Does the Latest English Language Teacher Education Curriculum Develop Student Teachers’ Professional Competencies?

Journal of Teaching English Lnaguage Studies

مقاله 6، دوره 7، شماره 3، خرداد 2019، صفحه 99-123   

نوع مقاله: Original Article

نویسندگان

Mohammad Nabi Ranjbari؛ Hossein Heidari Tabrizi^* ؛ Akbar Afghari

Department of English, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.

چکیده

The fundamental goal of any EFL teacher education curriculum is to equip and prepare student teachers for their teaching career. The present study sought to explore how practicing teachers feel about the effectiveness of the latest English teacher education curriculum in the content, pedagogical content and pedagogical knowledge bases and the university education that the current student teachers go through. The participants of the study were 130 male and female high school EFL teachers who were selected through cluster random sampling. The study utilized a descriptive design to investigate the effectiveness of the curriculum. The data were collected via semi-structured interview and a Likert scale questionnaire which comprised 35 items on the detailed stated objectives and performance tasks for each specific course in the curriculum. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed that participants were satisfied with the latest curriculum and perceived it as adequate and effective in stated objectives. Qualitative analysis showed that participants complained that the curriculum is not so successful in providing the student teachers with the opportunity to experience real life teaching during their education, to make them aware of contextual challenges awaiting and strike a balance between ideals and actuals.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Content Knowledge؛ Pedagogical Content Knowledge؛ Pedagogical Knowledge؛ Teacher Education Curriculum؛ Professional Competencies

مراجع

Andrews, S. (2001). The language awareness of the L2 teacher: Its impact upon pedagogical
practice. Language Awareness, 10(2-3), 75–90.
Ball, D.L. & Forzani, F.M. (2009). The work of teaching and the challenge of teacher education.
Journal of Teacher Education, 60, 497-511.
Choy, D., Wong, A. F. L, Lim, K. M. & Chong, S. (2013). Beginning teachers’ perceptions of
their pedagogical knowledge and skills in teaching: A three year study. Australian Journal of
Teacher Education, 38(5).
Cohen, L, Manion, L. & Morrison, K, (2011). Research methods in Education (7th Ed.) London:
Routledge.
Coskun, A., & Daloglu, A. (2010). Evaluating an English language teacher education program.
Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 1, 24–42.
Crandall, J. (2000). Language teacher education. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics,
20(2000), 34–8.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1999). Teacher quality and student achievement: A review of state policy
evidence.Washington: Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy -University of Washington.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Reforming teacher preparation and licensing: Debating the
evidence. Teachers College Record, 102(1), 28-56.
Darling-Hammond, L., & Bransford, J. (Eds.). (2007). Preparing teachers for a changing world:
What teachers should learn and be able to do. John Wiley & Sons.
Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen
and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 1013–1055.
Freeman, D. (2001). Teacher learning and student learning in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 35(4),
608-609.
Freeman, D. (2002). The hidden side of the work: Teacher knowledge and learning to teach.
Language Teaching, 35, 1-13.
Freeman, D., & Johnson, K. E. (1998). Re-conceptualizing the knowledge-base of language
teacher education. TESOL Quarterly, 32, 397-417.
Freeman, D. & Richards, J. C. (eds.) (1996). Teacher learning in language teaching. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Golombek, P. R. (1998). A study of language teachers’ personal practical knowledge. TESOL
Quarterly, 32, 447–65.
Grossman, P. L. (1990). The making of a teacher: Teacher knowledge and teacher education.
New York: Teachers College Press.
He, C &Yan, C. (2011). Exploring authenticity of microteaching in pre-service teacher
education programs. European Journal of Teacher Education, 22(3), 291-302.
Jadidi, M., & Bagheri, M. S. (2014). ELT pre-service teachers' education: Major trends and
shifts. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 7(4), 181-
190.
Johnston, B., & Goettsch, K. (2000). In search of the knowledge base of language teaching:
Explanations by experienced teachers. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 56(3), 437-468.
Khanjani, A., Vahdany, F., & Jafarigohar, M. (2016). The EFL pre-service teacher training in
Iran: Is it adequate or not? Iranian Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 5 (1).
Kourieos, S. (2014). The knowledge base of primary EFL teachers – pre-service and in-service
teachers’ perceptions. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5 (2), 291-300.
Lampert, M. (2001). Teaching problems and the problems of teaching. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press.
Liu, S. (2013). Pedagogical content knowledge: A case study of ESL teacher educator. English
Language Teaching, 6(7), 128–138.
Mirhassani, S.A., &Beh-Afarin, S.R. (2004). EFL teacher training evaluation: Assessment of
needs, pedagogical constraints and objective setting in EFL teacher training programs. Roshd
FLT Quarterly, 69 (18), 45–57.
Munby, H., Russell, T., & Martin, A. (2001). Teachers’ knowledge and how it develops. In V.
Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp.877-904).Washington, DC: American
Educational Research Association.
Peacock, M. (2009). The evaluation of foreign-language-teacher training programs. Language
Teaching Research, 13 (3), 259–278.