Foreign Language Teacher Education Research Articles

Embracing Conceptualizations of English Language Teacher Education From a Complexity Perspective

Current conceptualizations of foreign language teacher education fail to represent the complexity of such education. This reflection highlights the need to embrace English language teacher education from a complex perspective. To explain this position, we define complex systems and complexity principles through examples of interconnected components of teacher education. Then, we trace emergent conceptualizations from theory and governmental documents that resonate with a complexity perspective. We suggest that efforts in this direction may better prepare prospective English teachers to face challenging realities in educational settings and will eventually improve students’ learning, an outcome every stakeholder is aiming at.

Exploiting foreign language student-teachers’ visual language biographies to challenge the monolingual mind-set in foreign language education

ABSTRACT This article takes the plurilingual repertoires of foreign language teachers – and thus the teachers’ linguistic diversity – as a starting point for exploratory research into the potential of visual methods in teacher education for changing mind-sets. Describing and reflecting on the ubiquitous manifestation of a monolingual habitus in foreign language (teacher) education, we consider ways to offer linguistically responsive foreign language teacher education aiming at challenging that ethos. Reporting on a project based on the production of drawings, we present and compare the linguistic biographies of future French and Spanish teachers, using multimodal analysis. The analysis seeks to uncover whether target language (French and Spanish) and migrant background influence the visual representation of the plurilingual repertoire and of the process of becoming plurilingual. As no significant differences are observed, demonstrating the pervasiveness of the monolingual mind-set in foreign language learning and teacher education, I propose some ways forward in response to the identified language learning ideologies.

Reflection of the Accession Process of Turkey to European Union on Doctoral Theses Written About Foreign Language Education in Turkey 1987-2017

The European Union is the most important political and social integration of the 20th century. EU member countries have worked to develop common policies not only in the field of economy, but also in social, cultural, political and educational fields. In the European Union member countries, foreign language teaching is one of the most important topics in the field of education. European Union accepted Turkey as a candidate country in the enlargement process. With Turkey’s full EU membership process which started in 2005, importance of foreign language education increased in all educational institutions in Turkey. Ministry of National Education and Universities have carried out and implemented studies on pre-school language education, curriculum, language teaching methods, and foreign language teacher education within the scope of language education. Undoubtedly, academic studies on foreign language teaching play an active role for a successful language education. In this study, how Turkey's EU membership process is reflected in the doctoral theses on foreign language education published in 1987-2017 and how the research topics in doctoral theses changed with the start of the membership process were investigated. Document analysis technique was used in the research. Since the universe was used as a sample in the study, it is a study of complete inventory. 58 doctoral theses were examined. They were analyzed in terms of titles. Practical and concrete proposals related to foreign language teaching in Turkey were presented in accordance with the results obtained in the light of findings of the research. The study shows that with the effect of the Turkey’s accession process to European Union full membership, research topics in doctoral dissertations have changed and focal points in PhD theses were determined as foreign language teaching, Creative writing skills, Creative thinking skills, Understanding By Design, Mobile Multimedia Support,Web based Foreign Language Teaching,Detailing Theory, Intercultural Communication.

Spelling Pronunciation versus Relaxed Pronunciation in Foreign Language Teacher Education

Accurate pronunciation is an important part of learning any language, and especially when non-native students are trained to be English language teachers. Good pronunciation is more than just mastering individual sounds since it also requires understanding intonation, stress, pitch and junctures. In this respect, first things first, two functional issues come to the stage: Spelling pronunciation versus relaxed pronunciation. Spelling pronunciation depends on the use of a pronunciation that is based on spelling that includes common pronunciation of the silent vowel and consonant letters. The converse of spelling pronunciation is pronunciation spelling which produces the creation of a new spelling form on the basis of pronunciation. In this study, the contrastive positioning of spelling pronunciation versus pronunciation spelling in English words, phrases, clauses, and sentences will be analyzed to train the English teachers.

