CHAPTER SEVEN
NON-NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHERS’
COGNITIONS ABOUT LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY
SHIGERU SASAJIMA
Abstract
This chapter explores non-native speaker (NNS) English teachers’
cognitions and thoughts about their pedagogy in their own educational
contexts. In order to understand teachers’ cognitions, we need to consider
their contextualized situations and how these developed through complex
educational structures or patterns called ‘attractors’ and their fixed or
preferred points or behaviors called ‘attractor states’ in complex adaptive
systems (CAS). The present research addressed how language classroom
dynamics are shaped by the teacher as an agent of change. A
mixed-methods approach that included a questionnaire, an interview, and
observations was used with Finnish and Japanese teachers of English. The
results suggest that Japanese teachers think more negatively than their
Finnish counterparts and their cognitions appear to be linked to complex
or unspecific school systems, insufficient teacher knowledge, and unclear
educational goals. It is, therefore, necessary to view these complex
systems in a holistic and systemic manner and to realize the interrelated
nature of NNS English teachers’ cognitions in specific contexts.
Current Issues in Second/Foreign Language Teaching and Teacher Development
Research and Practice
