evaluating and enhancing current Chinese vocabulary teaching, offering tailored guidance based on teacher profiles, and emphasizing the importance of ongoing professional development and prioritizing vocabulary teaching in educational policy and practice.