English language teachers' appropriation of tools in the Singapore classrooms: A socio-cultural analysis

Abstract

Teacher education research continues to show a gulf between teaching practices advocated in teacher preparation and practices adopted by beginning teachers in schools. Informed by the sociocultural perspective on teacher learning that foregrounds the social origin of human cognition, this article reports a qualitative study to investigate the sociocultural influences on the teaching of three beginning teachers in Singapore secondary schools. The findings demonstrate the need to take into account the role of larger structures in the talk and actions of teachers in order to understand their classroom practices. The article concludes with a consideration of some implications for teacher education.