Prospective English Language Teachers Research Articles

Prospective English language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in English language teaching environment

This study examines prospective English language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in English language teaching environment. Self-efficacy as ability can impact on students doing task sufficiently. Nowadays self-efficacy plays an important role in developing English language proficiency, because the term “self-efficacy” demonstrates individuals’ competence. Therefore in order to prepare qualified future English teachers, their self-efficacy beliefs also should be tested. For that reason, the purpose of this research study was to figure out prospective English language teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. Participants of present research study were 54 students, enrolled at Foreign Languages Teaching Department of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University. Quantitative research design was used in this study to describe the current condition of future teachers. The data was collected with the help of online questionnaire, through survey method prepared by Google form. Results demonstrated that future English teachers possess adequate level of self-efficacy beliefs. There were not significant differences between male and female undergraduate students, due to Mann-Whitney’s Utest analysis. Overall, research study provided information about undergraduate students’ self-efficacy beliefs using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program which played a huge role to examine the data.

Prospective English language teachers' understandings of global English language teaching

AbstractDespite various calls for a thorough re‐conceptualization of current English language teaching (ELT) practices, incorporating courses for critical perspectives on linguistic and cultural diversity is still a major challenge in most teacher education programmes in many English as a foreign language (EFL) countries. Therefore, we explored the evolving perspectives of English as a global language among Turkish pre‐service English teachers (PELTs) in response to a global Englishes‐focused curriculum. Using self‐report data, the study reveals participants' complex and diverse views on language varieties in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication, driven by various reasons. After a GE‐oriented course, most participants shifted to plurilithic orientations as they softened their beliefs in native‐speaker English superiority and developed a more sophisticated understanding of English. Seven participants with monolithic orientation appeared to reduce the complex and dynamic nature of language to racialized stereotypes associated with native speaker norms. Based on the findings, how language orientations and ideologies may inform teacher preparation in language teaching was discussed. Several recommendations for further research and preparation of PELTs were made.

Knowledge Base for Classroom Preparedness: Analyzing Initial English Language Teacher Education in Kyrgyzstan

This study examines the extent to which the Initial English Language Teacher Education (IELTE) program curriculum facilitates the development of the necessary knowledge base to ensure prospective English language teachers’ classroom preparedness. Data were collected through curricular analysis of four IELTE programs and semi-structured interviews with four program directors and 10 early career English teachers to evaluate IELTE program effectiveness to prepare teachers, at least, entry-level teaching. Findings indicate that contextual factors such as rigid national policy documents, teacher educators’ limited competencies and their role in curriculum development and implementation, the status of the IELTE programs within the universities, lack of collaboration between IELTE programs and schools contributed to the inefficiency of IELTE programs to ensure prospective English teachers’ classrooms preparedness. Thus, English teachers were not prepared to carry out their jobs effectively because the knowledge base that prospective teachers acquire and develop through the IELTE program did not correspond to what they need in their classrooms for effective teaching.

Female EFL Pre-service Teacher’s Emotional Geography in Teaching Practicum during Limited Face to Face Learning

The school environment serves as a domain of learning characterized by a diverse range of emotional complexities. The dynamics of affect that emerge within the classroom setting may give rise to heterogeneous interpretations among educators, influenced by the interactions and dynamics of proximity or distance between teachers and students. This research explores the emotional geography dimension of female prospective English language teachers in the context of conducting teaching practices during the period of limited face-to-face instruction. The narrative approach method is adopted with the intention of capturing narrative accounts concerning the affective experiences of female student teachers who are in the process of developing their careers as educators. The subjects of this study are female student teachers pursuing education as prospective educators within a state university institution in Karawang, West Java, Indonesia. The method of semi-structured interviews is implemented as a tool for collecting relevant data. The data that has been successfully collected pertains to the affective experiences of the participants while conducting teaching practices during the period of limited face-to-face instruction. Subsequently, this data is analyzed with reference to the conceptual framework of "Emotional Geography" proposed by Hargreaves (2001). This study reveals the affective experiences of female prospective teachers in the execution of teaching practices within the context of limited face-to-face instructional settings. The experiences undergone by these prospective teachers entail a multitude of emotions encompassing both positive and negative dimensions. Some of the emotions experienced encompass tension, fear, anxiety, surprise, confusion, stress, overwhelm, helplessness, empathy, relaxation, tranquility, happiness, pleasure, and gratitude.

