English As A Foreign Language Teacher Education Research Articles

Employing reflective practice to capture Indonesian EFL pre-service teachers' conceptions of English learning

Understanding the English language learning concept is crucial for success in learning English. Numerous studies have focused on English as a foreign language (EFL) in-service teachers' perceptions of English language learning, while only a few have examined EFL pre-service teachers. This research delves into the different aspects of the experiences, reflections, and conceptualizations of English language learning among EFL pre-service teachers. A group of eight Indonesian EFL pre-service teachers engaged in participatory action research (PAR) during their field experience practices (PPL) in junior and senior high schools. This study employed a thorough approach to data collection, incorporating photovoice, an open-ended questionnaire, and in-depth interviews. The results of data analysis involving identifying and categorizing themes reveal a diverse range of perspectives, wherein English is likened to a lamp, dictionary, cuisine, flowers, class, and artificial intelligence (AI). Furthermore, learning English is often portrayed as an engaging and demanding process, highlighting the importance of innovative pedagogical approaches. This study emphasizes the significance of collaboration between language and technology departments to remain at the forefront of educational advancement, establishing a solid foundation for future research and improvements in EFL teacher education.

A systematic evidence synthesis of disability and inclusive pedagogy in initial teacher training in English as a Foreign Language

This systematic review considers recent evidence of the preparation of inclusive education implementation in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education across different countries. The study comprised of a comprehensive search of multiple databases which are accessible for scholars with visual impairments working with an open-source screen reader application: British Education Index, Education Source, ERIC subscription, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection. The searches generated 508 studies from January 1 2002, to December 31 2022,. 73 duplicated studies were removed, leaving 435 records to be screened for inclusion. 430 of these were rejected for not meeting the selection criteria, leaving five studies for inclusion. One additional relevant study from author's personal collection of references was also included in the review. The review discovered that the issue of disability and inclusive pedagogy in initial EFL teacher education scholarship is extremely under-studied. Only four relevant studies were conducted in the Global North, two in the Middle East, and none in the Global South, where an expanding population of pupils learning English are located. The findings of this study provide insights and recommendations for policy and practices of initial EFL teacher education.

Pedagogical tact in the English language teacher education programme

AbstractThis study fills a major gap in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education by examining the integration of pedagogical tact (PT) in an EFL teacher education programme in Turkey. Through an in‐depth examination of the programme and semi‐structured interviews, this study investigated to what extent PT, including empathising with and motivating learners, effective classroom management, differentiated instruction and support for meaningful decision‐making, is integrated. The qualitative content analysis of the programme demonstrated that many courses in the EFL teacher education programme are consistent with aspects of PT. However, there were a few areas where the programme could be further enhanced to better include all aspects of PT. This includes offering courses on effective communication and decision‐making. The interviews conducted with 21 pre‐service EFL teachers also revealed that most of them acknowledged that the programme is based on their potential teaching needs and challenges. However, they offered suggestions to improve the programme such as adding more technology courses and practice‐based implementations. Throughout the study, recommendations are provided regarding how EFL teacher education programmes could be developed and implemented with more emphasis on PT. Hence, the study's findings have important implications for teacher education programme developers in Turkey and international contexts.

Enjoyment and oral English proficiency in future teachers

This study analyzed the relationship between enjoyment and oral English proficiency in Peruvian future teachers. It previously validated a measurement instrument of enjoyment setting for future teachers who are learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and then delved into understanding the role of enjoyment as a predictor of oral proficiency. The sample comprised 119 students from a State Higher School of Education in Peru, randomly selected from various careers and grouped according to English language competency levels ranging from A1 to B1+ based on a subscale inspired by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Students’ oral proficiency was evaluated using a rubric covering five aspects, and enjoyment was assessed through a nine-question questionnaire. The results initially demonstrated a significant positive relationship (r = 0.900, p < 0.001) between enjoyment and oral proficiency in EFL. Secondly, a linear regression model determined that enjoyment was a highly significant predictor (β = 0.957, p < 0.001) of oral proficiency. These findings support the importance of enjoyment in developing oral proficiency as a reliable tool to predict oral proficiency in EFL in the context of EFL teacher education. This study highlighted a significant influence of enjoyment on oral proficiency in learning EFL to prospective teachers. Results analysis underscored the importance of enjoyment as a significant predictor of oral proficiency, suggesting that promoting enjoyment in the learning and teaching process can be an effective strategy to foster significant development of oral skills in English. These findings have significant implications for teacher education, emphasizing the need to integrate activities and psycho-pedagogical approaches that promote enjoyment in the English classroom. Furthermore, the proposed model was validated as a reliable tool to assess teachers’ enjoyment of learning EFL. Understanding and nurturing enjoyment in learning English can significantly enhance the oral English proficiency of future teachers and, ultimately, contribute to a more robust command of the EFL.

