Figures and Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 Aims and rationale -- 1.2 Methodological design -- 1.3 The significance -- 1.4 Overview of the study -- 2. Approaching Teachers’ beliefs from a perspective of complexity theory -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Definition of teacher beliefs -- 2.3 Introduction to language teacher beliefs -- 2.4 Complexity theory as a tool for understanding the relationship between beliefs, practice and contexts -- 2.5 Theoretical framework of the study -- 2.6 Analytical framework of the study -- 2.7 Conclusion -- 3. Chinese ELT context and EFL teachers -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Socio-economic contexts of Chinese educational reform -- 3.3 Chinese educational reform in the 21st century -- 3.4 Chinese EFL teachers’ dilemmas -- 3.5 Chinese EFL teachers’ professional development -- 3.6 Conclusion -- 4. Complex features of Chinese EFL teachers’ beliefs about EFL teaching -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Heterogeneity of the teachers’ professed beliefs about EFL teaching and learning -- 4.3 Interactive features of the teachers’ professed beliefs -- 4.4 Conclusion -- 5. Interactive dynamics between EFL teachers’ beliefs and practice -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Major types of the teachers’ practices and the teachers’ beliefs in practice -- 5.3 Analysis of the interactions between the teachers’ beliefs and practice -- 5. 4 Dynamic features of the teachers’ beliefs -- 5.5 Conclusion -- 6. Adaptive dynamics between EFL teachers’ beliefs and contexts -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Openness of the teachers’ belief systems -- 6.3 The mechanism of adaptation of the teachers’ complex belief system -- 6.4 Self-organisation of the teachers’ complex belief system -- 6.5 Conclusion -- 7. Complex features and co-adaptive mechanism of EFL teachers’ belief systems -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 Heterogeneous belief systems -- 7.3 Interactive dynamic belief systems -- 7.4 Open and co-adaptive belief systems -- 7.5 Making sense of the teachers’ belief systems: dynamic stability and self-organisation -- 7.6 Conclusion -- 8. Conclusion -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Theoretical implications -- 8.3 Methodological implications -- 8.4 Pedagogical implications -- 8.5 Implications for further research.