Then what is the definition of teacher’s teaching beliefs?

Scholar Borg(1997) once represent teachers’ knowledge, theories, assumption and perspectives about teaching, teachers themselves, learning, students, curricula, teaching and learning materials and instructional activities with the term ”teacher cognition”。 Also, with the rapid development of research on second language teaching and learning in China, some domestic scholars also give their own definitions of beliefs。 Qu (1998) defines teachers’ beliefs as the assertive and firm beliefs of an educational idea and conception; Yu (1998) considers teaching belief as a way to judge the fact concerning education and believes teaching beliefs should be formed on the basis of understanding of the nature of teachers’ teaching performances, teaching environment, learners and their learning activities。 Anyway, to have a better understanding of teachers’ beliefs, there are many factors to be studied。文献综述

When it comes to the definition of teaching practicum, it is quite a complex and inclusive concept。 So far, there is no direct and unitary definition to it。 Zeichner (1996) separated teaching practicum into three parts: mentorship, applying theory to practice and reflective practice。 As for those domestic scholars, Gu (1998) once pointed out in his book Education Dictionary that teaching practicum is a learning process in which students in normal universities go to the practice school to gain a professional practice and experience in education and teaching。

2。2 Researches on English Teachers’ Teaching Beliefs

Researches on teachers’ teaching beliefs are as follows:

In 1996, Calderhead came up with the five main dimensions of teaching beliefs: beliefs about learners and learning, beliefs about teaching, beliefs about subject, beliefs about learning to teach, and beliefs about teaching role。 These four areas are interdependent on each other, and it should be emphasized that they all have different impacts on shaping a pre-service teacher’s teaching practice and teaching ideology。 For teachers in practicum, all those five dimensions have their own functions and different parts to play in English pre-service teachers’ teaching。 Besides, as Pittard (2003) once put it, researchers and scholars must pay attention to teaching practice because it can affect pre-service teachers' teaching beliefs, which is normal students’ first experience to cultivate their identity as a teacher。 Also, Pittard pointed out that among all the teaching beliefs, identity is a dominant force。 Most of the time, it played the most important role in pre-service teachers’ professional development and other beliefs may be subsumed under it。