Delving the In-Service Teachers’ Beliefs about English, Language Learning and Teaching in EFL Context

The article addresses the beliefs of in-service teachers about English, language learning and teaching, posing the relevant and fundamental question ‘what are the beliefs of in-service teachers about English, language learning and teaching’. Beliefs underpin the behavior, action and learning of human being. Language teachers, like people in other discipline, possess certain beliefs about learning which have either positive or negative impact on their classroom practice, and thereby on students’ language learning. This article reports on an investigation into the beliefs of 400 teachers (120 females and 280 males) in Bangladesh. Additionally, the current study intends to uncover the beliefs of 120 teachers about English and teaching. The teachers chosen in this study have received in-service training from TTCs, ELTIP and EIA. The questionnaire administered to reveal teachers’ beliefs about language learning is the one developed by Horwitz. In contrast, the questionnaires administered to sort out teachers’ beliefs about English and teaching, are the ones suggested by Richards and Lockhart. The findings show that teachers hold certain impractical beliefs and misconceptions about English which may drastically affect learners’ language learning.