Cases Typology for Teaching Foreign Languages to Prospective Teachers

The case technology is now mainstream among modern technologies of teaching foreign languages and cultures; foreign language lecturers actively use it. The means of its implementation are cases of different kinds and types. Purpose. The authors of this scientific article have achieved an attempt to classify professional cases of English language teachers in a secondary school. Methods. The analytical review of foreign language teachers’ professional cases classification carried out by Ukrainian methodologists is aimed to distinguish general and distinctive features of analyzed cases – the applied method of scientific research. Results. As a result of the correlation between foreign language teachers’ professional knowledge and foreign language lesson targets, types of professional cases have been identified. Linguistic cases are correlated with the practical target of the foreign language lesson, linguasocioculturalcases – with its educational target, pedagogical cases – with the upbringing target, and psychological cases – with the foreign language lesson development target. Within this combination of targets and cases, the methodological case is the universal mean of implementation of all four (five in high professional school) targets of foreign language teaching in a secondary school. Kinds of cases are specified according to their particular types by five classification criteria: the case function in the educative process, the aim of its use, the form of its representation, the number of performers, and the format of thestorage medium. Conclusion. Our outlook is based on further scientific studies that assume the design of the case complex (linguistic, lingua-sociocultural, psychological, and methodical) for Bachelor students – prospective English language teachers with the purpose to create their competence in dialogue speech.

The Main Stressors of Tertiary Level EFL Instructors Teaching Remotely Amidst Covid-19

With the global COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, our lives, especially education, have been adversely affected. This research investigates the relationship between technostress and burnout levels of English language instructors amidst the pandemic and makes recommendations about the role of online language education in the coming years. In this study, Turkish adaptation of Maslach’s MBI-ES and Defining Teacher’s Technostress Level Scale was administered to 188 English instructors working at State and Foundation Universities in Turkey. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 10 English language instructors. The findings indicate that instructors have medium level of technostress and low level of burnout. Age and gender were found to be an important contributing factor for both technostress and burnout levels. Correlation analyses showed a relationship between subscales of burnout and technostress measures. The research findings suggest adapting the curriculum of English language teaching programs to increase the technology literacy of prospective English language teachers and prepare them for the increasing role of online language teaching in the coming years as well as providing professional development opportunities for in-service language teachers.

Examining the Effectiveness of Lesson Study on EFL Instruction

The aim of this research study was to explore the effect of lesson study in English as a foreign language classes with respect to teacher development and students’ learning outcomes. To fulfil this research aim an experimental case study was designed with three prospective English language teachers who participated in this study in the course of an eight week teaching period as the requirement of a compulsory course called Practicum offered by an undergraduate teacher preparation program. The participants engaged in lesson study through a cycle of three research lessons, with each participant only having to teach one research lesson. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews at the end of the intervention to be analyzed qualitatively. The analysis of the data revealed the themes as changes in participants’ perceptions, professional learning outcomes and challenges experienced. Overall, it was found that the participants’ perceptions of lesson study were positive and that lesson study was beneficial in terms of professional empowerment.

