PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ON READINESS OF TEACHING SPEAKING SKILLS

Abstract

In recent years, researchers have focused on how students and teachers perceive language learning and teaching. However, few studies have been conducted on pre- service teachers’ and teachers’ beliefs about teaching speaking skills. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine pre-service EFL teachers’ beliefs about their readiness to teach speaking skills. In particular, the researcher aimed to find out which speaking skills pre-service EFL teachers felt ready or unprepared to teach, and to what extent pre-service EFL teachers perceived themselves as ready to teach speaking skills. The participants of the research are 61 undergraduate senior students enrolled in the English Language Teaching program at Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University in Turkestan. A mixed-method research design approach was used and samples from both quantitative and qualitative sections were utilized. Factor analysis was performed for the validity of the scale developed in this study, and the reliability of the scale was determined by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0,92). The results of the study showed that the majority of the participants gave positive responses to the belief statements about teaching speaking skills. However, some participants stated that they did not agree with some statements of belief. Several interpretations and suggestions were derived from the results of the present study.