Giving Voice to the Voiceless: Probing Current Issues for Student Teachers in EFL Teacher Education Program in Iran

The present study attempted to give insight into the features of an effective English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher education program by exploring student teachers’ beliefs, ideas, and the challenges they encounter during their teacher education program. The data were collected through several semi-structured focus group interview sessions with a total number of forty-one BA, MA, and PhD students studying teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) at university. The qualitative grounded theory design was used to analyze the data, and the findings of the study were corroborated with interpretations obtained from the informal observation of several university classes in a TEFL teacher education program in Iran. The inductive analysis of the data resulted in developing the following categories: the challenge of developing the ability to move back and forth from theory to practice, the struggle to establish a professional identity, the quest for the ‘self’, less-practiced reflective practice, and the missing connection between teacher education programs and schools. The discussion concerning the challenges and issues culminated in implications for EFL teacher education programs through which they can take the issues that student teachers normally experience into account and help them pave the way for an effective EFL teacher education program.

Perceptions and Beliefs of EFL Students Regarding Classroom Assessment at a Colombian University

The higher education institution, where the present study is conducted, proposes in its school handbook that a formative and democratic learning assessment approach should prevail in all academic activities. In the English as a Foreign Language TeacherEducation Program at this university, eighty percent of students’ grades come from summative testing, and the teachers are the ones who regularly make the decisions regarding any assessment criteria. That is, the formative and democratic componentsare not present in the process. To delve deeper into these aspects, we have inquired students on their perceptions and beliefs concerning classroom assessment and suggestions to improve the process. A small-scale qualitative research study wasconducted with 49 participants. The data collected through questionnaires, focus-group interviews, and narratives allowed us to organize the findings according to three emerging categories: students’ perceptions of assessment as Assessment of Learning (aol), Assessment for Learning (afl), and suggestions for improving the overall language evaluation process. The different concepts provided by the participants go from believing that classroom evaluation constitutes a procedure to elicit rote reproduction to that of perceiving it as an opportunity to enhance students’ formation. Actions for improving assessmentgo from particular procedural aspects to those related to a more general approach.

Doprinos pozorišne pedagogije razvoju kompetencija nastavnika nemačkog jezika u inicijalnom obrazovanju

This paper examines the contribution of theatre pedagogy, implemented in the initial education of German language and literature students, to the development of teaching competencies defined in strategic documents. The target group of the research consisted of German language teachers who were members of the Academic Theater of German Students during their bachelor and master studies. A semi-structured group discussion was used as the data collection technique, while the data analysis and interpretation theater pedagogy methods, they should be integrated into the curricula of study programs dealing with the education of future foreign language teachers. were performed using a qualitative research method. The results have shown that theatre pedagogy contributes to the development of professional, psychological, didactic and mod- erational-mediational skills of future teachers of German as a foreign language. Having in mind the spectrum of teaching competencies that are developed through the application of

DIRECTIONS FOR RENEWAL OF THE UKRAINIAN SYSTEM OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION ON THE BASIS OF US EXPERIENCE

The need for renewal of Ukraine’s education is objectified by the necessity to reach its compatibility with the global educational process. The article aims at outlining the trajectories of renewal of the national system of foreign language teacher education based on the experience of the USA. In the study the methods of comparative analysis and extrapolation were utilised. It was concluded that transformation of the foreign language teacher education system in Ukraine should be carried out along conceptual, legislative and organizational-content strands, at the state, institutional and personal levels. At the state level: development of legislative basis that would stipulate the establishment and work of professional public agencies in the sphere of foreign language teacher education; development and implementation of standards of foreign language teacher preparation; monitoring the quality of language teacher preparation and certification of its applicants by autonomous professional organizations; reconsideration of specializations and qualifications of specialists in the field of foreign languages in accordance with the requirements of the labour market; preparation of foreign language acquisition specialists («foreign language pedagogical linguistics») as a subspecialisation of «applied linguistics»; introduction of pedagogical internship. At the institutional level: diversification of forms and types of educational programmes (academically oriented/ applied, interdisciplinary, multilevel, combined); introduction of interdisciplinary educational programmes with integrated teaching of disciplines and foreign/second languages; diversification of didactic approaches to the development of language teachers’ professional competencies; increasing the number of credits allocated for school practicum and rationalization of its organizational forms and didactic approaches; development of integrated courses with the parallel study of foreign languages and the content of professional disciplines. At the personal level: developing student teachers’ motivation, the need for continuous professional development.

