Becoming EFL Teachers in Central Java: The Experience of “Teaching Practice” Components in Pre-service Teacher Education

Abstract

This study explores the experience of prospective English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers enrolled in pre-service teacher education in Indonesia. Some studies argue that Indonesian graduate EFL teachers do not meet the standard of mature English language use or pedagogical competence. This triggers questions regarding the quality of teacher education programs that principally produce the existing in-service and pre-service teachers. It is important to trace the problems from pre-service teacher education that may present difficulties for English teachers during their training. In this paper we focus on the experience of preservice EFL teachers who have completed the first round of what is called microteaching in the Indonesian preservice EFL teacher education program. Data for the paper was drawn from semi-structured interviews and group meetings with EFL preservice teachers. Analysis of data indicates first that students enroll in an EFL teacher education course for many reasons, not all of them in order to become a teacher. Second English language capacity, knowledge of teaching, accessing resources and managing English language use in the microteaching classroom are all issues that determine how preservice teachers feel about the extent to which they are successful in these microteaching sessions.