English As A Foreign Language Student Teachers Research Articles

E-learning-oriented assessment and collaborative reflection for situated learning in language teacher education

Online teacher education programs can be more situated by engaging student teachers in Internet-based collaborative reflection (ICR) and e-learning-oriented assessment (ELOA) via Web 2.0 technology. Thus, this study explored how the role of English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) student teachers’ ICR practices and ELOA can enhance student teachers’ situated online teacher education. In this qualitative study, 15 Iranian EFL student teachers were chosen purposively within a transcendental phenomenology to conduct ICR on ELOA practices during situated learning in online teacher education. The results showed that implementing ICR on ELOA tended to enhance student-centered teacher education; collaborative and reflective teacher development; social, professional, cognitive, and emotional growth; and the connection of teaching, learning, and assessment within online teacher education. More specifically, ELOA practices allowed for meaningful tasks and authentic activities based on practical experience, triggered continuous feedback on EFL student teachers’ performance via technology, directed online learning and teaching, and enhanced a performance-based and learning-oriented assessment process. Pedagogical implications for the design of student teacher programs are discussed.

Listening to foreign language student teachers: The use of transcripts to study classroom interactions

Although many issues about the use of transcripts for studying classroom interactions have been addressed in other studies, little attention has been given to the use of transcripts to study student teachers’ classroom interactions. To achieve a deeper understanding of student teachers’ perspectives and permit the formulation of a more appropriate framework, it is crucial to hear from student teachers and investigate their experiences about the use of transcripts. Therefore, in the study reported on here we used 7 focus-group interviews of approximately 6 Saudi EFL (English as a foreign language) student teachers in each group to investigate their perceptions on the use of transcripts for studying their classroom interactions. The data were thematically analysed. Three themes that represented the participants’ experiences of using transcripts to study their classroom interactions emerged: using the transcript analysis, learning from the transcript analysis, and committing to using the transcript analysis. The findings reveal that most participants felt they had autonomy in using transcripts to study their classroom interactions, but experienced some challenges. Most students were determined to change their classroom interaction based on their analyses of classroom interactions but only a few demonstrated the determination to continue using the transcript analysis approach.

Competence, preparation, and relaxation: Contributing factors to EFL student teachers' self-efficacy and teaching performance in microteaching training

Microteaching is called “micro” teaching because it involves teaching a short lesson to a small group of people in a simulated classroom setting, with the goal of improving specific teaching skills or behaviors. Microteaching training represents a significant approach for enhancing the teaching competencies of student teachers. However, there is a scarcity of studies that examine the factors contributing to the self-efficacy and teaching performance of student teachers, both of which are central concerns in microteaching training programs. This study addresses this gap by synthesizing five contributing factors from existing literature, collecting survey responses from 272 English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) student teachers, and employing structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationships between these factors. The four hypotheses that were rejected yielded unexpected results, indicating negative relationships between participants' teaching experience and EFL speaking competence with their lesson-delivery competence, as well as a negative relationship between lesson-delivery competence and self-efficacy. Interestingly, public speaking anxiety was found to have no statistically significant impact on EFL student teachers' self-efficacy. This study establishes a theoretical framework that can assist decision-makers in enhancing facilitators and overcoming barriers in microteaching training programs. This framework can also be adapted for use in other academic studies.

The transformative cognition of English as a Foreign Language student teachers' personal practical knowledge.

This study investigates the process by which English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers transmute their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) into Personal Practical Knowledge (PPK) within a blended learning community. Data sources, including conversation transcripts, reflective journals, and field notes, were meticulously examined utilizing the commonplaces of temporality, sociality, and place. Several key findings were unveiled: (1) the volume and focal points of transformed PPK varied across participants; (2) the metamorphosis of PCK into PPK was found to be selectively partial, filtered by factors such as previous learning experiences, course expectations, and levels of engagement; and (3) the selection process was molded within the dynamic interplay of the internal components of the blended learning community and the external socio-cultural conditions. The study concludes that the cognition mechanism of EFL student teachers' PPK is characterized by elements of variation, selection, and dynamism.