Re-contextualizing locus of enunciation and linguistic citizenship: a diary analysis of Chinese EFL teachers’ critical intercultural awareness development

ABSTRACT This study navigates the constructive role of English as a foreign language (EFL) as a critical intercultural discourse of locus of enunciation and linguistic citizenship through which teachers in Chinese educational context act as agents of action and social change. Based on a critical discourse analysis of learner diary entries, the study traces the preservice teachers’ development of critical intercultural awareness as a result of learning provided in the course. Findings of this study suggest that relevant EFL teacher education programs should strategically fortify the discursive role of English for contesting hegemonic ideologies in curricular materials and engaging in justice-oriented dialogue through advancing learners’ reflexivity and agency.

Student teachers’ perceptions of flipped classroom in EFL teacher education

This paper aims to provide evidence on student teachers’ perceptions of Flipped Classroom (FC) to help teacher educators (TEs) to make informed decisions about implementing FC and support student teachers to reflect on the value of FC in their teaching practice. FC, a pedagogical model requiring digital competence of students and teachers, has been a popular teaching approach for nearly two decades in K-12 and higher education. After the outbreak of Covid-19, more teachers have started to implement FC. In post-Covid-19, with the possibility of reusing video lectures made during the pandemic and the familiarity of digital skills to create digital lectures, a question for teachers is whether to continue with this approach. This paper follows an explanatory sequential mixed methods research approach. Insights from student teachers (STs) in the field of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Norway are the primary data, and surveys and focus group interviews are the main instruments to collect the data. FC’s advantages and challenges perceived by STs are reported, and the possibility of STs becoming future flippers is explored. Findings from this paper indicate that STs would like to have more courses flipped in their studies, yet STs seem hesitant about flipping their courses in their teaching practice. STs also provide some practical suggestions on implementing the FC approach.

The Impact of Service Learning on Academic, Professional and Physical Wellbeing Competences of EFL Teacher Education Students.

In response to the challenges of the 21st century, the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has been committed to the development of a training model that focuses on the acquisition of cognitive, physical, and social competences, among others, rather than the mere acquisition of knowledge. This approach has gained momentum in recent years, where the learners are the protagonists of their own learning process. This change of approach requires a change in methodology and involves a renewal of the methodological approach in Spanish universities. Service learning (S-L) is an active methodology that is gaining ground across universities due to its experiential, community-based and reflective characteristics. The present study aimed to provide an overview of the impact of S-L by active programs (physical activities, movement games, active tasks, etc.) on the acquisition of professional, linguistic, pedagogical or intercultural competencies, as well as physical wellbeing skills, on English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education students. Fourteen Spanish EFL university students carried out an S-L active intervention with a migrant group from the Migrant Temporary Stay Centre in the autonomous city of Melilla (Spain). A qualitative study was designed to evaluate the achievement of these competencies. The results show that even though S-L is a challenging methodology, it favours the development of academic, professional, and physical wellbeing competences to succeed in a competitive and changing world, as well as the improvement of the participant students.

