1.12 Overview of the Study

The inclusion of so many elements in this one study is evidence of the recognition that education is a process where many factors or elements interact and combine in curious and often complex ways. The data consist of individual and group "discussions" with teachers as well as use of questionnaires. Teacher talk is privileged in this study as a means of making explicit the otherwise implicit and tacit beliefs of teachers. The discussions and questionnaires each focus on understanding how the different elements combine and interact. The interpretation of the data centres around understanding teachers' beliefs in relation to the conceptual and historical framework outlined in Chapter 2 of this study. The following paragraphs outline the organization of the study as a whole.

This first chapter presented the problem addressed by the study. The traditional environment of the classroom was compared and contrasted with online learning environments. One of the most important differences in the two environments relates to the reliance on differing learning theories. Whereas TLEs often support a teacher-centered, transmissionist style of learning, OLEs support a more learner-centered, constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Teachers' beliefs come largely from their experiences in the traditional learning environment. What happens when teachers' beliefs interact with the online learning environments? "Strangers in a strange land" is the analogy used to evoke and explain the experience of moving to a foreign environment. This study provides teachers with the opportunity to articulate their experiences of being a stranger in a strange land, of adapting to a new environment. The study aims to profile a range of beliefs of teachers about working in OLEs.

The purpose of Chapter 2 is to provide background information on the evolution of approaches and of technology use in the teaching of FSFL which will serve as a historical and conceptual framework for the study in general. The chapter traces the influence of learning theories on practices and in the use of technology in the teaching of FSFL throughout the past century. A vision is outlined for teaching and learning FSFL in the 21st century. This vision is premised on use of OLEs and draws heavily on the theory of constructivism. It serves as a frame of reference for analyzing and interpreting teachers' beliefs.

Chapter 3 presents a review of the literature on the topic of teacher beliefs. Included in this review are studies and literature related to:

1. The nature of beliefs;
2. beliefs and change;
3. teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning;
4. teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning with technology;
5. teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning FSFL.

Various studies have contributed to our knowledge about teachers' beliefs on such topics as teaching FSFL and teaching with technology. These studies provide a useful starting point or framework from which to begin to build an understanding of teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning FSFL in online learning environments. Many of the studies included in the review aim to understand beliefs in relation to learning theories and, as such, present a perspective with which this study's data can be compared and understood.

Chapter 4 outlines the research methodology used to investigate the research questions. Eliciting beliefs and assuring the integrity of what is uncovered requires sophisticated and unobtrusive techniques that allow teachers to articulate what would be otherwise unconscious, implicit, tacit and unarticulated. Ensuring the integrity of such teacher talk also requires a wholistic means of analysis that captures the interrelatedness and complexity of the construct specifically and of the teacher's world in general. The present investigation relies on an online discussion which took place over the period of September, 1998 to June, 1999 and included participation from teachers primarily in Canada and the U.S. as well as in Europe, Australia, Africa and South America. As well, data were collected by means of questionnaires which were distributed to teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Finally, dialoguing was conducted with 16 discussion list participants and with 5 of the teachers who completed the questionnaire in order to gain a more in-depth understanding of the beliefs.

Chapter 5 presents the findings in a descriptive format. Excerpts from the discussions and questionnaires are presented in order to illustrate teachers' beliefs. The chapter aims to present the data with a minimal amount of interpretation. Chapter 6 presents an interpretation of the findings. The aim of the interpretation is to provide an answer to research question 2. The beliefs are analyzed in relation to the evolution of teaching approaches, learning theories and technology use in second- and foreign-language education as outlined in Chapter 2. Chapter 7 groups the major findings into themes and moves beyond an interpretation of the findings in order to understand the implication of these findings for educational practice and research. A discussion is presented on methodological considerations. Recommendations are made for educational practice as well as for educational research.