DEMYSTIFYING STUDENT-UNIVERSITY IDENTIFICATION AMONG VIRTUAL TEFL CANDIDATES: THE CASE OF IRAN

Student-University Identification (SUI) of virtual students in higher education is one area of identity that receives less attention. This study aimed to explore the SUI of a purposive sample of five virtual students studying Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at the Ph.D. level in Iran. Investigating SUI in higher education among virtual TEFL Ph.D. candidates potentially contributes to demystifying a complex relationship of factors, such as cultural experiences, linguistic backgrounds, and online environment challenges. Using phenomenology, the study investigated the identities of the participants by thematically analyzing semi-structured interview data. The findings revealed the participants’ various ways of identifying with a university, the subsequent consequences of identification, and the obstacles preventing them to develop SUI. The findings indicated that several factors at play are unique to doctoral candidates. The faculty prestige, research-based concerns, and nature of online media were identified to be crucial aspects of SUI for the TEFL Ph.D. students. Universities are thus advised to provide appropriate direction for virtual candidates. The study also found that some students perceived a lack of competence in TEFL, which, in turn, acted as a barrier to their SUI. To alleviate this problem, further research needs to identify what is lacking in teacher education university programs and what initiatives are required to improve TEFL students’ professional development and help them become confident English teachers.

Effects of value and interest intervention on EFL student teachers' research motivation in the Chinese context.

Language teacher research is conducive to the development of teachers' teaching skills and professional careers. Thus, many English teacher education programs require student teachers to do research. However, some empirical findings suggest that English as a foreign language (EFL) student teachers lack research motivation. Consequently, finding suitable interventions to increase their research motivation has become increasingly necessary. In light of the importance of research motivation intervention, this study involved designing an experiment to identify the effect of a value and interest intervention including the sharing of positive research experiences to improve student teachers' research motivation. Quantitative questionnaires and qualitative semi-structured interviews were used to gather evidence on the change in student teachers' research motivation during the intervention. The interview data revealed that student teachers' research motivation was influenced by their belief in the value of research to their teaching practice. The experiment results suggested that student teachers' intrinsic and extrinsic research motivations both increased after the intervention. However, the intervention was not effective in curbing their failure avoidance tendency. Pedagogical implications of the results are discussed at the end of this article.

The Learning Skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Student-Teachers in Project-based Learning and Case-based Learning

As a new curriculum, Merdeka Belajar is expected to provide a learning experience enabling the students to articulate the knowledge and information they obtain to solve real-world problems. It is believed that CBL and PjBL are able to make it happen. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate what learning skills functioned regarding the implementation of case-based learning (CBL) and project-based learning (PjBL); and probe if the two learning models have a statistically significant difference in the learning skills of the student-teachers. A one-group post-test design and non-randomized sampling were used to select the participants. Two sets of questionnaires were administered to 20 EFL student-teachers as participants to obtain their perceptions about the implementation of CBL and PjBL. The findings revealed learning skills that functioned in the use of CBL included cognitive, critical thinking, and communication skills, whereas, in PjBL, they were critical thinking, learning engagement, and cognitive. However, the result of paired sample t-test showed that there was no significant difference statistically between the use of CBL and PjBL on the learning skills of the student-teachers. It is suggested that future researchers investigate the difference between the two learning models in different settings with different designs and large participants.

Collaborative digital writing and metacognitive knowledge in writing among TEFL students: the mediating role of online knowledge sharing


 
 
 Previous studies indicate that metacognitive knowledge has a key role in learning and that collaborative learning and knowledge sharing may affect learners’ metacognition. As such, the present study set out to test a structural model of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) students’ collaborative digital writing, online knowledge sharing, and metacognitive knowledge in writing, and specifically to examine the hypothesis that online knowledge sharing mediates the effect of collaborative digital writing and metacognitive knowledge in writing. With the participants of 102 Iranian TEFL undergraduate students, a structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to establish the structural model. The findings revealed the fitness of the structural model of relationships among the study variables. The results also confirmed the mediator role of knowledge sharing. The implications of the findings about knowledge sharing, attitude to collaborative digital writing, and metacognitive knowledge in writing are discussed.
 
