Published

2022-07-27

The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs

La técnica de rejilla: una exploración de datos cualitativos y cuantitativos sobre las creencias pedagógicas de los profesores de idiomas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v24n2.95749

Keywords:

foreign language teachers, Mexico, mixed-method approach, pedagogical beliefs, repertory grid technique interviews (en)
creencias pedagógicas, enfoque de método mixto, maestros de lenguas extranjeras, México, técnica de rejilla (es)

Downloads

Authors

This article focuses on the use of the repertory grid technique as a research instrument for conducting and analyzing interviews in the field of teaching English as a foreign language. As a demonstration of the explanatory usefulness of this methodological framework, a pilot study was carried out to elicit second language teachers’ tacit beliefs concerning cultural perceptions of good language teaching. Repertory grid interviews were conducted with nine teachers at a public university in central Mexico. The data from each group were compared to uncover possible cultural influences on participants’ beliefs. It is hoped that this overview of the method encourages an interest in repertory grid interviews and their analytic techniques in the field of applied linguistics and in English as a foreign language teaching in particular.

Este artículo explora el uso de la técnica de rejilla como instrumento de investigación para realizar y analizar entrevistas en el campo de la enseñanza del inglés. Para demostrar la utilidad explicativa de este marco metodológico, se realizó un estudio piloto para conocer las creencias tácitas de los profesores de segunda lengua sobre las percepciones culturales de la buena enseñanza de idiomas. Las entrevistas se hicieron con nueve profesores de una universidad pública del centro de México. Se compararon los datos de cada grupo para identificar posibles influencias culturales en las creencias de los participantes. Se espera que esta descripción general del método fomente el interés en la técnica de rejilla dentro de la lingüística aplicada y de la enseñanza del inglés en particular.

References

Álvarez-Valencia, J. A. (2014). Developing the intercultural perspective in foreign language teaching in Colombia: A review of six journals. Language and Intercultural Communication, 14(2), 226–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2014.896922

Amiryousefi, M. (2015). Iranian EFL teachers and learners’ beliefs about vocabulary learning and teaching. International Journal of Research Studies in Language Learning, 4(4), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsll.2015.1016

Anderson, J. (1993). Is a communicative approach practical for teaching English in China? Pros and cons. System, 21(4), 471–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/0346-251X(93)90058-O

Atkinson, D. (1999). TESOL and culture. TESOL Quarterly, 33(4), 625–654. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587880

Aubrey, S. (2009). A cross-cultural discussion of Japan and South Korea and how differences are manifested in the ESL/EFL classroom. Asian Social Science, 5(5), 34–39. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v5n5p34

Baldwin, J. R., Faulkner, S. L., Hecht, M. L., & Lindsley, S. L. (Eds.). (2006). Redefining culture: Perspectives across the disciplines. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410617002

Beail, N. (1985). An introduction to repertory grid technique. In N. Beail (Ed.), Repertory grid technique and personal constructs: Applications in clinical & educational settings (pp. 1–24). Brookline Books.

Bodycott, P. (1997). The influence of personal history on preservice Malay, Tamil, and Chinese teacher thinking. Journal of Education for Teaching, 23(1), 57–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607479720178

Borg, S. (2006). Teacher cognition and language education: Research and practice. Continuum.

Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X018001032

Burnaby, B., & Sun, Y. (1989). Chinese teachers’ views of western language teaching: Context informs paradigms. TESOL Quarterly, 23(2), 219–238. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587334

Can, C., Bedir, H., & Kiliańska-Przybyło, G. (2011). Is teaching culture-bound? A cross-cultural study on the beliefs of ELT teachers. In J. Arabski & A. Wojtaszek (Eds.), Aspects of culture in second language acquisition and foreign language learning (pp. 107–120). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20201-8_9

Clark-Gareca, B., & Gui, M. (2019). Chinese and American EFL teachers’ beliefs about curricular and pedagogical practices: Cross-cultural similarities and differences. Language and Intercultural Communication, 19(2), 137–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2018.1456546

Degen, T., & Absalom, D. (1998). Teaching across cultures: Considerations for Western EFL teachers in China. Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics, 3(2), 117–132.

Denicolo, P., & Pope, M. (Eds.). (1997). Sharing understanding and practice. EPCA Publications.

