An Evaluation of the School-Based Teaching Practice in the Training of EFL Teachers by the English Department of the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana

Abstract

In the introduction, the article outlines the context of the practical EFL teacher training at the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana and provides the general rationale for this component of teacher education programs. The article then focuses on the results of an ongoing evaluation of the school-based teaching practice program for future EFL teachers (which included over 500 participants) from its inception to the present. The instruments used in the evaluation were questionnaires filled in by all the participating students and their mentors, and essay reports written by the students after each of the two obligatory practice weeks. The quantitative and qualitative data complement each other and confirm that school-based teaching practice is of key importance for shaping future language teachers. The large majority of students and mentors judge their practice teaching experience as positive. An active encounter with their future professional reality is also a major milestone in the students’ process of professional identification. The study also points out some aspects of the school-based teaching practice which should be further developed. Unfortunately, as can be seen from the conclusion, the current promises / the reality of the Bologna reform do not provide much cause for optimism.