A cognitive perspective on pre-service and in-service language teaching

This paper reviews a selection of research within the field of language teacher cognition from two main perspectives: pre-service and in-service language teaching practices. The first section focuses on the ways in which prior language learning experiences shape pre-training beliefs and knowledge about language education. It also discusses the impact of teacher education programmes on the development of these constructs. The second section discusses in-service L2 teachers’ cognitions and classroom practices in relation to their subject matter knowledge and to the interplay between cognition, experience, and context. This review highlights key findings from the research which have implications for teacher education and development courses.