 

A genre-based approach in the secondary school English writing class: Voices from student-teachers in the teaching practicum.

While the genre-based approach (GBA) has assumed increasing prominence in discussions of writing pedagogy for diverse classrooms, little is known about how secondary school student-teachers understand and adopt genre pedagogies in the English as a foreign language (EFL) writing class. Based on the data from semi-structured interviews and teaching materials, this study examined Chinese EFL student-teachers’ knowledge and use of genre-based writing instruction (GBWI) during the teaching practicum and explored the challenges they encountered in enacting it. The findings demonstrated that teacher informants showed some familiarity with genre pedagogies, especially in terms of scaffolding the linguistic features and semantic patterns in the focused genres. However, they were generally confused over the connection between language, content, and context, and their GBWI practice scarcely involved the explicit teaching of the linguistic and semantic choices for a specific audience and context, which gave rise to some perceived tensions in the teaching reality. Further probing has revealed the complex interplay between Chinese EFL student-teachers’ professional knowledge, perceived difficulties, and genre instructional practice in the secondary school writing class. The study concludes with practical implications for the student-teachers’ professional development of effective GBA.

Iraqi EFL teachers’ perception towards Google Classroom

<p>Nowadays, information technology (IT) based educational applications (Moodle, Google Classroom, and Zoom) are available for both teachers and students. This study aimed to identify Iraqi English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perception towards using Google Classroom at the university level. A qualitative research design (case study) was employed in this study. The researcher asked six Iraqi EFL teachers as volunteers to participate in this study. Those participants are working at different Iraqi universities. A semi-structured interview was used to get the data from those participants. Six phases of analysis were adopted to analyze the elicited data. The results revealed that Google Classroom is very important in EFL teaching and learning at tertiary level. This application has many advantages in teaching EFL students such as it enables students to find the lectures whenever they need them, encourages students to participate, speak, and comment freely and effectively without hesitations especially those who have some psychological problems like shyness. On the other hand, it has many disadvantages too such as it focuses on listening, writing, and watching skills and ignores the direct interaction between teachers and students, which could take place in the normal classes. </p>

WEB QUESTING IN TEFL COURSES: WHAT FACTORS DETER THE STUDENTS’ INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIOR?

The survival and the continuity of an organization’s operations depend upon the use of information. As such, investigating the Webquesting behavior of university students in general and TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language) students in particular during the Covid 19 seems essential. Since information-seeking behavior can be influenced by various factors we aimed to explore the attitude of TEFL students towards webquesting. In the next phase of the study, we sought the barriers to TEFL students’ Webquesting behaviour. Accordingly, the present research employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The statistical population consisted of 128 TEFL students and the sampling method was purposeful. The findings of this study revealed that the students were not satisfied with their webquesting and that there were two major obstacles in their webquesting, namely, learners’ constraints and teachers’ constraints. The inhibitors included lack of familiarity with Internet sources, poor information seeking skills, lack of interest in some topics, lack of skills in using the Internet, poor English proficiency, teachers’ lack of CALL (computer assisted language learning) preparation, lack of help from the side of teachers, teachers’ lack of attention to non-textbook resources, and students’ lack of motivation and time. Findings have implications for TEFL teachers, since, based on the qualitative data, the most important source of information for students is textbooks and the most important goal of searching for information is for doing homework. The importance of textbooks for students is the result of the pivotal role given to the text books by teachers and the final exams. Perhaps students’ lack of interest in webquesting is partly due to such an undue emphasis. On the other hand, students’ lack of interest in Webquesting was also due to the lack of attention and encouragement from the side of teachers to use the Internet resources.

