Teachers and Students’ Stereotypes about the Teaching and Learning of English

Abstract

This article is the result of a research study that examined teachers and undergraduate students’ stereotypes about English teaching and learning processes at a private university in Tunja, Colombia. The research was carried out with six English teachers and twenty undergraduate students from first and second semesters. The instruments used to collect data were semi-structured interviews and questionnaires from both teachers and students. A grounded theory method was used to analyze the gathered information. Findings demonstrate that language teachers created stereotypes about students’ academic work, behavior, and attitudes due to their experiences with them as their teachers, and particularly according to students’ academic majors. Students also evidence stereotypes about the teaching and learning of English, according to their experiences in English class.