Beliefs related to the teaching of sociocultural content in SFL: a diagnosis in initial teachers training

Abstract

This article presents the results of a research whose main objective is to explore the beliefs of teachers of Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) in initial training, regarding the teaching of sociocultural content or knowledge. This is a quantitative study with a pre-experimental design that, through pre- and post-test questionnaires applied to the participants, allows us to observe the evolution of their beliefs before and after a training program for the Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language at a Spanish university. The results indicate significant improvement, after the training course, in indicators related to teaching practice, regulations and the relationship of sociocultural content with intercultural communicative competence. In general, it is concluded that the training program of the master's degree in SFL is key to modifying certain initial beliefs and false myths of the teachers in initial training, although to a different degree in the categories analyzed.