3.7 The Contribution of this Study

This review of the literature has drawn attention to the importance of beliefs in the teaching process. The present study provides a definition of beliefs which emphasizes the importance and value of teachers' personal knowledge, pedagogies and theories as a means of gaining insight into the complex world of teaching and learning. A significant body of research has focused on the area of beliefs and change. Nespor's (1987) work as well as that of Rokeach (1968) has emphasized the ability of beliefs to resist change. The conclusions of the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Project also address the issue of change in beliefs. The ACOT conclusions relate more specifically to the focus of the present study. The project’s notion of the "altered context" as a catalyst for change parallels the premise of this thesis. It is the "altered context", the new territory or new environment, that challenges traditional beliefs. This study takes an ecological perspective in its attempts to understand the relation of teachers' beliefs to traditional and online learning environments. The important contribution of this study is the emphasis placed on understanding teachers’ beliefs in relation to online environments or an altered context. Unlike the ACOT study, the present study does not focus solely on teachers who are working presently with technology. The present study was interested in capturing a range of beliefs about teaching and learning FSFL in online environments and therefore included them in this study. No doubt there are teachers who, while they are familiar with online environments, have chosen not work in them because of their beliefs. This study aims to capture the beliefs of these teachers as well as those who are familiar and experienced with working in online environments.

A further contribution to the understanding of teachers' beliefs made by this study is the attempt to relate teachers' beliefs about teaching FSFL to a historical and conceptual framework, or context of approaches to language teaching and to use of technology in teaching FSFL. Rather than simply categorizing teachers' beliefs as being either constructivist or behaviourist as some studies might do, this study will aim to understand teachers' beliefs in relation to a larger, more complex framework that encompasses the entire context for language learning throughout the century with and without technology. Included in this framework is an outline of a vision of learning FSFL in the 21^st century which is based on a constructivist approach and which is facilitated by online learning.

While there is a significant amount of research and literature that seeks to explain the role of constructivism in teaching and learning, there is little research that considers constructivism in relation to FSFL learning. The present study’s focus on constructivism in relation to language learning represents therefore one of the few attempts at understanding the relationship of this theory of learning with second-language learning. This study recognizes that constructivism is a sufficiently broad theory to allow it to encompass a wide variety of domains beyond those of science and mathematics.

A further contribution of this study is its attempt to understand teachers' beliefs about using technology in relation to a particular content area or domain. Many studies will focus on teachers' beliefs about computer or technology use. This study recognizes that teachers use technology generally to deliver a particular content or focus on a specific content area. While the inclusion of the content area makes the study more complex, it parallels more closely the complexity inherent in teaching and learning. The present review of the literature uncovered no such studies. The present study is very broad and has a large scope. Such an approach was deemed necessary and important in order to gain a first insight into this complex and new area.

A final but significant contribution of this study to our knowledge about teachers' beliefs relates to the focus of the study. Studies on teachers' beliefs often tend to focus specifically on the teachers themselves profiling for example the system of beliefs held by individual teachers. Such studies are important and necessary in order to understand systems of beliefs and how beliefs affect practice. This study focused on individual beliefs while still recognizing the fact that individuals possess belief systems which house all the beliefs of that individual and that these systems represent complex organizations consisting of discrete sets of inter-related concepts (Wehling Charters, 1969).

While it might appear beneficial to study entire systems of beliefs, such a focus may provide ambiguous results. As Klien (1996) observed, teachers' beliefs can be eclectic which means that teachers may hold contradictory sets of beliefs. For example, they may hold beliefs which reflect, at the same time, a constructivist and a transmissionist philosophy. This should not be surprising since teachers' beliefs or implicit theories are unlike official theories in that they are not organized into a coherent body of knowledge or an interrelated set of propositions or principles. Identifying particular, individual beliefs may assist in better understanding belief systems in general and the contradictions often inherent in them. Understanding individual beliefs can help to identify those beliefs which may be more central to a particular learning theory. On a practical level, an understanding of individual beliefs can assist in the design of professional development sessions.