English Teacher Education Program Research Articles

English as a lingua franca, world Englishes, and the preparation of language teachers: An awareness‐raising experience in an English teacher education program in Colombia

AbstractThis study builds on previous research (Galloway & Rose, 2018) that underlines the necessity of raising awareness of distinct kinds of English among prospective English instructors in expanding circle nations. The participants were exposed to these themes through a series of student‐led presentations that used English as a lingua franca and World Englishes as a theoretical foundation. The data were gathered through student reports, individual reflections, and semi‐structured interviews and were evaluated thematically. The findings demonstrated a development of new perspectives and understandings, a sense of contribution of the theme of World Englishes to teacher professional development, and the participants' positioning as equally skilled users of English. Thus, the study discusses the possibilities and challenges of gradually incorporating English as a lingua franca and World Englishes in the preparation of prospective English teachers.

Teaching Practicums During the Pandemic in an Initial English Teacher Education Program: The Preservice Teachers’ Perspective

In an initial English teacher education program at a Chilean institution, early and professional practicums were re-invented during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the continuity of this process. This study analyzed the context and conditions under which these practicums unfolded and how the process influenced participants’ pedagogical and professional knowledge development. Forty-two preservice English language teachers undergoing early and professional practicums online throughout 2020–2021 answered an online questionnaire which was analyzed through descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings revealed preservice teachers’ problems, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges while interacting with pupils, cooperating teachers, and supervisors, as well as the development of some pedagogical and professional knowledge. The findings may serve to make adaptations to increasingly challenging teaching contexts.

Inquiry and Research Skills for Language Teachers by Kenan Dikilitaş and Ali Bostancioğlu

Published in 2019, Inquiry and Research Skills for Language Teachers is written to assist teacher educators in the design of research methodology courses in English teacher education programs. Conceived in the authors’ conviction that most research courses do not succeed in empowering teachers’ professional practices, the book resorts to Exploratory Practice to configure an approach that appeals to the interrogation of pre-service teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward research to increase engagement and foster inquiry skills. In the book, Kenan Dikilitaş and Ali Bostancioğlu lay out a step-by-step guide for teacher educators to design research courses that are more connected to the realities of future teachers, in the hopes of achieving a long-lasting effect on teachers’ professional identities. The book addresses an audience that is familiar with the challenges teachers face when trying to bridge the gap between theory and practice and implement evidence-based teaching.

THE ORIGINS OF INDONESIAN EFL TEACHERS’ IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS ABOUT ENGLISH AND ELT

The last three decades or so have seen a proliferation of studies into second language (L2) teachers’ cognition, encompassing their thinking, knowledge, and belief. However, studies are lacking into the origins (or sources) of L2 teachers’ beliefs especially ideological beliefs. This paper reports a subset of findings from a study investigating the beliefs and classroom practices of secondary school EFL teachers in Indonesia. Aiming to reveal ideological beliefs about English and ELT held by the teachers and the perceived origins of such beliefs, the paper draws on data obtained from a total of 16 interviews. Data analysis revealed that the teachers held beliefs that reflect several categories of English language ideologies prevalent in the ELT setting. These ideological beliefs were perceived to originate from several factors such as schoolteacher’s talk about English, schoolteacher’s classroom practice, undergraduate education, graduate education, fellow teachers, colleagues in an English teacher forum, and textbooks used for teaching. The paper concludes with implications for English teacher education programs and suggestions for future research

An examination into pre-Service English-as-a-Foreign-Language teachers’ Self-Perceived technological-Pedagogical-Content-knowledge

A literature review indicates that no research has been conducted to date to examine pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ self-perceived technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Therefore, this study explores pre-service EFL teachers’ (PSEFLTs) self-perceived TPACK, to understand whether it changes in line with their year of study and their views on the probable contribution of the pre-service English teacher education program to their TPACK. The findings obtained from the analysis of the data collected from a 36-item EFL TPACK questionnaire, conducted by performing descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and a post hoc analysis, revealed that the level of PSEFLTs’ technological knowledge was the highest, while their content knowledge was the lowest. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in 28 items between the PSEFLTs’ TPACK, resulting from the responses of the second-year students. The content analysis of the qualitative data gathered from telephone interviews demonstrated that even though the interviewees overwhelmingly regarded their TPACK level as high, they suggested that the curriculum for this program could be enriched by adding a course to it on the use of technology in EFL teaching.

