Research in primary languages: Contribution to teacher professional development

The teaching of a second/foreign language in primary school has become a global phenomenon. Nevertheless, the scant evidence that exists about primary school teachers' knowledge and beliefs about language pedagogy suggests that these are often influenced by their own experiences and ``lay wisdom'' rather than by research-informed principles. Furthermore, bringing about shifts in the knowledge and beliefs of busy in-service teachers is a challenge. This chapter begins by outlining what is already known about primary language teachers' beliefs, and what key research-informed principles might be important for them to know and understand. It then considers the creation and impact of an online training initiative designed to develop teachers' understanding of primary languages pedagogy and practice. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data from teacher participants in a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC), we discuss whether the initiative resulted in changes in teachers' understanding and beliefs, and to what extent the methods used in the online materials facilitated any development. The chapter concludes by considering the implications of the study for models of primary school language teacher development and areas for future research