This book explores teachers’ cognitions about the teaching of writing in English as a foreign language (EFL) and their teaching practice, as well as factors influencing the formation and reformation process of their cognition. Taking stock of Bakhtin’s dialogism as the theoretical framework, the authors argue that the formation and reformation of teacher cognition is a dialogic process. A systematic analysis of participating teachers’ cognition formation and re-formation process suggests the highly individual nature of teachers’ cognitions. EFL researchers and teachers, teacher educators, teacher education policymakers, university administrators and EFL textbook writers could draw on the findings of the study to provide better resources to implement the teaching of EFL writing more effectively.
The study has adopted a mixed-methods approach, whose quantitative results show the patterns and differences of teacher cognition among teachers of different backgrounds and with different schooling, education and working experiences. The qualitative findings show in detail teachers' cognition formation and reformation processes and the factors contributing to such processes, revealing convergence and divergence of teachers’ stated cognitions, with a focus on the discrepancy between teacher cognition and teaching practice. These are useful lenses through which researchers and teachers will find significant implications for offering EFL writing instruction more effectively.
Huan Zhao (Ph.D.) is a Writing Consultant at the Centre for Learner Success, Massey University, Auckland Campus, Auckland, New Zealand. She was previously a lecturer at Fudan University, Shanghai, China, prior to her embarking on her PhD study in New Zealand. She has since graduated with the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education (Applied Linguistics and TESOL) from The University of Auckland. Her research interests include teacher cognition, language teacher professional development and the learning and teaching of English as a foreign language, especially EFL writing.
Lawrence Jun Zhang (Ph.D.) is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Associate Dean, Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests are learner metacognition and teacher education, with particular reference to EFL reading/writing and ESP/EAP. His 100-plus publications include co-edited books such as
Language Teachers and Teaching: Global Perspective, Local Initiatives (2014, Routledge, UK) and
Crossing Borders, Writing Texts, Being Evaluated: Cultural and Interdisciplinary Norms in Academic Writing (2021, Multilingual Matters, UK) and research articles in such international journals as
Applied Linguistics, Applied Linguistics Review, System, TESOL Quarterly, Modern Language Journal and
Journal of Second Language Writing. He was the sole winner of the “Distinguished Research in TESOL Award” in 2011 and is the current Co-Editor-in-Chief of
System, having been honoured with the recognition by the TESOL International Association (USA) with the “50@50” Award, which acknowledged “50 Outstanding Leaders” around the globe in the profession of TESOL when the TESOL Association celebrated its 50th anniversary in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In November 2016, he was successfully elected to the International TESOL Association’s Board of Directors.