A Practice-Based Approach to Foreign Language Teacher Preparation: A Cross-Continental Collaboration

The international trend towards a practice-based approach in teacher education has permeated foreign language teacher education and English language teaching. A practice-based approach is based on the understanding that teachers learn to teach a language by engaging in “actual” teaching rather than “talking” about teaching. We report on the implementation of a practice-based approach in two different contexts: an initial English teacher education program in Chile and an initial foreign language teacher education program in the United States. We provide practical recommendations and areas of caution for future enactments. The findings demonstrate that incorporating a practice-based approach into the university classroom offers a useful affordance for examining and illuminating the complexities of foreign language teaching practice across contexts.

What Kind of Feedback is Perceived as Encouraging by Finnish General Upper Secondary School Students?

Our main aim in this study was to compare encouraging feedback practices in Finnish general upper secondary foreign language classes and examine how students perceive language teachers’ assessment practices. The participants were 160 students of English, 95 students of Swedish, and 27 students of French from six general upper secondary schools. The data comprised one open-ended question and one Likert scale question with nine items. Both qualitative and quantitate methods were used to analyze the data. The results showed that content was the most important feature in feedback that was perceived as encouraging by students. The results further indicated that students considered teacher assessment practices to be primarily summative, but differences were also found between schools. The evidence from this study suggests that students appreciate teacher feedback, but do not perceive it to be an intrinsic part of teacher assessment practices. The importance of formative assessment and feedback should be more heavily emphasized in foreign language teacher education.

Identifying and supporting reflection in pre-service teacher education a rubric fit for purpose

It is widely accepted that reflection and reflective practices are necessary components of teacher education programmes. However, these are not always explored or even fully understood by the very people who are expected to reflect – the student-teachers themselves. Support for these practices is therefore required so that students may understand what reflection is and helped to become reflective practitioners. This article describes the construction and use of a rubric to identify and support reflection in pre-service foreign language teacher education. It begins by reviewing key literature on reflection before moving on to a study of types of reflection and conceptual frameworks in the literature. Four types of reflection were identified and attributed labels: Type 0. Descriptive/behavioural; Type 1. Descriptive/analytical; Type 2. Dialogic/interpretative; and Type 3. Critical/transformatory. These were then used to construct the rubric which incorporated a matrix of five categories: discourse; rationale; level of inquiry; orientation to self; and views of teaching. Examples of how the rubric has been used to both capture and support reflection are provided. It is not a stand-alone tool, but one which is situated within a reflective practice model of teacher education which requires reflexive teacher educators, tools and practices which provide opportunities for reflection. It is flexible enough to allow teacher educators (and students) to identify types of reflection in spoken or written accounts, which may help when self-assessing, giving feedback, and supporting the momentum of reflection during a course or practicum.

FORMAÇÃO INICIAL DE PROFESSORES DE INGLÊS

Em um contexto global cada vez mais marcado por recursos tecnológicos, temos evidenciado as complexidades e desafios da educação e da formação inicial de professores de línguas estrangeiras. O objetivo deste artigo é discutir perspectivas de futuros professores de língua inglesa sobre o uso das tecnologias digitais para o ensino e a aprendizagem de línguas. Este é um estudo de natureza qualitativa e interpretativista e compreende uma parte dos dados gerados para a realização de uma pesquisa de mestrado. Buscamos refletir sobre as relações entre formação crítica de professores de língua inglesa e o uso de tecnologias digitais para que seja possível discutir práticas (des)contextualizadas. Assim, encontramos subsídios teóricos nas discussões sobre educação linguística em línguas estrangeiras (FERRAZ; KAWACHI-FURLAN, 2018; SOUZA, 2018; DUBOC, 2014; MENEZES DE SOUZA, 2011; MONTE MÓR, 2009), bem como sobre a compreensão das tecnologias digitais e das práticas educacionais (VETROMILLE-CASTRO, 2019; SELWYN, 2017; MATTOS, 2011), dentre outros. Os resultados apontam para a importância no foco em formação crítica de professores para que o uso da tecnologia no ensino e na aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras seja considerado de modo crítico e questionador, buscando ir além de técnicas de como usar recursos tecnológicos.

