Pre-Service English Language Teacher Readiness Before and After a Practicum Interrupted by the Pandemic

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 12 Sayı: 1, 111 - 128, 24.06.2024

Hüsem Korkmaz , İlknur Keçik

https://doi.org/10.52826/mcbuefd.1368024

Öz

With a quantitative research design, the present study aims to explore the teacher readiness of pre-service foreign language teachers during the practicum in terms of their perceived teaching self-efficacies, attitudes towards teaching, and teaching motivations. In order to uncover changes in pre-service foreign language teachers' perceived teaching self-efficacies, attitudes towards teaching, and teaching motivations, two sets of quantitative data from 80 last year English Language Teaching students enrolled in a teaching practice class at a Turkish state university were collected through three different scales before and after the practicum period, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed significant increases in the participants' perceived teaching self-efficacies and attitudes towards teaching at the end of the practicum. Moreover, the teaching motivations of the participants appeared to have changed towards more altruistic and intrinsic orientations at the end of the practicum. Considering the unique and unusual conditions emerged during the data collection period, the study sheds light on the cruciality of the practicum period in teacher education even in such crisis situations.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Teacher Readiness, Practicum, Self-efficacy, Attitude, Motivation

Etik Beyan

This paper was reproduced from the PhD dissertation of the corresponding author who was financially supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)-2211/A Program during his PhD education at Anadolu University, English Language Teaching Program.

İngilizce Öğretmen Adaylarının Pandemiyle Bölünen Bir Staj Dönemi Öncesi ve Sonrası Hazır Bulunuşlukları

Öz

Nicel bir araştırma desenine sahip olan bu çalışma, yabancı dil öğretmen adaylarının öğretmenlik stajları döneminde algılanan öz yeterlikleri, öğretmeye yönelik tutumları ve öğretim motivasyonları açısından öğretmen hazırbulunuşluğu kavramını araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Yabancı dil öğretmen adaylarının algıladıkları öğretmenlik öz yeterlikleri, öğretmenliğe yönelik tutumları ve öğretmenlik motivasyonlarındaki değişimleri ortaya çıkarmak amacıyla, Türkiye'deki bir devlet üniversitesinde öğretmenlik uygulaması dersine kayıtlı 80 İngilizce öğretmenliği son sınıf öğrencisinden, COVID-19 salgını nedeniyle kesintiye uğrayan uygulama dönemi öncesinde ve sonrasında üç farklı ölçek aracılığıyla iki set nicel veri toplanmıştır. Bulgular, staj dönemi sonunda katılımcıların algıladıkları öğretmenlik öz yeterliklerinde ve öğretmenliğe yönelik tutumlarında önemli artışlar olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Ayrıca, katılımcıların öğretme motivasyonlarının uygulamanın sonunda daha özgeci ve içsel yönelimlere doğru değiştiği görülmüştür. Bu çalışmanın bulguları ışığında, yüz yüze, kısmen uzaktan ve tamamen uzaktan öğretmenlik stajı dönemlerinin öğretmen hazırbulunuşluğu sonuçlarını karşılaştıran başka çalışmalar öğretmen eğitimi literatürüne önemli katkılar sağlayabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Öğretmen Hazırbulunuşluğu, Staj Dönemi, Öz yeterlilik, Tutum, Motivasyon