Illuminating Chinese EFL student teachers’ paradoxical perceptions of theory learning experiences

ABSTRACT Theory-practice gap has been a long-standing challenge in teacher education, however, there has been scarce attention to student teachers’ theory learning experiences. This ethnographic study aimed to examine Chinese EFL (English as a foreign language) M.E.d. student teachers’ perceptions of the value of theory and their experiences of theory learning on the Master of Education programme. Four triangulated sources of data were employed, including student teachers’ portfolios of written responses to academic papers and reflections on their two-stage school experiences, longitudinal participant observations, course evaluations, and focus groups. It was found that the student teachers held paradoxical perceptions about theory learning. They endorsed the importance of theories, but resisted the mainstream theory learning methods which heavily relied on de-contextualised lecturing by teacher educators. To enhance student teachers’ theory learning experiences requires teacher educators’ overall instructional transformations, increased opportunities for reflective learning-to-teach experiences, and student teachers’ attitudinal change and sustained efforts.

Student teachers’ experience with improvisation activities for spontaneous speech practice in English

Because most real-life foreign language speech is naturally unpredictable, spontaneous speech should be practiced in the foreign language classroom. Student teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) may benefit from practising methodology for spontaneous speech practice. This article reports the findings for a study into EFL student teachers’ experiences with using improvisation activities, exploring the relevance of improvisation activities for spontaneous speech practice. The data include semi-guided texts and reluctant speakers’ interviews. The findings showed that improvisation activities facilitated spontaneous speech practice and strengthened speaking confidence through enjoyment. The ‘spontaneous speech mindset’ enabled participants to explore linguistic and creative boundaries. The study showed that application of improvisation activities is an excellent method for spontaneous speech practice in EFL teacher education.

The effect of microteaching lesson study on the beliefs of EFL student teachers

Microteaching lesson study, that is a variation of lesson study applied by student teachers in microteaching course, provides the environment for EFL student teachers to collaborate, engage, and reflect on their ideas, beliefs, and teaching experiences. Such condition is a fertile ground that enables the student teachers' beliefs of language learning to change. Recent studies show that some education programs have changed the beliefs of student teachers. However, no studies have discussed the changes of beliefs of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers experienced in microteaching lesson study. This present study aims to investigate the effect of microteaching lesson study on EFL student teachers� beliefs. The data were collected using a questionnaire on Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) adapted from Horwitz administered before and after microteaching lesson study. The participants were the EFL student teachers enrolling in a microteaching lesson study class at Universitas Muria Kudus. The study reveals that the beliefs of EFL student teachers did not change significantly after they experienced microteaching lesson study. Time seems to be one of the most influential factors in hindering the changes of beliefs of the EFL student teachers. Therefore, this study suggests that EFL student teachers be given more time to practise teaching in the microteaching course.

Students’ perceptions of student voice in assessment within the context of Iran: the dynamics of culture, power relations, and student knowledge

ABSTRACT Student voice across various contexts attempts to propose a deeper appreciation of the dynamics of curriculum making. However, little is known about how student voice interacts with culture, power relations, and student knowledge, particularly in assessment planning. Informed by democratic assessment, the current study investigated how student voice within higher education is either expressed or oppressed during assessment and what attitudes Iranian university students hold towards the concept of voice. To this aim, the data was accrued from 43 TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) students by means of interviews and open-ended questionnaires. The results indicated that students’ autonomy was suppressed, and students’ agency was restricted in the decision-making phase. Moreover, it was evidenced that students held superficial views towards student voice constructs within democratic assessment, which could have been because of their previous experiences. The implications are to raise awareness towards student voice complexities and how creating democratic spaces for students is culture-embedded.

EFL student-teachers’ imaginations of English language and their motivation for learning and teaching

ABSTRACT The present study investigated three Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) student-teachers’ imaginations of English language and explored how these imaginations may affect their motivation for learning English currently and teaching it in the future. The findings revealed that the participants valued English due to the economic, cultural, symbolic, and social capital that this language could bring for them in the future and that their imaginations played important roles in their motivation for learning and teaching English. The study concludes with implications for teacher educators to consider the EFL student-teachers’ imaginations and conceptions of English to make them more motivated to learn English and be effective English teachers in the future.

