Unpacking the disposition of beliefs among pre-service Chinese as an additional language teachers

Pre-service Chinese as an additional language (CAL) teachers' beliefs can influence their teaching psychologies, behaviors, and career choices. This study thus aimed to explore the nature of pre-service CAL teachers' beliefs, thereby assisting educational institutions in better understanding their psychology. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 517 pre-service CAL teachers, and descriptive statistical analysis was used to investigate the overall characteristics of their beliefs. Independent sample t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were utilized to explore individual differences in pre-service CAL teachers' beliefs. Overall, the present study revealed that pre-service CAL teachers exhibit strong beliefs. Specifically, in comparison to other dimensional beliefs, their beliefs about career development (BCD) are moderate. Significant differences in BCD were observed among pre-service CAL teachers of different genders, ages, educational backgrounds, and teaching experiences. Based on the results of this study, future research could focus more on the individual characteristics of pre-service CAL teachers to further investigate the factors contributing to the individual differences in BCD. Additionally, this study provides insights into the cultivation of BCD among pre-service CAL teachers.