Abstract:
This study explored four selected teachers’ cognition, their classroom practices, and contextual
factors affecting the teaching of writing skills. To this end, a case study design was employed and
four EFL teachers were selected purposefully from a single secondary school. Data were
collected using interviews, classroom observations and document analysis, and were analyzed
thematically. The study employed semi-structured interview to examine the teachers’ beliefs
about teaching EFL writing, and classroom observation to investigate the teachers’ actual
classroom practices and then analyze the kind of relationship that existed between the teachers’
beliefs and classroom practices. The stimulated recall interview was used to look into the
rationales for the discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and their classroom practices. Finally,
writing assignments and writing exercises were used to examine the teachers’ written feedback
practices and the teaching method prescribed by the curriculum developers respectively. The
findings of the study revealed that teachers’ beliefs about EFL writing instructions were mostly
inconsistent with their classroom practices. Although the teachers believed that writing
instruction should be conducted based on the tenets of the process approaches to teaching ESL
writing, their classroom practices were mainly product oriented with a focus on explanations of
linguistic and organizational features about different types of texts. There were a number of
factors that contributed to the discrepancy between teachers’ beliefs and practices. Some of the
major factors which were found to impede teachers’ classroom practices in the study context
included large class size, lack of students’ language proficiency, lack of teachers’ pedagogical
competence in teaching writing, and insufficiency of instructional time to develop drafts Based
on the findings, it was recommended that teachers should assist students to do their writing
outside the classroom ahead of each writing lesson so that they can use the lesson time for
productive learning tasks. Besides, the Ministry of Education should spread systems to offer on job trainings regarding up-to-date and innovative ways of teaching writing skills. Ethiopian
teachers at all levels should be reflective of their practices in order to become more aware of the
interplay between their cognitions and practices and improve their teaching. Teacher Education
Programs should include teacher cognition as a crucial component in program designs.
