Using metaphors to uncover and identify belief systems in first and fifth year students of english teaching education programme at a private university

Abstract

Teacher cognition refers to teachers’ belief, what they think and do in any aspect of their profession. The present study seeks to uncover and identify the belief systems of first and fifth year students of an English teaching education programme at a Chilean private university by using metaphors. The study of teachers’ cognitions can absolutely contribute to the teaching and learning process and can also help as a basis for professional development in higher Education. The study has a quantitative nature because it is objective, and statistics were used to analyse the data collected. The data gathered was obtained by applying a questionnaire to 46 students and contained a set of 26 metaphors. These metaphors were divided into three dimensions concerning the learning-teaching process, namely role of the teacher, role of the learner, and didactic process. The results suggest for the most part students’ cognitions are permanent over time, and that such cognitions become stronger after having been trained in a teacher education programme. Keywords: teacher cognition, belief, metaphor, role of the teacher, role of the learner, didactic process.