Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Motivation in the Frontier Region: Highlight of Teaching Practicum Program

Abstract

The importance of English as one of the compulsory subjects in high school remains a serious issue in English language teaching and it affects to the needs of English teachers, especially in a frontier region. The need of English teachers in the frontier region is very urgent since the educational background of some former English teachers there is not English. Then, pre-service teachers are being prepared in order to provide qualified English teachers through teaching practicum program in which it is a pivotal event for them in having experience of being a teacher. This study deals with the pre-service teachers motivations to become English teachers and their experience in their motivations during the teaching practicum program. Data were collected via personal reflection and focus group interview from ten participants. They had their teaching experience in three months. This study reveals how the participants motivations raise through their experience to a positive side in terms of their motivation as an English teacher and impact on other aspects of their teaching. This study concludes with some implication for the government as a policy maker and English teachers to promote pre-service teachers motivations towards teaching English.