Kaynakça

• Atay, D. (2007). Beginning teacher efficacy and the practicum in an EFL context. Teacher Development, 11(2), 203-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530701414720
• Aydın, M. K., Bavlı, B., & Alcı, B. (2013). Examining the effects of pre-service teachers' personality traits on their teaching competencies. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 5(3), 575-586.
• Baker, P. H. (2005). Managing student behaviour: How ready are teachers to meet the challenge? American Seconday Education, 33(3), 51-64.
• Bandura, A. (1986). The explanatory and predictive scope of self-efficacy theory. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology: Special Issue: Self-Efficacy Theory in Contemporary Psychology, 4, 359-373. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.1986.4.3.359
• Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. Beckmann, T., & Ehmke, T. (2023) Remote internships: The experiences of pre-service teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cogent Education, 10(2), 2260679. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2260679
• Bhargava, A., & Pathy, M. (2011). Perceptions of student teachers about teaching competencies. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 1(1), 77-81.
• Boz, N., & Boz, Y. (2006). Do prospective teachers get enough experience in school placements? Journal of Education for Teaching, 32, 353-368. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02607470600981912
• Bruinsma, M., & Jansen, E. (2010). Is the motivation to become a teacher related to pre‐service teachers' intentions to remain in the profession? European Journal of Teacher Education, 33(2), 185-200. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02619760903512927
• Carr, W. (2009). Practice without theory? A postmodern perspective on educational practice. In B. Green (Ed.), Understanding and researching professional practice. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. (MM)
• Carroll, J.M, Choo, C. W., Dunlap, D. R., & Isenhour, P. L. (2003). Knowledge management support for teachers. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 51(4), 42-64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02504543
• Chang, Y. (2018). Certified but not qualified? EFL pre-service teachers in liminality, Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2017.1401929
• Chu, Y. (2023). What motivates high school youths to want to teach? Narratives of homegrown aspiring teachers. Urban Education, 00420859231162898.
• Cortes, Y. A. M. (2016). Unveiling pre-service teachers' attitudes toward teaching: The role of pedagogical practicums. Profile Issues in Teachers' Professional Development, 18(2), 47-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/profile.v18n2.49591
• Costello, S., & Boyle, C. (2013). Pre-service secondary teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n4.8
• Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Çapa, Y., Çakıroğlu, J., & Sarıkaya, H. (2009. The development and validation of a Turkish version of teachers’ sense of efficacy scale. Education and Science, 30(137), 74-81.
• Damar, E. A. (2018). Identifying motivational factors of pre-service EFL teachers. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 7(1), 147-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/ajis-2018-0015
• Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). Teacher education and the American future. Journal of Teacher Education, 61, 35-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022487109348024
• Dinçer, A., Göksu, A., Takkaç, A., & Yazıcı, M. (2013). Common characteristics of an effective English language teacher. The International Journal of Educational Researchers, 4(3), 1-8.
• Doğan, M. C. (2003). Türkiye’de Öğretmenlik Mesleğinin Sorunları ve Öğretmen Adaylarının Mesleğe İlişkin Görüşleri. İstanbul: Burak Yayınları.
• Dörnyei, Z. & Ushioda, E. (2011). Teaching and researching motivation (2nd ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
• Eccles, J. S., Adler, T. F., Futterman, R., Goff, S. B., Kaczala, C. M., Meece, J. L., & Midgley, C. (1983). Expectancies, values, and academic behaviors. In J. T. Spence (Ed.), Achievement and achievement motivation (pp. 75-146). San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman.
• Fan, M., Leung, L.P., Hon, S., & Fan, K.L. (2019). Readiness of Hong Kong secondary school teachers for teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation in schools: A questionnaire survey. Hong Kong J. Emerg. Med., 26, 174–178. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1024907918797532
• Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., Tigelaar, E.H., van Rijswijk, M.M., & Jansen, E.P.W.A. (2023). Preservice teachers’ resilience during times of COVID-19, Teachers and Teaching, 1-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2023.2172391
• Gao, M., & Liu, Q. (2013). Personality traits of effective teachers represented in the narratives of American and Chinese pre-service teachers: A cross cultural comparison. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 3(2), 1-16.
• Gao, X. A., & Benson, P. (2012). 'Unruly pupils' in pre-service English language teachers' teaching practicum experiences, Journal of Education for Teaching, 38(2), 127-140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2012.656440 Giallo, R., & Little, E. (2003). Classroom behavior problems: The relationship between preparedness, classroom experiences and self-efficacy in graduate and student teachers. Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 3, 21-34.
• Gibson, S., & Dembo, M. (1984). Teacher efficacy: a construct validation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(4), pp. 569-582. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.76.4.569
• Göktepe, F.T. (2014). Attitudes and motivation of Turkish undergraduate EFL students towards learning English language. Studies in English Language Teaching, Vol. 2, No. 3. http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/selt.v2n3p314
• Graves, K. (2009). The curriculum of second language teacher education. In A. Burns& J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Teacher Education (pp. 115-124). NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Haigh, M., Ell, F., & Mackisack, V. (2013). Judging teacher candidates' readiness to teach. Teaching and Teacher Education 34, 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.03.002
• Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review, 27, pp. 1-12
• Hoy, A. W., & Spero, R. B. (2005). Changes in teacher efficacy during the early years of teaching: A comparison of four measures. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(4), 343-356. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.01.007
• İnceçay, G., & Keşli Dollar, Y. (2012). Classroom management, self-efficacy and readiness of Turkish pre-service English teachers. ELT Research Journal, 1(3), 189-198.
• Joseph, P. B., & Green, N. (1986). Perspectives on reasons for becoming teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 37(6), 28–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248718603700605
• Jusoh, R. (2012). Effects of teachers' readiness in teaching and learning of entrepreneurship education in primary schools. International Interdisciplinary Journal of Education, 1(7), pp. 98-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.12816/0002885
• Kılınç, A., Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2012). Factors influencing teaching choice in Turkey. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 40, 199-226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700048
• Koç, H. K. (2023).The preschool teachers’ perceptions and views on foreign language teaching via distance education for preschoolers. International Primary Education Research Journal, 7(3), 91-103.
• Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