A RETROSPECTIVE NARRATIVE STUDY OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' LANGUAGE BARRIER EXPERIENCES IN INTERNATIONAL TEACHING PRACTICUM

The present retrospective narrative study reported in this article explores the international teaching practicum program has become a new trend in a lot of university-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education programs, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. This phenomenon led to the high demand for university-based EFL teacher education programs of having international networking which aims to give more cross-cultural understanding and experience for the pre-service teachers in teaching EFL abroad. This retrospective narrative case study aims to investigate the language socialization experiences and challenges of two Indonesian pre-service EFL teachers during the teaching practicum program in Thailand. The data was collected through participants’ teaching practicum documents and semi-structured interviews. Grounded in a retrospective narrative study and Relational Turning Point Events (RTPEs) theoretical framework, this study is hoped to provide a better understanding of the EFL teaching development, particularly for preparing pre-service teachers for intercultural teaching practicum.

Career Motivations as Sources of Teacher Identity in Foreign Language Education

A wide range of factors impact the choice of teaching as a career and result in entry to the teaching profession. The notion that these career motivations may also be possible antecedents of teacher identity was the rationale behind this study. The present study aimed to determine pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ motivation for choosing teaching as a career and teacher identities, and to gauge to what extent career motivations predict their teacher identities. The study, therefore, adopted a correlational design, and more specifically, the multiple regression technique. Participants included 271 undergraduate students majoring in an EFL teacher education program of a state university in Turkey. The data collected through a set of scales were analysed statistically. Results obtained using the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) model showed that the three major self-reported career motives were altruistic-type social utility values called shaping future of children/adolescents and making social contribution as well as job transferability, a component of personal utility values. Teacher identity levels appeared to display a steady increase in each of the four grade levels from freshman to senior year. Multiple regression results indicated that career motivations accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in teacher identity. Among career motivations, ability, intrinsic career value and working with children/adolescents appeared to be the three strongest positive predictors of teacher identity, respectively. Following these, time for family and fallback career negatively predicted teacher identity. Based on the findings, educational implications were drawn and directions for future research were discussed.

Pre-service EFL teachers’ perception on educational video production technology: A needs analysis

This study conducted a needs analysis by investigating the perceptions of Indonesian pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and in-service lecturers about instructional media development and the potential of educational video production for EFL teacher education. This research was conducted with a number of respondents from pre-service teachers who took instructional materials or media development course (IMALT/IMALD) and computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and lecturers including the program director of language education department in Indonesian universities. The results suggested that the design of the workshop should be devised as constructive learning with a focus on project-based learning to help teacher candidates develop their skills in employee value proposition (EVP). The workshop is also suggested to provide some examples of today’s educational video to bring into the discussion. In terms of the course design, the participants suggested some intended topics to learn, which are learning objectives and strategies, camera work, pedagogic approaches for video production, additional creative aids in video production and pre- and post-production phase of EVP.

Unpacking the Development of Chinese Preservice English as a Foreign Language Teachers' Professional Knowledge.

Efforts to improve preservice teacher education have recently focused on developing teachers’ adequate pedagogical knowledge (PK), content knowledge (CK), and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which are critical elements of teacher’s professional knowledge, and important indicators of preparedness to teach. However, the development of the three knowledge domains of Chinese preservice English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers is surprisingly under-researched. To fill this gap, this study examined the development of the three knowledge domains of a group of Chinese preservice EFL teachers at different stages of a teacher education program. Specifically, it explored the relationship among the three knowledge domains, and the effects of learning opportunities on their development. Findings revealed that preservice EFL teachers at a later stage outperformed those at an earlier stage with regard to PK and PCK. Our findings also suggested that there were positive correlations among PK, CK, and PCK at different stages of the teacher education program. Furthermore, the findings showed that courses on CK, PK, and PCK, and teaching experience significantly influenced preservice EFL teachers’ professional knowledge. However, the role of classroom observation was not significant. Implications for EFL teacher education and future research were also discussed.