Examining Indonesian EFL Teacher Educators’ Views on Utilising L1 in L2 Classrooms

The research observed the role of the first language (L1) use in the second language (L2) classrooms in various Englishlanguage teaching (ELT) contexts. Among the many roles that L1 use played in L2 classrooms, which had been recognized, some drawbacks interfered due to unbalanced uses of both L1 and L2. To complement insightful findings presented in the existing literature on this L1 use topic, the research aims to explore L1 uses in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) L2 classrooms in a teacher training program in Indonesia. Applying a qualitative research approach, the research collected data from three English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher educators teaching an English speaking subject in an Indonesian university using a semi-structured interview protocol and a classroom observation fieldnote. Results show that all the participants share the same views on L1 in their L2 classrooms that its use is tolerated and mainly related to cognitive and pedagogical aspects. The research suggests that formal training seeking to arouse awareness on the role that L1 can play in L2 classroom is of necessity in the context of the EFL teacher training program in order to foster learners’ optimal L2 output.

Research needs in foreign language teacher education: Insights from researchers in Poland, Portugal, and Turkey

Language teacher education (LTE) is a dynamic field which needs to keep abreast of the changes in other fields and the teacher-oriented developments. In the 21st century, teacher education is required to meet the expectations of the pre-/in-service teachers, the learners, the technology, and the changing qualifications. In this sense, it is fundamental to investigate how the research trends in LTE should be shaped with a bottom-up perspective. To this end, the current study aims to investigate the needs of academics and researchers in the field of LTE in a variety of contexts (i.e., Turkey, Portugal, and Poland). The study was conducted as a part of an Erasmus+ Project called ILTERG (International Language Teacher Education Research Group) co-funded by the Turkish National Agency and Erasmus+ Program. A total number of 139 participants from three countries participated in the study. The data were collected through a needs analysis survey and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed that all items in the survey might be guiding for the academics to conduct research on. The list of the research topics could guide novice and/or expert researchers to conduct further studies in LTE.

English Language Teacher Education from the Lens of Critical Pedagogy

In English (as a foreign) language teacher education, there have been numerous theories which have been applied, adapted, and reconstructed based on the needs and conditions of the learners and teachers from very early times so far, that is, from the appearance of Behaviourism in foreign language education in the 1940s to the present time. There have always been many transitions and shifts among and within these theories explaining the practices in English (as foreign language) classes. This paper examines how these theories and transitions can be considered from the lens of Critical Pedagogy and it interrogates whether the recognition of the Critical Pedagogy may help foreign language teacher education turn to be transformative and whether it may contribute to the development of the conditions for a better world within and outside the school with the help of teachers trained to be critical. The theoretical framework of this chapter is built on the socio-cultural view, socio-cognitive view, transformative view and Critical Pedagogy in foreign language education. However, earlier theories such as the Behaviouristic Approach, the Cognitive Approach, and the Communicative Approach are visited as background knowledge. Given that the socio-cultural approach portrays human learning as a social process and the origination of human intelligence in society or culture referring to the fact that social interaction plays a basic role in the development of cognition, the socio-cognitive view deals with how language is learned and should be treated; and transformative learning gives way to actual behaviour that learners should establish to contribute to and participate in the community where they live in; these theories in the framework shed light on developing understandings of the recognition of Critical Pedagogy in the foreign language teacher education. Regarding this overview, it is seen that socio-cultural and socio-cognitive transformation could be led by critical pedagogy, in schools initially, then in the whole society, addressing radical concerns and the abuses of power in intercultural contexts in the acquisition of foreign languages and in their circulation by the help of critically trained foreign language teachers.

INTERDYSCYPLINARNA SPECYFIKA KSZTAŁCENIA NAUCZYCIELI JĘZYKÓW OBCYCH (ZE SZCZEGÓLNYM UWZGLĘDNIENIEM PEDEUTOLOGII I GLOTTODYDAKTYKI)

The purpose of this paper is to present the interdisciplinary nature of foreign language teacher education both from a theoretical and empirical perspective - including findings from a research study which was conducted at the Institute of German Studies at the University of Warsaw. The article shows the diversity of approaches to teacher education and defines glottodidactics as the basic disciplines of foreign language teacher education, exposing the influence of these disciplines on each other. The article presents a sample interdisciplinary teacher training program and, based on the results of the author’s own research, the opinions of students on this subject.

