How Language Teachers' Beliefs About Reading Instruction Are Mediated by Their Beliefs About Students

ABSTRACT When the beliefs about reading and reading instruction of six secondary foreign language teachers were compared with their instructional classroom practices, inconsistencies were found in three areas. All six teachers in this qualitative study believed that reading proficiency is facilitated by providing students with frequent opportunities for reading practice, that the use of the target language is preferable for reading instruction, and that oral reading interferes with reading comprehension. Yet, in practice, all six teachers compromised these beliefs because of poor student performance. Implications for teacher education programs include the need to provide a firmer grounding in L2 reading development, to explore the reality of competing belief systems, and to evolve new strategies to maximize preferred reading practices.