The pedagogical content knowledge of two novice Chinese early childhood EFL teachers

Researchers in the field of teacher knowledge have been attempting to delineate pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in different subjects and different levels of education. To date, there is a need to develop a nuanced understanding on the PCK of Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers who teach English as a foreign language (EFL). This study used a qualitative method, stimulated recall classroom observation, to investigate the categories and subcategories of PCK of Chinese EFL teachers from Chinese/English bilingual kindergartens in China. Two novice EFL teachers with less than 2 years of post-qualification teaching experience participated in this study. The data revealed three categories of PCK of ECE EFL teachers in the Chinese context: knowledge of curriculum, knowledge of learners, and knowledge of teaching strategies and multiple representations. Influenced by knowledge of curriculum, and knowledge of teaching strategies and multiple representations, the teachers had commonalities in classroom practice which were the product-oriented pedagogy and the textbook-led syllabus in the Chinese context. The study has several implications for research and practice for ECE EFL teacher education, especially for those practicing in the Chinese context.

A Retrospective Narrative Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Language Barrier Experiences in International Teaching Practicum

The present retrospective narrative study reported in this article explores the international teaching practicum program has become a new trend in a lot of university-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher education programs, particularly in Southeast Asian countries. This phenomenon led to the high demand for university-based EFL teacher education programs of having international networking which aims to give more cross-cultural understanding and experience for the pre-service teachers in teaching EFL abroad. This retrospective narrative case study aims to investigate the language socialization experiences and challenges of two Indonesian pre-service EFL teachers during the teaching practicum program in Thailand. The data was collected through participants’ teaching practicum documents and semi-structured interviews. Grounded in a retrospective narrative study and Relational Turning Point Events (RTPEs) theoretical framework, this study is hoped to provide a better understanding of the EFL teaching development, particularly for preparing pre-service teachers for intercultural teaching practicum.

Transforming pre-service EFL teacher education through critical cosmopolitan literacies: voices from Mainland China

ABSTRACT This paper describes a qualitative participatory action research study applying critical cosmopolitan literacies principles with pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers to address global human rights issues through international English youth literature. Using literary works on sociopolitical issues alongside critical pedagogy engagements and teaching practicum in various educational settings, the author as a teacher-researcher attempts to raise the student teachers’ critical awareness to issues of power, privilege, and social justice embedded in the multicultural and multimodal texts. Analysis of the qualitative data indicates important outcomes in terms of an enhanced understanding of critical human rights issues pertaining to the formation of student teachers’ identities as global-conscious and socially responsible educators. Meanwhile, with explicit guidance from the teacher educator, the student teachers also develop communicative intercultural competence, high-order thinking skills, and learning agency by engaging in multiliteracies practices within a cosmopolitan liteacies orientation.

Exploring tensions in integrating core practices into initial EFL teacher education programs in the Chilean context

Internationally, there is increasing interest in the value of incorporating core practices into second language (L2) teacher education programs. This article reports on a research project that investigated how a set core practices are integrated into the Methods courses and practicums in Chilean language teacher education programs for English as a foreign language (EFL). The study was framed by a two-stage, sequential data collection strategy based on a questionnaire ( n = 48) and semi-structured interviews ( n = 21) to university-based, Chilean English teacher educators. The questionnaire identified teaching practices in use, whilst the interviews sought to understand how teacher educators taught these identified teaching practices, as well as the rationale for these choices. Two practices – facilitating target language comprehensibility and building discourse communities – emerged as the most prominent practices. Primarily, these practices were taught through modelling, decomposing, planning and simulations. However, potentially more complex issues around translanguaging, inclusion strategies and cultural practices tended to be framed using more directive and teacher-centred pedagogies. The outcomes of the study highlight several critical issues for L2 teacher education: the relative balance between theoretical and practical domains often compounded by the lack of meaningful opportunities for authentic classroom practice; and the significant challenges faced by teacher educators by engaging in ‘practice’ in a crowded program structure.

Investigating the Correlation Among Chinese EFL Teachers' Self-efficacy, Work Engagement, and Reflection.