Diamond, C. T. P. (1982). Understanding others: Kellyian theory, methodology, and application. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 6(4), 395–420. https://doi.org/10.1016/0147-1767(82)90021-9

Diefenbach, T. (2009). Are case studies more than sophisticated storytelling? Methodological problems of qualitative empirical research mainly based on semi-structured interviews. Quality & Quantity, 43(6), 875–894. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-008-9164-0

Dillon, A., & McKnight, C. (1990). Towards a classification of text types: A repertory grid approach. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 33(6), 623–636. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7373(05)80066-5

Dunkin, M. J. (1995). Concepts of teaching and teaching excellence in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 14(1), 21–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436950140103

Dunn, W. N. (1986). The policy grid: A cognitive methodology for assessing policy dynamics. In W. N. Dunn (Ed.), Policy analysis: Perspectives, concepts and methods (pp. 355–375). JAI Press.

Eren, Ö. (2020). Teacher autonomy from a cross-cultural perspective: A repertory grid study for beliefs and practices. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 7(1), 96–109.

Fives, H., & Buehl, M. M. (2012). Spring cleaning for the “messy” construct of teachers’ beliefs: What are they? Which have been examined? What can they tell us? In K. R. Harris, S. Graham, T. Urdan, S. Graham, J. M. Royer, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), APA educational psychology handbook, Vol. 2: Individual differences and cultural and contextual factors (pp. 471–499). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13274-019

Fransella, F., Bell, R., & Bannister, D. (2004). A manual for repertory grid technique (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Fromm, M. (2004). Introduction to the repertory grid interview. Waxmann.

Ginsberg, A. (1989) Construing the business portfolio: A cognitive model of diversification. Journal of Management Studies, 26(4), 417–438. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1989.tb00737.x

Gorrell, G., Ford, N., Madden, A., Holdridge, P., & Eaglestone, B. (2011). Countering method bias in questionnaire‐based user studies. Journal of Documentation, 67(3), 507–524. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411111124569

Hardison, H. G., & Neimeyer, R. A. (2012). Assessment of personal constructs: Features and functions of constructive techniques. In P. Caputi, L. L. Viney, B. M. Walker, & N. Crittenden (Eds.), Personal construct methodology (pp. 3–51). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119953616.ch1

Harispe, S., Ranwez, S., Janaqi, S., & Montmain, J. (2015). Semantic similarity from natural language and ontology analysis. Morgan & Claypool Publishers. https://doi.org/10.2200/S00639ED1V01Y201504HLT027

Harris, L. R., & Brown, G. T. L. (2010). Mixing interview and questionnaire methods: Practical problems in aligning data. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 15, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.7275/959j-ky83

Hassenzahl, M., & Trautmann, T. (2001). Analysis of web sites with the repertory grid technique. In M. Tremaine (Chair), Proceedings of the CHI 2001 Conference on Human Factors in Computing: Extended abstracts (pp. 167–168). Addison-Wesley. https://doi.org/10.1145/634067.634169

Heckmann, M., & Burk, L. (2017). Gridsampler: A simulation tool to determine the required sample size for repertory grid studies. Journal of Open Research Software, 5(1), 1–11. http://doi.org/10.5334/jors.150

Hong, P., & Pawan, F. (2015). The pedagogy and practice of western-trained Chinese English language teachers: Foreign education, Chinese meanings. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203095188

Jankowicz, A. D. (1987). Whatever became of George Kelly? Applications and implications. American Psychologist, 42(5), 481–487. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.42.5.481

Jankowicz, A. D. (2004). The easy guide to repertory grids. Wiley & Sons.

Jerrard, R. (1998). Quantifying the unquantifiable: An inquiry into the design process. Design Issues, 14(1), 40–53. https://doi.org/10.2307/1511828

Joram, E., & Gabriele, A. J. (1998). Preservice teachers’ prior beliefs: Transforming obstacles into opportunities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 14(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(97)00035-8

Kelly, G. (1955). The psychology of personal constructs. Norton.

Kelly, G. (1963). A theory of personality: The psychology of personal constructs. Norton.

King, N., & Horrocks, C. (2010). Interviews in qualitative research (1st ed.). SAGE.

Kozikoglu, I. (2017). Prospective teachers’ cognitive constructs concerning ideal teacher qualifications: A phenomenological analysis based on repertory grid technique. International Journal of Instruction, 10(3), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2017.1035a

Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in practice: Mind, mathematics, and culture in everyday life. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511609268

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815355

Lessard-Clouston, M. (2016). Twenty years of culture learning and teaching research: A survey with highlights and directions. NECTFL Review, (77), 53–89.

Liu, J. (2004). Methods in the post-methods era: Report on an international survey of language teaching methods. International Journal of English Studies, 4(1), 137–152.

