Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Research into teacher beliefs is a relatively new topic in language education; however, in the field of education it was addressed as early as the mid‐1970s. In his study, now a classic, Lortie (1975) looked at the socialization into teaching of first‐language teachers. The study marked a change in paradigm. Previously, teaching had been viewed as a process‐product with an emphasis on teacher behavior and learning outcomes. Now, teacher thinking and knowledge are recognized as playing an important role in teaching. Teaching began to be studied from an emic, or insider, perspective, and so research into what is now known as teacher thinking, teacher cognition, teacher learning, or teacher knowledge was born.</jats:p>