Modeling Teacher Beliefs and Practices in Context: A Multimethods Approach

This study investigates the relationship among Japanese high school teachers’ beliefs, their practices, and socioeducational factors regarding communicative language teaching (CLT). A multimethods approach was used consisting of a survey, interviews, and class observations. A Teacher Beliefs Questionnaire was sent to 188 randomly selected Japanese high schools, and 139 teachers responded. Additionally, 12 English classes taught by 4 Japanese high school teachers were observed, focusing on how they used communicative activities. The same 4 teachers were later interviewed. A path model based on Borg's (2003) conceptual framework of teacher cognition was tested. The best‐fitting model indicated that Student‐Related Communicative Conditions directly impacted Classroom Practices, Positive CLT Beliefs indirectly influenced Classroom Practices via CLT Self‐Efficacy, and Exam‐Related Expectations both directly and indirectly affected Classroom Practices. Findings from the interviews and observations revealed that the participants’ learning experiences, in‐service training, and contextual factors (e.g., university entrance examinations) influenced their beliefs and practices.