As the forerunners of education, teachers and their psycho-affective variables have been the focus of numerous studies in the past decades. To add to this line of inquiry, the present study aimed to scrutinize the correlation among English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' self-efficacy, work engagement, and reflection in the context of China. To do so, three previously validated questionnaires related to each of the variables were distributed among Chinese EFL teachers with various experiences and academic degrees, and a sample of 614 completed the questionnaires. The results of Pearson's Product-moment correlation revealed that the participants' self-efficacy, work engagement, and reflection were positively correlated. Moreover, the results of regression analysis and ANOVA demonstrated that Chinese EFL teachers' self-efficacy and work engagement significantly predicted their reflection. The findings have viable takeaways for EFL teachers and teacher education programs in that they can invest more time and energy in promoting psychological factors in teaching the English language along with pedagogical issues.

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.

Pre-service Teachers Learning to Teach English as a Foreign Language to Preschool Learners in Macau: A Longitudinal Study

Language teacher beliefs have received increasing research attention for the past few decades. However, little is known about the beliefs of pre-service teachers in the pre-primary English as a foreign language (EFL) education context. This qualitative case study extends this line of inquiry by investigating the trajectory of student teachers' beliefs about teaching English to pre-primary learners in Macau within a teacher education course. The participants included 60 pre-service teachers taking an English Language Activities course in their third year of a 4-year Bachelor of pre-primary education program. The data comprised written reflections collected at three points in time during the 16-week course: at the beginning of the course, mid-way through the course, and at the end of the course. The findings showed five broad themes, constituted from 15 subthemes, regarding (1) learners and learning, (2) teaching, (3) subject, (4) self, and (5) learning to teach. The major themes have been documented in the literature, but several subthemes were identified for the first time in the context of pre-primary EFL teacher education. More importantly, the findings revealed that some of the subthemes were newly shaped and several subthemes were reshaped as a consequence of taking the course. The findings were interpreted in relation to the content of the course, the experiential learning opportunities, the pre-service teachers' prior experiences of language learning and teaching, and the local language teaching and learning context. Implications for pre-service teacher education programs are discussed.

Revisiting postmethod pedagogy: Adopting and adapting Socratic circle to secondary EFL teaching

Since the end of the last century, the English as a foreign language (EFL) community seems to have entered a new era: the postmethod era. Despite fierce debate about its rationality and feasibility, the three pedagogical parameters—particularity, practicality, and possibility—have been influential and applied to various teaching contexts. Under the guidance of postmethod pedagogy theory and the acknowledgement of local knowledge, context‐sensitive pedagogy has been garnering attention in recent years. This qualitative study used the lens of postmethod pedagogy to explore a veteran teacher’s implementation of Socratic circle in secondary EFL teaching. Related issues, such as the rationale for adopting and adapting the method, the implementation procedures, and its benefits and limitations, are discussed and analysed. The researcher collected data through semistructured interviews with the teacher participant and three student participants, in addition to pertinent documents including reading materials, teaching designs, and students’ assignments. This study provides evidence of benefits of Socratic circle to EFL learning. The adjustments made to the method indicate the dialectical relationship between method and postmethod, rather than interpreting postmethod pedagogy as repackaged. Implications for EFL teacher education, including provision of professional development on a wider scale, are discussed.

Attrition of Oral Communicative Ability among English Language Graduates in Turkey

This study explored the relationship between the period of Turkish EFL (English as a Foreign Language) graduates’ not using English as well as their ages with the attrition of their oral communicative ability. The study also indicated the language maintenance strategies the Turkish EFL graduates pursue to prevent the attrition of their oral communicative ability. To investigate the issues, the present study used a quantitative design and the convenience sampling. The participants included 153 Turkish graduates majoring in English fields. A test of oral communicative ability as well as a checklist including 20 ‘Language Maintenance Strategies’ were used to collect the required data. The results showed that the longer the period of language non-use, the more likely the attrition of oral communicative abilities of Turkish EFL graduates will occur. As for the language maintenance strategies, the item ‘watching movies with its corresponding subtitle in English’ was the most frequent, followed by ‘listening to English songs’, whereas ‘speaking in English with Turkish friends’ was the least frequent one, and this was followed by ‘speaking in English with foreigners’. The study highly recommends enhancing the conditions and quality of the EFL teacher education programs in Turkey.