‘What Kind of Teacher I Wish To Be’: Exploring Prospective English Language Teachers’ Future-oriented Identities

Studies on identity has shown that future-oriented thinking could be a useful framework for studying teacher identity development and in the contexts of language teacher preparation; however, research into the future-oriented dimensions of teacher identity is still rather limited. Therefore, in this case study, how prospective English language teachers envision their possible selves as future teachers were explored. Writings from the 56 participants were used as a method of data collection to provide a more profound analysis of the context-sensitive nature of their future-oriented identities. Following an interpretive analysis of qualitative data, the findings revealed two patterns in the participants’ future-oriented identity work: highly developed and (under)developed possible selves as L2 teachers. Both groups of participants appeared to be quite diverse in the nature of their hopes and fears as well as in their exercises of agency and response to tensions and challenges of language teaching. Also, participants’ possible language teacher selves seemed to be classified into three primary categories (i.e., L2 teacher development, L2 teacher competency and L2 teacher proficiency). Based on the findings and discussions, how future-oriented perspective may inform teacher identity development and teacher preparation in the context of language teaching was discussed. Several recommendations for further research and preparation of prospective language teachers were made.

Prospective English language teachers’ perceptions of online and face-to-face education on knowledge, skills, and competencies

The present study, which was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to investigate college students’ opinions regarding online and face-to-face education. The study, which is based on an explanatory sequential mixed-method approach included quantitative and qualitative data. The data were collected from 85 prospective English language teachers enrolled in a teacher-training program at a government university in Turkey. They were ranged in age from 18 to 47. The participants responded to an online two-part questionnaire. In the first part, the participants provided socio-demographic information regarding their gender and age. In the second part, they stated their previous experiences about online education, how they accessed their courses, and their frequency of participation in the courses. Additionally, they expressed their opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of both online and face-to-face learning as well as the effects of both learning platforms on their educational knowledge, skills, and social competencies. A thematic analysis approach was also used in the form of semi-structured interviews to explain the quantitative results. Interviews were conducted with six participants. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the quantitative data. According to the results, the participants favored online lessons because of their accessibility even after their regular scheduled time but disfavored the lessons due to the fact that they had to look at a screen for a long time, had technical problems such as Internet connection, insufficient interaction with the course instructor and classmates. Moreover, the participants reported that they benefited more from face-to-face learning than online learning in terms of gaining new knowledge, skills, and competencies. To solve the issues that arise in online education, they suggested prolonging the duration of the exams but shortening the duration of the lessons due to connection problems.

MICROTEACHING LESSON STUDY FOR PROSPECTIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS: DESIGNING A RESEARCH LESSON

In this study, Microteaching Lesson Study (hereafter MLS) was applied for a research lesson designed by the MLS group members including three third-year prospective English language teachers in line with the Content and Language Integrated Learning (hereafter CLIL) approach. This qualitative study aims to uncover the contribution of MLS to the improvement of the teaching within a single lesson geared toward young learners and the perspectives of MLS group members about major components of the MLS process. The participants of the study are three MLS group members, 15 peers and an instructor in the English Language Teaching (hereafter ELT) department of a state university in Turkey. The lesson collaboratively developed by the MLS group members was presented three times by a different member to a different group of five peers who pretended to be young learners. After each lesson, revision meetings were held to analyze the self-reflection of the presenter, the peer/instructor feedback about the lesson and the recorded lesson. The analysis of the revision meetings illustrated the instructional improvement cycle of MLS. Moreover, the analysis of the semi-structured interviews with the MLS group members revealed that they were generally satisfied with the major components of MLS, such as collaborative lesson planning and receiving feedback from peers although a few concerns were mentioned as well. It is suggested that MLS should be incorporated into ELT programs.

Lesson Study as an Intervention to Develop Prospective English Language Teachers' Classroom Management Skills

This study investigated six pre-service ELT teachers' engagement of collaborative Lesson Study, Japanese professional development model, and intended to explore its impact on their classroom management skills. The qualitative research design was used as the methodological foundation of the study since the Lesson Study experience of the participants was thoroughly observed in its natural context through research lesson applications. The large volume of data collected using a variety of data collection tools was analyzed using Atlas. Ti qualitative software. The study revealed that Lesson Study intervention impacted the participants' classroom management skills in various dimensions at varying degrees, especially in increasing awareness about the observation of student learning, giving instructions, and lesson planning aspects. The study further presented that Lesson Study provides a reformist professional development opportunity for pre-service teachers to practice various classroom management strategies in various actual classroom settings.