Liu, S., & Meng, L. (2009). Perceptions of teachers, students and parents of the characteristics of good teachers: A cross-cultural comparison of China and the United States. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(4), 313–328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-009-9077-z

Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study (1st ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Luque, A., Rodriguez, J. M., & Mamacho, M. (1999). El uso de la rejilla: revisión. Anales de Psiquiatría, 15(6), 44–51.

Moynihan, T. (1996). An inventory of personal constructs for information systems project risk researchers. Journal of Information Technology, 11(4), 359–371. https://doi.org/10.1177/026839629601100409

Neimeyer, R. A., Baker, K., & Neimeyer, G. J. (1990). The current status of personal construct theory: Some psychometric data. In G. J. Neimeyer & R. A. Neimeyer (Eds.), Advances in personal construct theory (Vol. 1, pp. 3–22). JAI Press.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2009). Creating effective teaching and learning environments: First results from TALIS. OECD Publishing.

Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307–332. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543062003307

Pawlak, M. (2011). Cultural differences in perceptions of form-focused instruction: The case of advanced Polish and Italian learners. In J. Arabski & A. Wojtaszek (Eds.), Aspects of culture in second language acquisition and foreign language learning (pp. 77–94). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20201-8_7

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879‐903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Rao, Z. (2013). Teaching English as a foreign language in China: Looking back and forward. Reconciling modern methodologies with traditional ways of language teaching. English Today, 29(3), 34–39. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078413000291

Read, D., Lane, D., & van der Leeuw, S. (2009). The innovation innovation. In D. Lane, D. Pumain, S. E. van der Leeuw, & G. West (Eds), Complexity perspectives in innovation and social change (Vol. 7, pp. 43-84). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9663-1_3

Richter, K. G., & Lara-Herrera, R. (2017). Characteristics and pedagogical behaviours of good EFL instructors: The views of selected southeast Asian and Mexican SLTE students. RELC Journal, 48(2), 180–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688216645473

Risager, K. (2011). The cultural dimensions of language teaching and learning. Language Teaching, 44(4), 485–499. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444811000280

Rubenstein, I. Z. (2006). Educational expectations: How they differ around the world: Implications for teaching ESL college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 30(5–6), 433–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668920500442224

Sabirova, E. G., Vasyagina, N. N., & Imanov, A. K. (2016). The model of the professional and personal orientation of the teacher. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 11(1), 291–301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/333

Saúl, L. A., López-González, M. A., Moreno-Pulido, A., Corbella, S., Compaña, V., & Feixas, G. (2012). Bibliometric review of the repertory grid technique: 1998–2007. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 25(2), 112–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2012.651065

Schleicher, A. (2018). TALIS 2018: Insights and interpretations. OECD Publishing.

Schulz, R. A. (2001). Cultural differences in student and teacher perceptions concerning the role of grammar instruction and corrective feedback: USA‐Colombia. The Modern Language Journal, 85(2), 244–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/0026-7902.00107

Sechrest, L. (2009). The psychology of personal constructs: George Kelly. In J. M. Wepman & R. W. Heine (Eds.), Concepts of personality (pp. 206–233). Transaction Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1037/11175-008

Sendan, F., & Roberts, J. (1998). Orhan: A case study in the development of a student teacher’s personal theories. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 4(2), 229–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/1354060980040203

Shi, L. (2009). Chinese-Western “contact zone”: Students’ resistance and teachers’ adaptation to local needs. TESL Canada Journal, 27(1), 47–63. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v27i1.1035

Simpson, S. T. (2008). Western EFL teachers and East-West classroom-culture conflicts. RELC Journal, 39(3), 381–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688208096847

Stanley, P. (2013). A critical ethnography of “Westerners” teaching English in China: Shanghaied in Shanghai. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203078051

Stigler, J. W., & Hiebert, J. (1999). Teaching gap: Best ideas from the world’s teachers for improving education in the classroom. Free Press.

Tan, F. B., & Hunter, M. G. (2002). The repertory grid technique: A method for the study of cognition in information systems. MIS Quarterly, 26(1), 39–57. https://doi.org/10.2307/4132340

Tomico, O., Karapanos, E., Levy, P., Mizutani, N., & Yamanaka, T. (2009). The repertory grid technique as a method for the study of cultural differences. International Journal of Design, 3(3), 55–63.

Widiati, U., & Cahyono, B. Y. (2006). The teaching of EFL speaking in the Indonesian context: The state of the art. Bahasa Dan Seni, 34(2), 269–292.

Wright, R. P. (2004). Mapping cognitions to better understand attitudinal and behavioral responses in appraisal research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 339–374. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.245

Yaman, Ş. (2008). A case study of an EFL teacher’s personal & professional development: Employing repertory grid elicitation technique. Boğaziçi University Journal of Education, 25(1), 25–41.

