The cognitions underlying teachers' use of instructional materials on a BA ELT at a Mexican university

While in the field of language education much has been written about the
design and use of instructional materials, very few studies have actually
studied teachers' practices in using materials and the rationales for these
practices. In response to this gap, this work examines the findings of a study of
English language teachers' use of instructional materials on a BA ELT
programme in Mexico.
Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, the study examines how
more experienced (METs) and less experienced (LETs) language teachers use
ELT materials in their lessons, and identifies what factors• cognitive and
contextual• influence their decisions. Language teachers in the institution
under study first completed a questionnaire about their use of instructional
materials; six of these teachers were then studied through observations and
interviews to provide a deeper understanding of classroom practices in using
materials and the factors shaping their choices.
Findings revealed that textbooks were the most relevant materials in the
teachers' practices. In this vein the study unveiled contrasting beliefs between
LETs and METs about the use of textbooks. The study also showed that
contextual factors such as the length of courses and lessons, and the
textbook-based assessment, were explicitly raised as the most influential over
the teachers' use of materials. Another emerging factors that also shaped
teachers' use of materials include: Procedures for selecting textbooks,
institution's facilities, out of fashion materials at the resource centre,
institutional mechanisms to supervise teachers' practices and types of
teachers' work contracts.
Contributions from this work are expected to be relevant for the institution
under study, for similar other BA ELT programs and for the field of teacher
cognition.