Thai EFL University Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices about Vocabulary Learning Strategies

Abstract

Over the past two decades, research has increasingly accentuated the relationship between language teachers’ beliefs and their pedagogical practices. Relatively few studies, however, have been dedicated to the teachers’ beliefs and practices with respect to vocabulary instruction, despite the pivotal role that vocabulary acquisition plays in language learning. This mixed methods study seeks to bridge the gap by investigating intricate relationships between Thai EFL university teachers’ beliefs and pedagogical practices regarding specifically vocabulary instruction. A questionnaire was administered with twenty-four teachers, five of whom subsequently participated in a follow-up semi-structured interview. The results indicate that although the teachers were aware of and employed a wide range of vocabulary learning strategies, there existed discrepancies between the teachers’ perceived usefulness of strategy and the frequency of strategy use in their instructional practices. This incongruence was attributable to various contextual factors, affirming that relationships between teachers’ beliefs and practices were highly controversial and complex. Pedagogical implications and recommendations for further research are also discussed based on the findings of the current study.