• Kosar, G. (2021). Distance teaching practicum: Its impact on pre-service EFL teachers' preparedness for teaching. IAFOR Journal of Education, 9(2), 111-126.
• Kyriacou, C., & Kobori, M. (1998) Motivation to learn and teach English in Slovenia, Educational Studies, 24, pp. 345-351. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0305569980240307
• Lee, I., & Yuan, R. (2014). Motivation change of pre-service English teachers: A Hong Kong study. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 27(1), 89-106, DOI: 10.1080/07908318.2014.890211
• Liaw, E. C. (2009). Teacher efficacy of preservice teachers in Taiwan: The influence of classroom teaching and group discussions. Teaching and Teacher Education 25(1), 176–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.08.005
• MacDonald, C. (1993). Coping with stress during the teaching practicum: The student teachers' perspective. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 39, 407-418.
• Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ad vitam aut culpam. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/ad%20vitam%20aut%20culpam
• Parylo, O., Süngü, H., & Ilgan, A. (2015). Connecting attitudes toward teaching and pedagogical formation courses: A study of Turkish pre-service teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40(5), pp. 85-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2015v40n5.5
• Peters, J. H. (2012). Are they ready? Final year pre-service teachers' learning about managing student behaviour. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37(9). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2012v37n9.2
• Polat, M. (2017). Teachers' attitudes towards teaching English grammar: A scale development study. International Journal of Instruction, 10(4), 379-398. http://dx.doi.org/10.12973/iji.2017.10422a
• Richards, G., & Clough. (2004). ITE students' attitudes to inclusion. Research in Education, 72, pp. 77-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.7227/RIE.72.6
• Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. M. G. (2006). "Who chooses teaching and why? Profiling characteristics and motivations across three Australian universities." Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education 34(1), 27-56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13598660500480290
• Roberts, J. (1998). Language Teacher Education. London: Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group. Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57, 1-22.
• Sinclair, C. (2008) Initial and changing student teacher motivation and commitment to teaching, Asia‐Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 36(2), 79-104, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13598660801971658
• Strakova, Z. (2015). The perception of readiness for teaching profession: a case of pre-service trainees. Journal of Language Cultural Education. 3(1), 32-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/jolace-2015-0003
• Stronge, J. H. (2007). Qualities of effective teachers (2nd ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
• Symes, W., Lazarides, R., & Hußner, I. (2023). The development of student teachers’ teacher self-efficacy before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teaching and Teacher Education, 122, 103941.
• Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.), Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Tschannen-Moran, M., Woolfolk Hoy, A., & Hoy, W. K. (1998). Teacher efficacy: Its meaning and measure. Review of Educational Research, 68, 202-248. http://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00346543068002202
• Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 783-805. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1
• Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2007). The differential antecedents of self-efficacy beliefs of novice and experienced teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education, 23(6), 944-956. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.05.003
• Üstüner, M. (2006). Validity and reliability study on an attitude scale towards the profession of teaching. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 12(45), 109-127.
• Üstüner, M., Demirtaş, H., & Cömert, M. (2009). The attitudes of prospective teachers towards the profession of teaching (The case of İnönü University, Faculty of Education). Education and Science, 34(151), pp.140-155.
• Vick, M. (2006). It's a difficult matter: Historical perspectives on the enduring problem of the practicum in teacher preparation. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34, 181-198. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13598660600720579
• Wang, L., Lai, M., & Lo, L.N. (2014). Teacher professionalism under the recent reform of performance pay in Mainland China. Prospects, 44, 429-443. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11125-014-9315-0
• Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2007). Motivational factors influencing teaching as a career choice: Development and validation of the FIT-Choice Scale. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75, 167-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.3.167-202
• Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2002). The development of competence beliefs, expectancies for success, and achievement values from childhood through adolescence. In A. Wigfield & J. S. Eccles (Eds.), Development of achievement motivation (pp. 91–120). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012750053-9/50006-1
• Wong, R. (2020). Becoming an EFL teacher: A re-investigation of student teachers' motivation. English Language Teaching, 13(5), pp. 64-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n5p64
• Wong, A. K. Y., Tang, S. Y.F., & Cheng, M. M. H. (2014). Teaching motivations in Hong Kong: Who will choose teaching as a fallback career in a stringent job market? Teaching and Teacher Education, 41, pp. 81-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.03.009
• Woolfolk, A. E., & Hoy, W. K. (1990). Prospective teachers' sense of efficacy and beliefs about control. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 81-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.81
• Woolfolk, A. E., Rosoff, B., & Hoy, W. K. (1990). Teachers' sense of efficacy and their beliefs about managing students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 6(2), 137-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0742-051X(90)90031-Y
• Yang, J. (2023). A case study of the ımpacts of teaching practicum on the self‐efficacy among pre‐service English teachers. Journal of Education and Educational Research 3(3), 102-105.
• Yıldırım, İ. (2015). Revised version of physical education teachers' self-efficacy scale. Journal of Human Sciences, 12(1), 870-886. http://dx.doi.org/10.14687/ijhs.v12i1.3100
• Yin, J. (2019). Connecting theory and practice in teacher education: English-as-a-foreign-language pre-service teachers' perceptions of practicum experience. Innovation Education 1(4). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42862-019-0003-z
• Yong, B. C. S. (1995). Teacher trainees' motives for entering into a teaching career in Brunei Darussalam. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(3), pp. 275-280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0742-051x(94)00023-y
• Yuan, R., & Zhang, L. (2017). Exploring student teachers' motivation change in initial teacher education: A Chinese perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 61, 142-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.10.010
• Zhang, W., Wang, Y., Yang, L., & Wang, C. (2020). Suspending classes without stopping learning: China's education emergency management policy in the COVID-19 outbreak. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 13(3), 55-61. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm13030055