Teachers’ beliefs and practices in vocabulary instruction: a study of beginner EFL classrooms

Vocabulary is a central component of foreign language proficiency, yet its place in classroom practice may remain less systematic than that of grammar and the four language skills. This article examines teachers’ beliefs and reported practices concerning twenty vocabulary teaching strategies in beginner English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms at a state university in Toluca, State of Mexico. Eight EFL teachers completed a two-section questionnaire measuring perceived usefulness and reported frequency of strategy use. A semi-structured interview was conducted with four participants, and a personalized follow-up interview was subsequently carried out with four teachers selected according to the number of inconsistencies in their questionnaire responses. The findings show a marked difference between what teachers considered useful and what they reported doing. Paraphrasing and physical action were the strategies with the strongest alignment between perceived usefulness and practice. Word tests and skipping inessential unknown words were reported as common classroom practices, whereas dictionaries were reportedly not employed despite being considered very useful by six participants. Qualitative evidence indicates that time constraints, coursebook requirements, perceptions of beginner learners, teacher preparation, and established teaching habits shape vocabulary practices. The article argues, on the basis of the study’s own evidence that vocabulary instruction in beginner classrooms would benefit from more explicit attention, greater teacher awareness of strategy use, and opportunities for professional development.