Exploring a novice Chinese EFL teacher’s writing beliefs and practices: A systemic functional perspective

This paper explores how the interpersonal constructs (i.e., appraisal system, speech function) of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) afford the analysis of one novice Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teacher’s writing beliefs and practices. Specifically, by analyzing the Chinese EFL teacher’s writing belief discourse and teaching discourse (obtained, respectively, through interviews and observations), the study shows how the Chinese EFL teacher’s beliefs about the importance of linguistic form and text flow in writing were mapped to his writing instruction. The discourse analysis also demonstrates that the EFL teacher’s writing-belief discourse and classroom discourse are both contextually shaped by his schooling exposure and self-agency, while his teaching practices were further conditioned by his students’ English proficiency and shyness. The study concludes, that, firstly, the Chinese EFL teacher’s writing practices arise (albeit indirectly) through his beliefs, and that, secondly, SFL offers a useful framework for discursive exploration of teachers’ beliefs and practices. The study suggests the role of effective self-agency and teacher education in reshaping teachers’ beliefs so that they can better act upon their beliefs when offering writing instruction.