Examining preservice teachers' conceptions of language and the development of their teaching beliefs over the practicum

With the purposes of discoveringtheir present professional perceptions and evaluating progress in knowledge acquisition, language and teacher metaphors of 26 English teacher candidates were analyzed before and after the practicum. 50% held functional and interactional views of language, and there was only a 7% increase in the supporters of a learner-centered view in language teaching (61%). Only one (4%) favored a participatory view, while 35% maintained the behaviorist view of teaching. 42% of the participants categorically transformed their teacher metaphors, only about 27% of which could be said to have improved by the end of the practicum. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.