EFL Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Communicative Language Research Paper

Introduction

In the context of this study, it is important to explain the variety of EFL teachers’ attitudes towards the communicative language teaching method adopted at schools of Saudi Arabia. While trying to explain a person’s behavior, it is necessary to analyze his or her attitudes as specific constructs. Thus, Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) claimed in their Theory of Reasoned Action that particular actions of individuals are usually the result of their unique attitudes.

The Theory of Reasoned Action

The Theory of Reasoned Action was later developed into the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). According to the Theory of Planned Behavior, desired behaviors are typically predicted by people’s assessments or attitudes, as well as their expectations regarding outcomes of particular behaviors (Townsend et al., 2003). According to Fishbein and Ajzen (1975), an individual tends to develop unique beliefs regarding objects and situations which can affect his or her attitude to these phenomena. Individuals’ attitudes are associated with predispositions observed in response to objects or situations that are reflected favorably or unfavorably. Therefore, attitudes seem to be in a relationship with a person’s behavior (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). From this perspective, if it is possible to determine teachers’ attitudes, it is also possible to assess their behaviors as direct outcomes of these attitudes, and this relationship between the two constructs is strong.

The attitudes and opinions

In many cases, the attitudes and opinions of those educators who participate in implementing and promoting educational changes are not considered by leaders proposing educational initiatives. Thus, the process of implementing these changes can be affected negatively. Consequently, to guarantee the successful implementation of an educational initiative, it is significant to determine the attitudes of teachers at school (Kumar, Karabenick, & Burgoon, 2015). The existing literature has supported the idea that teachers’ attitudes regarding innovative instruction and methods are critical for the implementation process (Mei Kin, Abdull Kareem, Nordin, & Wai Bing, 2018). According to Fishbein and Ajzen (1975), teachers’ attitudes can affect their behaviors and practice. As a result, examining teachers’ attitudes about CLT is crucial for discerning teachers’ instructional practice in their EFL classrooms.

References

1. Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
2. Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
3. Kumar, R., Karabenick, S. A., & Burgoon, J. N. (2015). Teachers’ implicit attitudes, explicit beliefs, and the mediating role of respect and cultural responsibility on mastery and performance-focused instructional practices. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(2), 533-542.
4. Mei Kin, T., Abdull Kareem, O., Nordin, M. S., & Wai Bing, K. (2018). Principal change leadership competencies and teacher attitudes toward change: The mediating effects of teacher change beliefs. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 21(4), 427-446.
5. Townsend, M. S., Contento, I. R., Nitzke, S., McClelland, J. W., Keenan, D. P., & Brown, G. (2003). Using a theory-driven approach to design a professional development workshop. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 35(6), 312-318.