A Qualitative Exploration into Beliefs of Pre-service EFL Teachers about School Experience

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to explore the beliefs of Turkish pre-service EFL teachers about their school experiences, and any change in their beliefs during this experience with a view to identifying their professional development as prospective teachers. For this purpose, 10 Turkish pre-service EFL teachers at a state university in central Turkey reflected their experiences for one semester in the process of their teaching practice period for 14 weeks. The results reveal that pre-service teachers hold different beliefs about overall approaches to teaching and learning a foreign language, language use in the classroom, classroom management and teaching grammar. The results also indicate change in their beliefs related to questioning selves as teachers, teaching profession in general, use of technology in the classroom, using teaching techniques, and classroom management. Findings of this study offer suggestions for teacher education programs, particularly for the school experience component.