An in-depth analysis of pre-service elementary English teachers’ reflective journals on two different types of online microteaching

Abstract

The present study analyzed the content of pre-service elementary school teachers’ reflective journals on two different types of online English microteaching lessons: textbook-based synchronous and do-it-yourself asynchronous microteaching. This study particularly looked for any noticeable differences in recurring words and categories of the reflective content between the two types of microteaching as well as common threads or meaningful themes across the types. Participants were 72 pre-service elementary school teachers, and a total of 143 reflective journals were collected and analyzed. Data analysis occurred at three levels. An initial analysis of the journals identified the three most frequent categories in both types of microteaching: selection and sequence of activities; use of classroom English for lesson delivery; instructional focuses for lesson planning. There also appeared to be different patterns in frequent categories between the types. In the first round of textbook-based synchronous microteaching, the participants were concerned more with delivering and managing an online lesson skillfully; whereas they thought more deeply about selecting and revising learning content and material for do-it-yourself asynchronous microteaching. Four meaningful themes emerged from the final phase of data analysis: ‘online microteaching: feeling anxious, challenged, and accomplished,’ ‘activities, activities, activities!’, ‘someone else’s lesson vs. my own lesson,’ ‘conceptualizing what it means to use classroom English effectively.’ The study concluded with some implications for implementing online microteaching in a pre-service teacher education program.