‘Seeing is believing’: looking at EFL teachers’ beliefs through classroom interaction

This article explores the pedagogical beliefs and classroom interactions of two secondary school English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language teachers – one novice and one experienced – in the People’s Republic of China. Using interview and classroom observation data, our study depicts the teachers’ pedagogical beliefs about teaching and learning by comparing what they say about their professional practice with their classroom interaction. We argue that, by analysing teachers’ stated beliefs and their interactions while teaching, it is possible to gain a fuller understanding of the complex inter‐relationship between what teachers say they do and believe and how they interact with students. Our study has relevance to the growing body of literature on teacher cognition, and to research on classroom interaction and teacher development.