Prospective English language teachers’ projected identities in personal statements plus experienced teachers’ reactions

AbstractWhile explorations involving teacher identity have been prevalent in applied linguistics, studies have often focused on the teacher's vantage point and explored the identities of teachers who are currently practicing. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, this study explores the projected identities of two undergraduates with no teaching experience as they attempt to position themselves as potential future EFL teachers in their personal statements submitted for a teaching grant. Following the text analysis, three experienced teachers read the applicants’ statements using think‐alouds, revealing how teacher education community gatekeepers received the prospective teachers’ identities. The findings show three identities shared by the novices. Additionally, the experienced teachers had clear positions regarding what identities they prescribed value to. Implications for prospective teachers and future research are discussed.

Designing Courses that Entertain Multi-Goals: Rationale and Practice

The present century is characterized by the speed and influx of information. Given that everyday life both at home and work is flowing at head-spinning speed, the time comes fore as a crucial entity to process mountains of information produced and transmitted to the furthest places in the world with a simple click. In brief, time is a precious treasure that needs to be kept safe and spent wisely. This article reports on a study that explored the possibilities as to how teaching time and the course content could be designed more efficiently in a freshman conversation skills course offered to the prospective English language teachers at a state university in Turkey. The course content was constructed based on an initial needs analysis conducted by their searcher. As a partial requirement of the final exam, the students were asked to prepare a five-minute oral presentation on a quotation or a universal code of values of their choice. The rubric for evaluation and the outline of the oral presentation were both negotiated with the students in detail. Following their presentation, the students were asked to answer two open-ended questions eliciting their opinions about their experiences. The content analysis of the collected data revealed that the students improved research and digital literacy skills. They also established collaboration with their classmates, retained vocabulary items and overcame anxiety issues.

COVID-19 THROUGH THE LENSES OF TURKISH STUDENT TEACHERS OF ENGLISH

This article aimed at unearthing the opinions of teacher candidates of English on Covid-19 and how it has affected their future career plans, current educational endeavours and also investigated how and in what way their English proficiency could be related to the phenomenon. A total of 127 prospective English language teachers enrolled in ELT department at a state university participated in the study. Data were collected through three open-ended questions. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings showed that the current pandemic has led some student teachers to review or postpone some of their educational plans while some were encouraged to learn technology-related new skills. Findings showed that participants somehow have become ‘pandemic-literate’ by following the news from international sources and they have grown sensitivity toward global issues that they feel responsible to integrate these topics into mainstream English courses when they start teaching. Article visualizations:

The relationship between critical thinking dispositions of prospective English language teachers and their levels of new media literacy

The teaching profession, by its very nature, requires teachers to develop themselves continuously, to keep up with the innovations emerging over time, to acquire the competencies they require, and hence keep themselves updated. In our time, in which the developments have gained an enormous pace, particularly in technology, this requirement has become vital for teachers whose contributions to shape societies are immense. With the recent advances in technology, it has become of great importance for teachers to learn the emerging new media culture and use them effectively in their lessons. On the other hand, as a result of these rapid developments, the acquisition of critical thinking, which dates back to ancient times as a concept, by teachers as a skill has become more important than ever before. At this point, there are evaluations made regarding the importance of these two skills primarily in teacher training programs. In line with these evaluations, this study examined the relationship between the critical thinking dispositions (CTD) and their new media literacy levels (NML) of pre-service English teachers studying at the education faculties of two foundation universities. Results showed that the candidates participating in the research have high level critical thinking and new media literacy skills, and there is a moderate positive relationship between these two skills.