Chinese pre-service teachers’ cognitions about cultivating critical thinking in teaching English as a foreign language

ABSTRACT As an important variable in critical thinking instruction, teacher cognition has been emphasized in recent years, but there is relatively insufficient understanding of how Chinese pre-service teachers perceive the cultivation of critical thinking in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). From the perspective of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, especially the concept of mediation, this paper aims to investigate the cognition of Chinese pre-service teachers about the cultivation of critical thinking in TEFL and the mediating resources concerned. Twenty-four Chinese pre-service teachers were selected from five normal universities. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interview and classroom observation was adopted to seek insights on Chinese pre-service teachers’ cognitions about integrating critical thinking into TEFL, and sociocultural theory was used to argue for factors affecting their cognitions. Results revealed that Chinese pre-service teachers understand the connotation of critical thinking to some extent although there are misconceptions, and they are willing to integrate critical thinking into TEFL even though there are many difficulties. Moreover, they perceived that multiple sociocultural factors might be linked with their cognitions, such as previous learning experience, Chinese cultural values, evaluation system, etc. Implications for foreign language teacher education are discussed.

Сучасні тенденції розвитку іншомовної педагогічної освіти в Україні

The article highlights current trends in the development of the system of foreign language teacher education in Ukraine based on the analysis of relevant legal documents including standards of foreign language teacher preparation, as well as the identifiable steps undertaken to reform the sphere of foreign language teaching. Foreign language education is unequivocally recognized as the priority of the country’s external policy aimed at its integration into the international community. Spurred by the impact of the globalization trends, the search for adequate ways and mechanisms of integrating the Ukrainian education into the international higher education platform has begun.The major transformations permeating the Ukrainian higher education system identified in the paper are the standardization movement, the implementation of the competence-based approach, the emphasis of the student-centeredness as opposed to reproductive instructional models. The inherent features of the modern teacher education paradigm in Ukraine are its multidisciplinary approach, continuity, diversification, autonomy, academic freedom, academic mobility and some others.The group of special innovations includes modernization of didactic approaches in the field of foreign language teacher education, diversification of practical language courses, expansion of the curricula of language teacher education programmers, in particular, related to methods of foreign language teaching, and, finally, the abandonment of methodological dogmatism for the sake of principled eclecticism in language teaching, embracing such approaches as communicative, humanistic, competence-based, cultural, constructivist, computer-assisted language learning etc.

IMPACT OF PODCASTING ON PRONUNCIATION SKILLS OF PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS

This explorative qualitative study investigates EFL freshmen’s perception of the impact of creating pronunciation podcasts on their pronunciation skills. The study was conducted with the participation of 80 freshmen, enrolled in a Teaching English as a Foreign Language teacher education program at a Turkish state university. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, investigator notes, records of dashboard activities, analytics and performance tracking records of the LMS, and podcasts created by the participants as well as the recordings of the peer feedbacks on the discussion board. Analysis of the data was done through content analysis technique, presenting the thematized findings through analytical generalizations. Results have shown that the participants have positive views of creating pronunciation podcasts and that podcasting freed them to a great extent from the spatio-temporal limitations of the classroom, allowing them to study and practice pronunciation at their own convenience. The findings are discussed with reference to pronunciation, recommendations for EFL freshmen are made, and implications are offered.

Improving Foreign Language Education in Korea and China: Focusing on Foreign Language Education Policy

This study examined the current situation of foreign language education, teacher training, and education in Korea and China. The analysis and comparison of both countries’ educational policies, problems, and improvement strategies revealed several aspects that require attention. When foreign language education policies are established and enforced in the future, more attention should be given to the rigorous systematization of foreign language curriculum. Furthermore, in the context of intensifying globalization, it is necessary to provide diverse foreign language subject options to allow students to learn various foreign languages and improve their multicultural awareness. Finally, foreign language teacher training and education should be promoted more intensively to empower teachers with the competence and qualifications necessary to make them excellent agents in delivering foreign language education to learners.