in Farrell Ives, 2015:595. The other definitions of teache rs‟ beliefs are also
proposed by Aguirre and Speer 2000, and Senior 2006. According to Aguirre and Speer
, teachers‟ beliefs are “teachers‟ conceptions about the nature of teaching and learning” in Bingimlas Hanrahan, 2010:416. Meanwhile, Senior
def ined teachers‟ beliefs as “teachers‟ personal convictions about language
teaching and learning which can be expressed” 2006:12. Further descriptions of teachers‟ beliefs are proposed by Basturkmen,
Ernest, and Johnson. Basturkmen et al. 2004 described teachers‟ beliefs as “a
thinking activity in which teachers as people construct their own personal and workable theories of teaching” in Cetina, 2009:662. Ernest 1989 defined
teachers‟ beliefs as “mental models that shape learning and teaching practices” in Bingimlas Hanrahan, 2010:416. Meanwhile, according to Johnson 1992, the
result of some studies about teachers‟ beliefs suggests three basic concepts. First, teachers‟ beliefs influence perception and judgment which determine teachers‟
actions in classrooms. Second, teachers‟ beliefs greatly affect the ways teachers
learn to teach and apply what they learn in their classroom practices. Third, the comprehension of teachers‟ beliefs is significant in improving the quality of
teaching and teacher‟s preparation in Kristiana and Setyarini. By referring to the theories above, teachers‟ beliefs in this research are
defined as teachers‟ personal conceptions about teaching and learning, which are consciously and unconsciously held and expressed through their actions in the
classroom. Inferred by the definition, the study of teachers‟ beliefs in this research is conducted by examining the teachers‟ actions in the classroom. Those actions
of the teachers are significant in leading the study to investigate the teachers‟
conscious or unconscious personal conceptions about teaching and learning.
b. Sources of t eachers‟ beliefs
Teachers‟ belief systems are developed over time and resulted from different sources. Some researchers on beliefs system suggest some different
sources of beliefs. Kindsvatter, Willen, and Ishler 1988 in Richards and Lockhart, 1996:30-
32 described six sources that influence the teachers‟ beliefs system, that are, teachers‟ experience as language learners, teachers‟ experience in
teachi ng, teachers‟ personality, teachers‟ view about educational principles,
teachers‟ view about an approach or method, and beliefs of teachers‟ workplace. The six sources will be discussed further in the following paragraphs respectively
to gain deeper understanding of them. The first source is the teachers‟ experience as language learners. All
teachers are formerly the learners themselves and their experiences of being a learner will greatly influence their views about teaching and learning process. The
ways they are taught and the ways they feel and react about them will create some conceptions in their mind about the nature of teaching and learning. Later on,
those conceptions will become the beliefs of the teachers when they teach. The second source is te
achers‟ experience in teaching. The process of teaching is known as a process of learning by doing. It means that through the
teaching practices conducted by the teachers, which involve successes and failures, the teachers will have some notions about which principles are working
and which principles are not. After some time, those notions will become the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
teachers‟ beliefs about the best ways or best principles in the process of teaching and learning.
Then, the third source is the teachers‟ personality. As a human being, each teacher has their own special personality which influences their view about many
things in their life including about teaching. The personality possessed by the teacher will guide their preferences in conducting the teaching and learning
process. Taking for example, a teacher who likes to speak will prefer to teach using communicative approach which provides much interaction in the classroom
rather than structural approach. In other words, the choice of teaching approach is closely conn
ected with teachers‟ personality. Next, the fourth source is the teachers‟ view about educational principles.
This source is connected with the teachers‟ preferences in choosing the principles to be adopted in the classroom. Some teachers believe that the principles they get
during their education are the best ones since those principles have been adopted for a long time. Some other teachers believe that the principles from recent
researches are better since they are more appropriate to recent contexts and have been more tested.
The fifth source is teachers‟ view about an approach or method. The teachers‟ preference of an approach or method will lead them to choose the
strategies and activities that are in line with that approach or method. Finally, the si
xth source is the beliefs of teachers‟ workplace. Every workplace has their own preferences about the nature of teaching and learning process and the ways how to
deal with them. As the teachers do their teaching in that place, automatically the teachers apply those preferences. As the time goes by, those preferences also