English Language Teacher Educators’ critical professional identity constructions and negotiations

ABSTRACT This study sought to examine how professional identities of English Language Teacher Educators (ELTEs) evolved considering current socio-political factors surrounding Teaching English as an International Language (TEIL) in Colombia. This in-depth research examined how a group of 5 non-native ELTEs constructed and transformed their identity in an English Teacher Education programme. It is framed by an interpretive paradigm and a critical action research approach. Interviews, a series of small group study events, and ELTEs' reflective reports were the three approaches employed to collect the data. The main finding of this investigation showed a certain degree of change in participants' professional identities.

Affordances of digital technology for English pronunciation teaching

This study examines the view of Brazilian teachers of English on the affordances of digital technology to teach pronunciation. An online survey was conducted with a group of 42 in-service teachers. All of them held an undergraduate degree from an English Teacher education program. The participants completed a background questionnaire that also included questions that aimed at identifying: (a) what the participants recognize as relevant digital resources for pronunciation teaching and learning; (b) the role played by digital resources in their pronunciation teaching practices, and (c) their perspectives on the affordances and limitations of digital resources for pronunciation teaching. The results bring insights about the affordances of digital technology for pronunciation teaching and about gaps in teacher education regarding pronunciation teaching aided by digital resources.
 Keywords: pronunciation teaching. digital technologies. teacher education. English teaching.

Pronunciation pedagogy in English as a foreign language teacher education programs in Vietnam

Abstract Pronunciation has gained significant attention in the field of English language teaching, with recent studies examining pronunciation representation in textbooks, classroom practices, teachers’ beliefs, and learners’ perceptions. However, research into teachers learning to teach English pronunciation is only beginning to emerge. The current study extends this line of enquiry by investigating the preparation of 20 Vietnamese English teachers to teach pronunciation. The study also examined the teachers’ perceptions of how Vietnamese teacher education could further assist teachers in teaching pronunciation. Qualitative data sources included academic transcripts, a questionnaire, and individual semi-structured interviews to examine the teacher-participants’ pronunciation pedagogy training and their beliefs about effective pronunciation teacher preparation. The findings showed that the teachers were insufficiently trained but reported being confident in their ability to teach English pronunciation. The participants also proposed several changes to be made to Vietnamese English teacher education programs for teachers to teach pronunciation more effectively.

The Evaluation of the English Language Teacher Education Program in Turkey

<p style="text-align:justify">This study aims to evaluate the English language teacher training program which was put into practice in 2006, according to the views of lecturers and English teachers. This study aims to contribute to the studies on foreign language teaching by presenting an evaluation of teacher education, which is an important dimension of English as a foreign language teaching. The qualitative method was used in the study, which was designed in a descriptive survey model. The population of the research consists of 35 lecturers working at the English Language Teaching Department of different Education Faculties in the 2016-2017 academic year and 11 English teachers working in public schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education and who have not completed 5 years in the profession. NVIVO-11 program was used in the analysis of the data. The results of the study were compared with the 2018 English teacher education program renewed by the Council of Higher Education. English teachers and lecturers think that the content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and general culture courses in the teacher training program are insufficient. According to English teachers and lecturers the content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and general culture courses in the English language teacher education program are insufficient. Furthermore, English teachers stated that they could not apply what they learned during their training to real-life conditions. Therefore, they propose that the English language teacher training program should be revised considering the current conditions.</p>

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.

Exploring EFL Students’ Speaking Anxiety of English Teacher Education Program at One Public University in Jambi

Speaking is one of the most difficult skills in language learning particularly in learning English as a foreign language. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the issues of speaking anxiety, the factors influencing their speaking anxiety, and the strategies they employed to alleviate the anxiety at one English teacher education program in Jambi, Indonesia. In order to collect the data, a semi-structured interview was employed and guided by an interview protocol to stimulate the participants in answering the questions during the interview. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we only had access to invite 12 students to participate in our study-they were nine male and three female student teachers. To select the participants, we employed purposive sampling with a convenience case strategy. Through thematic analysis (Braun and Clark, 2006), we identified three major themes of factors influencing the participants’ speaking anxiety, including 1) language barrier (Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency); 2) psychological issues (low motivation, and personality); and 3) learning proponents (lecturers, classmates, and unfamiliar topic). To alleviate their anxiety, the participants have undertaken strategies, such as 1) self-management (self-practice and doing positive activities) and 2) getting-help strategies (friends’ help and motivation).