The native English teachers' expectations in teaching EFL students

Research into students’ expectations towards native English speakers or teachers has been commonly investigated for years, yet the significant exploration of native teachers’ perceptions towards their foreign students are rarely examined. This study tries to find out the Native English Speaker Teachers’ (NESTs) expectations in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) students. The data were compared with Gani et al.’s (2015) previous study of EFL learners’ expectations toward their native teachers. The participants in this study were two native English teachers who are currently working at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The interview was selected as the instrument to collect the data. The interview guide was designed and formulated based on a list of questionnaires that originated from Wu and Ke (2009). The interview with each teacher was recorded and the results were transcribed. The findings show that NESTs generally have similar expectations with the EFL students regarding speaking rate, learning environment, accent preferences, and assignments. However, diverse expectations occurred on the subject of syllabus design, grading system, grammatical correction, and pronunciation articulation. The results are further discussed in the paper. Consequently, the findings of this study can be used as a reference for both native teachers and EFL students in fulfilling the goal of learning in the classroom.

From Instructed Writing to Free-Writing: A Study of EFL Learners

Writing is an intricate process that encompasses various factors and is a key skill for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Thus, writing assignments are vital for any curriculum. One of the essential aspects of effective writing includes good grammar knowledge. Advocates of process writing argue that a free-writing journal is a practical approach to teaching EFL students writing. This study is intended to examine the impact of the free-writing journal on EFL learners. This study was conducted on 80 students from a writing course at the University. Thirty-five students were randomly selected to join the free-writing program—the experimental group—and 45 students were kept in their regular structured writing program—the control group. The experimental group selected topics of interest to them and was encouraged to write in English freely without concern for errors, whereas the control group followed a regular structured writing program where the topics were selected for them and they wrote following a clear guideline. Five major areas were investigated to evaluate students’ progress: the number of words written, spelling, capitalization, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 students of the experimental group to elicit their perception of the free-writing program. According to the analysis, students in the free-writing program acquired better grammar acquisition than the control group. The researcher also observed students’ perception of free-writing at the end of the study and found that free-writing improved their writing skills.

Investigating Nonnative TEFL Students’ Self-Regulation in an Online Learning Environment

Coping with technological revolution has become unavoidable in the educational process. In addition to the various advantages of integrating technology into the traditional classroom, utilizing it has been compulsory as an inevitable solution to a global crisis such as the Coronavirus pandemic that we face these days. The present study, using a case study design, aims at exploring self-regulatory strategies that undergraduate university students practice while engaging in virtual classrooms. Participants of the study were 187 university students from all levels. They are all majoring in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Data were collected using mixed method approach in which two tools of measurement were used in the research. An online questionnaire was administered to the participants, then online focus group interviews were conducted. Data gathered were analyzed statistically and findings revealed that non-native TEFL students are high-level self-regulatory learners with no significant effect of university level on students’ self-regulation. In addition, pedagogical recommendations were displayed.

Tracking the pre-service teachers development of communicative skills and their beliefs towards communicative approach

Concerns about the purpose of developing communicative skills in English teaching and approaches to overcome these concerns have always had an important place in language teaching. In this context, besides the fact that teachers’ roles are important, their beliefs about the approach have a profound influence on their professional achievement. In this regard, the aim of the present study was to determine Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) student teachers’ beliefs about developing their communicative skills with the communicative approach in Turkish context. The data obtained through Pre-Service Teacher Beliefs Questionnaire, in which 445 participants took part, and focus group interviews with 28 participants at several times and places were analysed by quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods respectively. As a result of the analysis, it was found that EFL student teachers generally had positive attitudes towards improving communicative skills of their prospective students with communicative approach; however, it was difficult for this approach to work properly in Turkey and in Turkish education system due to various reasons. In addition, it was found that EFL student teachers' self- efficacy beliefs were correlated with their attitudes towards the approach, and that many sub-factors such as second language proficiency also had an influence on the attitudes. Lastly, these findings were found to be significantly different according to the departments (ELL, ELT) rather than age and gender.