Abstract
Researchers have recognized pre-service teachers’ field experiences as a pivotal element for enhancing teaching practices. Research indicates pre-service teachers usually are optimistic about teaching. However, when pre-service teachers encounter complexities in classrooms, their optimism fades. There is little research about ESOL pre-service teachers’ perceptions of field experiences. In this inquiry, we focused on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their first field experience with ESOL students in a southeastern United States public school. We selected a multiple case study to conduct this qualitative research. We collected the data through student interviews, field experience reports, and the participants’ journals before and after the field experience. Our discoveries through constant comparative analysis centered on ESOL pre-service teachers’ perceptions of field experience, teaching strategies and pedagogical competence, and development stages of teachers. The findings of the present study indicated that field experience serves as a catalyst to facilitate the learning process for ESOL pre-service teachers. Teacher educators can adopt field experiences to challenge preservice teachers. Field experiences can be helpful tools in the developmental stages of teachers. These experiences can help preservice teachers gain insight into the culturally sensitive strategies required for ESOL courses. The findings of this study proved Khoshnevisan’s (2017) developmental stages of teachers.
Highlights
In 2001, the United States Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to support standards-based education reform
The findings of the present study indicated that field experience serves as a catalyst to facilitate the learning process for English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) pre-service teachers
Esol Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions, findings of this study proved Khoshnevisan’s (2017) developmental stages of teachers
Summary
In 2001, the United States Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to support standards-based education reform. Teachers in public schools need to prepare their students for standardized tests and provide evidence for their mastery of the subject matter. “Academic achievement is vital to the lives of all students, no matter their cultural or linguistic backgrounds. They need teachers well trained in the specific needs of language acquisition and strategies for active learning” With shifting demographics in the United States, pre-service teachers need to enhance their understanding of children whose cultural and educational background differs considerably with those of the teachers. Pre-service teachers bring with them specific expectations to field experience, partly formed by their prior knowledge and partially formed by the online ESOL course they had just passed. It is not surprising that their expectations do not tally with the reality of teaching in a physical classroom
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