Changes in Teaching Beliefs of Chinese Pre-service Teachers from the Perspective of Intercultural Reciprocal Learning

This chapter investigates, analyzes, and discusses the changes in Chinese pre-service teachers’ teaching beliefs before and after their participation in the RLP, as well as the influences that led to these changes. The study adopted the QUAN+QUAL design type of the Simultaneous Mixed Methods Research (SMR) proposed by Molina-Azorin (Organizational Research Methods 33–56, 2012) to synchronize qualitative and quantitative research on pre-service teachers’ beliefs about teaching change in China. The results of the study showed that, in general, cross-cultural reciprocal learning did have a significant impact on pre-service teachers’ teaching beliefs and enhanced the constructivist tendency of pre-service teachers’ teaching beliefs; specifically, professional education has a core influence on the epistemology beliefs of pre-service teachers in China, reflective activities changed pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, classroom observations changed pre-service teachers’ learner beliefs, key people and events changed pre-service teachers’ teaching-role beliefs. In a word, educational practices in both China and Canada are valuable.