Yoo, A. J. (2014). The Effect Hofstedes cultural dimensions have on student–teacher relationships in the Korean context. Journal of International Education Research, 10(2), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.19030/jier.v10i2.8519

Young, T. J., Sachdev, I., & Seedhouse, P. (2009). Teaching and learning culture on English language programmes: A critical review of recent empirical literature. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 3(2), 149–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501220802283178

Zhang, L. J. (2016). Reflections on the pedagogical imports of western practices for professionalizing ESL/EFL writing and writing-teacher education. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 39(3), 203–232. https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.39.3.01zha

Zhou, Y., Xu, S., & Bayley, J. (2011). Intercultural competence and EFL teaching in China. In L. Jin & M. Cortazzi (Eds.), Researching Chinese learners: Skills, perceptions and intercultural adaptations (pp. 138–166). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230299481_7

Zuber-Skerritt, O. (1987). A repertory grid study of staff and students’ personal constructs of educational research. Higher Education, 16(5), 603-623. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00128424

Zuber-Skerritt, O. (1988). Eliciting personal constructs of research, teaching and/or professional development. In J. Steele & J. G. Hedberg (Eds), Designing for learning in industry and education: Proceedings of EdTech 88. https://bit.ly/38lIljc

How to Cite

APA

Richter, K., Houde, P. M. A. & Zimányi, K. (2022). The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 24(2), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v24n2.95749

ACM

[1]
Richter, K., Houde, P.M.A. and Zimányi, K. 2022. The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development. 24, 2 (Jul. 2022), 215–229. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v24n2.95749.

ACS

(1)
Richter, K.; Houde, P. M. A.; Zimányi, K. The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs. Profile: Issues Teach. Prof. Dev. 2022, 24, 215-229.

ABNT

RICHTER, K.; HOUDE, P. M. A.; ZIMÁNYI, K. The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, [S. l.], v. 24, n. 2, p. 215–229, 2022. DOI: 10.15446/profile.v24n2.95749. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/95749. Acesso em: 13 mar. 2026.

Chicago

Richter, Kenneth, Patricia Marie Anne Houde, and Krisztina Zimányi. 2022. “The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs”. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development 24 (2):215-29. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v24n2.95749.

Harvard

Richter, K., Houde, P. M. A. and Zimányi, K. (2022) “The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs”, Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 24(2), pp. 215–229. doi: 10.15446/profile.v24n2.95749.

IEEE

[1]
K. Richter, P. M. A. Houde, and K. Zimányi, “The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs”, Profile: Issues Teach. Prof. Dev., vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 215–229, Jul. 2022.

MLA

Richter, K., P. M. A. Houde, and K. Zimányi. “The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs”. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, vol. 24, no. 2, July 2022, pp. 215-29, doi:10.15446/profile.v24n2.95749.

Turabian

Richter, Kenneth, Patricia Marie Anne Houde, and Krisztina Zimányi. “The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs”. Profile: Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development 24, no. 2 (July 27, 2022): 215–229. Accessed March 13, 2026. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/95749.

Vancouver

1.
Richter K, Houde PMA, Zimányi K. The Repertory Grid Interview: Exploring Qualitative and Quantitative Data on Language Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs. Profile: Issues Teach. Prof. Dev. [Internet]. 2022 Jul. 27 [cited 2026 Mar. 13];24(2):215-29. Available from: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/95749

Download Citation

CrossRef Cited-by

CrossRef citations4

1. Pariwat Imsa-ard. (2025). Reframing subjectivity and construct elicitation: Applying the repertory grid technique in applied linguistics research. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4(3), p.100261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2025.100261.

2. Berk İlhan. (2026). Identifying Gen Z Student-teachers’ English Teaching Constructs through a Personal Construct Psychology Approach. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 34(1), p.137. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.1878571.

3. Κυριακή Ευθυμίου, Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου. (2024). Η μεθοδολογία της «σχάρας διπολικών εννοιών» (repertory grid). Διερευνώντας τα οφέλη συμμετοχής σε Προγράμματα Erasmus+ ως παράδειγμα εφαρμογής της. Έρευνα στην Εκπαίδευση, 13(1), p.29. https://doi.org/10.12681/hjre.35568.

4. Jurriaan van Diggelen, Christine Boshuijzen-van Burken, Julian Vince. (2025). Capturing the design space of meaningful human control in military systems using repertory grids. Frontiers in Psychology, 16 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536667.

Dimensions

PlumX

Article abstract page views

2020

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.