Teaching is Not Always Easy: Mexican Pre-service English Teachers' Beliefs on Teaching and Learning

One of the main goals of language teacher education programs is to prepare professionals who can respond to the growing demands for quality instruction. However, we often find that in second language acquisition training courses, teaching methodology and giving students experiences during practicum sessions has a limited impact on pre-service teachers' long established beliefs and ultimately on their practice. The purpose of this qualitative interpretative study is to explore the conceptual metaphors used by pre-service teachers when writing their teaching philosophy as a way of unveiling their underlying cognitive mappings. We propose that making future teachers aware of the entrenched metaphors they use to talk about teaching and learning might be a first step in changing their observable behavior. The results of this study show that in spite of exposure to current theories on teaching and learning and practicum courses, pre-service teachers tend to hold on to outdated theories. Nonetheless, their theories seem to be refined, strengthened, and modulated by the practicum experience that fosters the articulation of more detailed goals and the realization of shortcomings in their preparation. This work, in conjunction with strategies such as fostering reflection about pre-service teachers' practices, will help teacher trainers promote the integration of effective and context-appropriate ideas for improving language education.