Teachers’ Opinions and Practices Regarding Reading Comprehension Classes

Due to the great influence of the teachers’ beliefs on their classroom practices, an understanding of this relationship is important for the improvement of teachers’ professional preparation and the successful implementation of new curricula. The purpose of this study was, first, to investigate the construct of teachers’ belief systems about reading theories and strategies, then to explore the degree of consistencies or discrepancies between teachers’ beliefs and their practical teaching activities. Participants consisted of 21 male and female EFL teachers at Shiraz Azad University and the Iran Language Institute (ILI) who were chosen randomly. The study collected data using Teaching English Reading Questionnaire and note taking while observing classes. The data were analyzed using an explanatory -QUAN-Qual mixed method of data analysis (Creswell, 2005). The results showed that the instructors emphasized cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, and linguistic knowledge. The results of the questionnaire revealed that there is a consistency between teachers’ beliefs about reading strategies and their classroom practices. By comparing quantitative results of the questionnaire with those of classroom observation it was found out that, in spite of being generally aligned, there was some contradictory evidence regarding teachers’ stated beliefs and their actual classroom practices. However, these differences were not unexpected because of the complexities of classroom life and the complex relationship between beliefs and facts.