İngiliz Dili Eğitimi Öğrencilerinin Öğretim Duygularına Yönelik Bir Araştırma

The aim of this study is to examine the instructional emotions of English Language Teaching Department students studying at Amasya University in Turkey. In this context, the sample of the study was composed of the 3rd and 4th year students who were studying in the 2018-2019 academic year. Quantitative research methods were used during the data collection and data analysis processes. “Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Teachers/AEQ-T” Scale and consisting of 27 items and 6 dimensions named as Sense of Anxiety, Sense of Pride, Sense of Pleasure, Sense of Anger, Sense of Hope, Sense of Frustration was used as data collection instrument. The results obtained from the study presented that there were differences among the prospective English Language Teachers' opinions regarding their emotional states which should be implemented and provided basis for the further studies of English Language Teacher Education.

Pre-service English Language Teachers’ Use of Reflective Journals in an Assessment and Testing Course

This text discusses how the implementation of the reflective journal in a language assessment and testing course for prospective English language teachers at a private university in Medellin, Colombia, contributed to develop their Language Assessment Literacy (LAL). Among the main contributions, future teachers highlight a shift of mind concerning assessment beliefs and a feeling of empowerment towards assessment practices. In the same vein, the text presents prospective teachers’ views on constraints that can emerge when reflective journals are used as a learning strategy in teacher education.

Prospective English Language Teachers’ Grammatical Awareness Development to Undertake Academic Writing

This study examines prospective English language teachers’ grammatical awareness development, and its impact on the production of academic written texts in an English teaching undergraduate program at a private university in Colombia. Data were collected through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews, as well as participants’ academic written production. Results reveal the internal and external factors which affect pre-service teachers’ grammatical awareness development in this context, in addition to the frequent grammatical errors found in their work. This research highlights the importance of establishing useful strategies to help future English language teachers develop grammatical awareness to succeed in academic writing.

Intercultural Sensitivity Orientations Prior to Short-Term Study Abroad: A Qualitative Study on Prospective English Language Teachers

Short-term study abroad programs can contribute to the multidimensional development of prospective language teachers. However, participants’ intercultural sensitivity orientations prior to the mobility period can significantly influence the quality and quantity of the outcomes gained from such programs. Therefore, in this qualitative case study, we explored the intercultural sensitivity orientations of a cohort of prospective language teachers from Turkey who prepared to study at three different universities in Italy. We also explored the participants’ perspectives regarding the potential contributions of short-term study abroad to their ongoing language teacher education processes. Following an interpretive analysis of qualitative data, our findings revealed that the participants aligned largely with ethnocentrism although there were individual differences concerning the levels of intercultural sensitivity. Their intercultural perspectives generally lacked complexity and reflected popular, unwarranted discourses surrounding study abroad. Based on these findings and discussions, we made several recommendations for further research and preparation of future participants.

ПІДХОДИ ДО ВЗАЄМОПОВ’ЯЗАНОГО ФОРМУВАННЯ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ В ПРОФЕСІЙНО ОРІЄНТОВАНОМУ ГОВОРІННІ ТА ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-КОМУНІКАЦІЙНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ МАЙБУТНІХ ВИКЛАДАЧІВ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ

In the article the approaches to an interrelated building of the competence in professionally oriented speaking and information and communication competence of prospective English language teachers with application of the research methods (analysis of relevant research, systematization and generalization) has been grounded. The approaches which ensure efficiency of an interrelated building in prospective English language teachers a professionally oriented competence in speaking and information and communication competence have been outlined: communication and activity, socio-cognitive and integrated ones. The adoption of the listed approaches in this process envisages simultaneous mastering by students of the components of aforementioned competences in the simulated situations of professionally oriented communication of English language teachers with regard for individual peculiarities of the subjects of learning process and cognitive processes, with application of active and interactive teaching methods, modern information and communication technologies.