The Reciprocal Relationship between School Culture and Foreign Language Teachers’ Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices

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Published: Jan 1, 2011

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Chantarath Hongboontri
Wimonnit Chaokongjakra

Abstract

This review article seeks to depict the reciprocal relationship between school culture and foreign language (FL) teachers’ beliefs, behaviors, and instructional practices.  To do so, we first review several works in the realms of organizational management and education to offer a definition of school culture.  Following are two discussion sections.  One reviews Rosenholtz’s seminal work on the impacts of school culture on teachers; the other one discusses the published works concerning the interplay between school culture and FL teachers of a few FL educators and researchers.  In essence, these two sections give meaning and nuance to how school culture shapes and re-shapes the beliefs, behaviors, and instructional practices of teachers and FL teachers.  Our article ends with a call for more research into this area to help situate a better understanding in FL education.

Article Details

Issue
No. 1 (2011): Thoughts 2011
Section
Articles

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Author Biographies

Chantarath Hongboontri

Chantarath Hongboontri is a lecturer of Applied Linguistics at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Mahidol University, Thailand.  He is currently conducting research on Workplace Culture and Organization: Teachers’ Beliefs, Behaviors, and Instructional Practices with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Robert C. Kleinsasser, Arizona State University.  He can be reached at archb@mahidol.ac.th

Wimonnit Chaokongjakra

Wimonnit Chaokongjakrais teaching English at the Language Institute, Thammasat University.  Her research interests include teacher professional development and learner anxieties.  She can be reached at chakongjakra@gmail.com.

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