Pre-service teachers’ investments in English and construction of professional identity in the Indonesian context

This study explored the pre-service teachers (PSTs) professional identity construction during their teacher education training at a private university in Central Java, Indonesia. It particularly investigated their understanding of the teaching profession and their professional identity, guided by two research questions: 1) what have been the influential aspects of the Indonesian pre-service teachers’ investment in the teaching profession? and 2) what professional identities do the PSTs (re)construct during their teacher education training? A qualitative case study was adopted as the design of this study. Data of this study were collected using an open-ended questionnaire and in-depth semi-structured interviews. Participants of this study are eleven PSTs of a private university in Central Java. The obtained data were analyzed by using the theoretical grounding of situated learning, professional identity, and investments. An interpretive approach and thematic analysis were adopted in coding and analyzing the PSTs’ open-ended questionnaire responses and narrative accounts obtained from the interviews. It is found that most aspects of PSTs’ construction of professional identity are their continuous learning participation and contemplation during their training in the English teacher education (ETE) program and their dynamic inner dialogue with their two selves (i.e. the student-self and the teacher-self) during the teaching practicum at school. These influential aspects lead to the emerging professional identity of the PSTs as caring, motivational, pleasant, and empathetic teachers. This result implies the need to emphasize the acquisition of teacher identity and reflective teaching at the heart of teacher education.

Narratives about Being and Becoming English Language Teachers in an ELT Education Program

This article presents an analysis of the narratives written by four pre-service English language teachers (PELTs) during the last semester of their undergraduate program. The study aims to understand the constructions related to being and becoming PELTs and the possible contributions that the English language teacher (ELT) education program provided to shape those identities. The narratives were reconstructed from two narrative frames written by the PELTs and their responses to a narrative interview. The results reveal how participants (re)signify their profession from their experiences in the program, the teaching practicum, and other settings. PELTs construct and consolidate their professional identity initially from a technical perspective. However, their experiences and the guidance of some teacher educators transformed their view of education into a more critical and informed perspective. In conclusion, professional identity could potentially be formed and changed based on the experiences provided throughout the PELTs’ education. Considering this, initial English teacher education programs should establish strategies that contribute to this end from the beginning of undergraduate studies.

School and social educational vulnerability in Chile: experiences and preparedness of novice teachers of English

ABSTRACT Drawing on Sen’s notion of social justice in the Capability Approach, this paper examines the experiences of a group of novice teachers from English teacher education programmes working in marginalised schools in Chile. Through open-ended surveys and interviews, I investigated how new teachers navigate their first teaching years in contexts of educational vulnerability, how they perceive their teacher education programs and preparation to work in such school contexts, and how they balance the interplay between unfreedoms and the exercise of freedoms to teach students at social risk. The findings reveal the impact of contextless English teacher education programs and how these trigger future teacher motivation to develop a deeper understanding of educational vulnerability and their freedom to move away from language teaching issues to accommodate their teaching based on their care and commitment to their students. This paper closes by making a call for the importance of a grassroots approach in the development of English teacher education programs designed with members of marginalised communities.

In-service teachers’ challenges to implementing an approach to critical thinking and critical reading in Chile

The present study reports on the challenges of implementing an approach to critical thinking and critical reading in English language teaching (ELT) in Chile. Participants in this research are in-service teachers of English enrolled in a Master’s course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Chile. In order to develop and construct a thorough understanding of the participants’ past and present academic literacy experiences, they were invited for one-to-one meetings (semi-structured interviews) where, rather than reminiscing about past literacy experiences, they were encouraged to engage in narratives about their experiences with and challenges of developing a socially critical awareness of literacy at university, and in their current teaching practices. Analysis of the participants’ accounts revealed, first and foremost, the pervasive presence of literacy practices that reflect and favor a strong culture of compliance over critical reflection, and, secondly, great concerns about the lack of systematic preparation in English teacher education (ETE) programs to develop and implement a more critical stance toward critical thinking and critical reading. The paper concludes by interrogating and challenging current university practices that, based on the participants’ views, seem to replicate a culture that reproduces both social and cultural inequalities.

The Effectiveness of In-Person versus Online Instruction in the Pre-service Teacher Preparation Programme

In reference to the reflective nature of the methodological design of the current pre-service English teacher education program at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, considerable challenges related to teacher-education were noted during the emergency online switch. For this reason, the theory/practice connections, typically strengthened via the practical, experiential and reflective components of university teacher-education programs, were put to the test. The research is aimed at identifying the challenges of the online switch and focuses on comparison of the effectiveness of in-person versus online instruction in the pre-service English teacher preparation program. The research questions seek to examine whether teacher-training sessions online are more demanding and challenging, and potentially less effective (as perceived by the respondents), compared to the in-person teacher-training practices. The study results offer a valuable insight into the teacher-trainees’ perceptions of the challenges and effectiveness of the online English teacher-training course implementation in comparison with the in-person mode.

