become the teachers‟ preferences and ultimately become the teachers‟ beliefs. Based on the explanations above, it can be inferred that all those sources greatly
affect what are believed by the teachers particularly about the nature of teaching and learning.
c. Areas of t eachers‟ beliefs
Several researchers on teachers‟ beliefs have proposed some different theories about the areas of beliefs. Richards and Lockhart proposed five areas of
beliefs namely beliefs about English, beliefs about learning, beliefs about teaching, beliefs about the program and the curriculum, and beliefs about
language teaching as a profession 1996, 32-41. The other researcher, Graves, proposed four areas of beliefs, which include beliefs about language, beliefs about
social context of language, beliefs about learning and learners, and beliefs about teaching 2000, 28-
31. In conclusion, the areas of teachers‟ beliefs cover beliefs about English language, beliefs about learning, beliefs about teaching, beliefs
about the program and the curriculum, beliefs about language teaching as a profession, and beliefs about the social context of the language.
All the areas of teachers‟ beliefs above will be discussed briefly in the following paragraphs. Meanwhile, in line with the topic of this research, the
beliefs about language in this case, English language, beliefs about learning and beliefs about teaching will be discussed more deeply and more detailed in the next
subsections. As remarked by Graves 2000:30, beliefs about teaching are greatly affected by the beliefs about learning. This opinion is also supported by Doyle,
Goh, Zhang 2004:1 that the teachers‟ perceptions about teaching and learning will greatly determine their teaching in the classroom. Since this research is about
beliefs in English teaching, the discussion of beliefs in English language is also very important. The views and perceptions that the teachers have about English
language will significantly influence their beliefs about how to learn it and then how to teach it in the classroom. Therefore, the deep and wide discussions about
teachers‟ beliefs in English language, teachers‟ beliefs in English learning and teachers‟ beliefs in English teaching are considered significant for this research
and will be presented in the following subsections respectively. First area of teachers‟ beliefs is beliefs about the program and the
curriculum, This beliefs might influence the teachers in some extent. Those influences are particularly related with the decisions about kind of programs,
general views about teaching, general objectives, or teaching materials. However, teachers‟ personal beliefs on planning the lessons, implementing the teaching
objectives, and doing the assessments are what ultimately and primarily affect the classroom practices Richards and Lockhart, 1996:38.
The second area of teachers‟ beliefs is beliefs about language teaching as a
profession. The teachers‟ beliefs about language teaching as a profession would influence their professionalism as teachers Richards and Lockhart, 1996:40. If
they have positive beliefs about their job as a profession, it will lead their professionalism to a better direction which can be clearly seen on their classroom
practices. Next, the third area is beliefs about the social context of language. Social
context of language includes the “sociolinguistic, sociocultural, and socio-political issues in language teaching. Sociolinguistic issues concern with how to fit the
language to the context. Sociocultural issues concern with the relation between PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
language and culture. Meanwhile, socio-political issues concern with how certain language or social group is viewed by other social groups, access language and
services, and a critical awareness of how language is used.” Graves, 2000:29. In
other words, beliefs about social context of language enable the teachers to guide the learners how to use the language in this case, English wisely and appropriate
to its context in the society. Connecting with the teaching and learning process, teachers‟ beliefs about the social context of language will influence the teachers‟
preferences in choosing lesson‟s topic and learning resources. The three
areas of teachers‟ beliefs above are significant in determining teachers‟ practices in the real classroom. Each area must have the impacts to
teachers in doing their professional life as teachers. Next, as previously explained, the other three
areas of teachers‟ beliefs namely beliefs about English language, beliefs about learning, and beliefs about teaching will be discussed more deeply
and detailed in the next three subsections below in order to give more understanding about the topic.
1 Beliefs about language
First area of teachers ‟ beliefs is beliefs about language. The beliefs greatly
affect the way the teachers consider what to teach and how to teach it Graves, 2000:28. Language has been defined in many ways. According to Bailey 1998
language is defined as “pronunciation, grammar, lexis, discourse in Graves, 2000:28. Meanwhile, language i
s defined as “form, meaning and use” by Larsen- Freeman 1990 in Grave, 2000:28. The views about language influence the
beliefs about how it should be learned. Taking for example, language can be viewed as rule governed so it should be learned through the grammatical rules or