Lesson study in increasing student learning participation in class

This study aims to apply "lesson learning" in increasing student learning participation in class. This study used a qualitative descriptive method. The study involved fifth-semester students of the English Teacher Education program at Muria Kudus University in the Teaching English as an Additional Language (TEAL) course. The data in the study were obtained using observation and documentation. Data were obtained from before and during student participation during class learning. Data analysis used the Miles and Huberman model, namely data reduction, data tabulation, data presentation, and concluding. The results show that the application of lesson study can increase student participation as long as learning activities increase critically and critically affect the learning atmosphere. Study lessons can make students have a strategic and significant contribution in all stages and development of course materials. The results of this study are expected to provide an overview of the application of lesson studies in increasing student participation in learning in other subjects.

An Overview of Educational Technology for Preservice Teachers in the Digital Age

Technological tools, including networking hardware, media, and machines, have been incorporated into education to facilitate learning for many decades. The conveyance of knowledge through technology becomes fast, easy, and enjoyable for the learner while vastly improving the understanding of concepts. Research insights reveal that through the use of technological tools, the participatory capacity of students increases, and interest levels are raised. Education has evolved, over the centuries, in its form, nature, and manner of deliverance. When written communication had not yet developed, word of mouth and observation were the most common means of passing knowledge from one generation to the next. Teaching was mostly verbal, delivered through plays, songs, and poems. Writing as a means of communication only gained significance by the end of the 15th century. The use of chalkboards and blackboards as a method of learning and teaching gained popularity at the end of the 18th century. Still, now in the 21st century, more advanced technological tools play an important role in facilitating learning and teaching. This study examines the effectiveness of educational technology in English teacher education programs, emphasising the development of preservice teachers’ language and pedagogical skills.

“I’m Very Hurt”: (Un)justly Reading the Black Female Body as Text in a Racial Literacy Learning Assemblage

ABSTRACTThere has been a recent rise in research that has attuned to matters of the body in literacy learning. This article is a contribution to that emerging corpus of scholarship. Specifically, the article is a Black feminist narrative inquiry into the undertheorized role of embodiment―and relatedly, the embodied knowing that materializes as emotion or affect―in racial literacy learning. To illustrate, I employed a blend of embodiment, affect, and assemblage theories to examine an episode of a university‐based (self‐described) anti‐racist pedagogue’s racial literacy instruction in an English teacher education program in the United States. A sociomaterial approach to literacy frames my exploration of the relation between the emotions generated during classroom discourse about the contents of a curricular text used by the Black female pedagogue and the reproduction of anti‐racist ideology. Findings underscore that racial literacy instruction is (inter)embodied and affective and that each body is a particular racialized, sexed, gendered, and otherwise marked text. These findings underpin my clarion call for a turn to Black feminist racial literacy instruction, an approach entailing the enactment of reparative and healing pedagogical practices that care‐fully tend to the embodied and psychic wellness of Black women and girls in particular while simultaneously cultivating pedagogues’ and students’ commitments to justice and humanization in English teacher education classrooms.

Reflecting on the Intersection of Critical Pedagogy, Identities, and Spaces: An Indonesian Doctoral Student’s Autoethnography

To address a student-teacher educator perspective in the engagement of critical pedagogy (CP), I employed a critical and analytical autoethnography to self-investigate my lived experiences during coursework in a doctoral program in the United States. Framed in postcolonial CP in border-crossing notion, I engaged in critical and analytical autoethnography. I critically carried out thematic analysis on learning artifacts and personal memory during the Summer course 2020 which was expanded to analytical thematic analysis as I drew on artifacts and personal memory during coursework from Fall 2018 to Spring 2020. The analysis was intended to explore how CP was enacted during coursework and the implications of the enactment. Three key themes were identified: ideology work; co-construction of knowledge and mutuality; and imagined spaces and unfinishedness. The themes embodied the perceived enactment of CP in my coursework experience and they revealed how criticality intersected CP is with pedagogical practices, transformed identities, and spaces. They further served as the basis for implications for English teacher education programs and teacher educators in Indonesia to implement CP in a higher educational landscape.