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Turkish Journal of EducationTURJE 2016 Volume 5, Issue 3 www.turje.org
TURJE
Volume 5 Issue 3
Turkish Journal of
Education
www.turje.org
DOI: 10.19128/turje.81461
Research Article on Teacher Training
Received
25.05.2016
Accepted
10.08.2016
In the Spirit of Quality Student Teachers’ English Proficiency and
Pedagogical Skills: Teacher Educators and School Principals’
Perception
Urip Sulistiyo
Jambi University, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, English Language Education Department,
Jambi City, Indonesia, usulis2012@gmail.com
Amirul Mukminin
Jambi University, Graduate School, Educational Management Department, Jambi City, Indonesia,
amirul.mukminin@unja.ac.id
Yanto Yanto
Jambi University, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, English Language Education Department,
Jambi City, Indonesia, yanto7382@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The aim of this research was to document information on English teacher education program
at one state-owned university in Jambi, Indonesia in order to better prepare student teachers
with sufficient knowledge and skills they need to teach. Information was gathered from school
principals’ and teacher educators’ perceptions on beginner teachers’ English proficiency and
pedagogical skills. This research employed qualitative method that used document analysis
and interviews for data collection. Interviews with principals and teacher educators were used
to obtain data and evidence about the beginner teachers’ language proficiency and
preparedness to teach and document analysis was used to explore the content of the English
teacher education curriculum that covers English proficiency and teaching skill related courses.
The results showed that school principals did not always perceive the English proficiency and
teaching skills of new teachers to be adequate for entering the teaching profession. In contrast,
teacher educators gave a view that pre-service teachers who had completed an English teacher
education program were equipped with adequate language knowledge, language proficiency,
and language teaching skills. This research makes recommendations to improve the quality of
this program, in particular, program curriculum content reform for developing language
knowledge and language teaching skills.
Keywords
Knowledge base for language teachers, English proficiency, Teaching skill
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EXTENDED SUMMARY
To produce high-quality teaching which finally will change student achievement, teachers should know
what they should do and how they do it. This issue has attracted several scholars’ attention. Shulman
and Shulman (2004) described an accomplished teacher as someone able to understand what must be
taught and how to teach it. This is what they referred to as the quality of teachers—it is stated in terms
of what they know and are able to do. Also, when examining pre-service ESL teacher education
programs, the formal institutions that produce English teachers, Day (2012) identified two aspects that
can be used as an assessment. The first is the knowledge base for teachers to teach, and the second is
the ways that knowledge is delivered to the students. Drawing on Shulman’s (1987) pedagogical content
knowledge (PCK) framework, Day and Conklin (1992) pointed to four types of the knowledge base for
language teachers. First is content knowledge of the subject matter, which refers to the language
knowledge that ESL or EFL teachers teach. Second is pedagogic knowledge, which refers to knowledge
of generic strategies, or of the ways that teachers teach. Third is PCK, which refers to knowledge of how
to present content knowledge in various ways that students can understand, as well as knowledge of
what problems they might encounter and how to overcome these. The fourth is support knowledge,
which is knowledge of the various disciplines that inform teachers’ approaches to teaching and learning
English. The aim of this research was to document information on English teacher education program
at one state-owned university in Jambi, Indonesia in order to better prepare student teachers with
sufficient knowledge and skills they need to teach. Information was gathered from school principals’
and teacher educators’ perceptions on beginner teachers’ English proficiency and pedagogical skills.
This research was part of a larger research investigating the effectiveness of English teacher education
program in Jambi University, Indonesia. The research was focused on answering the question of how
teacher educators and school principals (as employers) perceived Jambi University EFL graduates as
beginner teachers toward their English proficiency and teaching skills and to what extend the curriculum
contents used in the program accommodated these needs. To document the interaction between the
participants, their world (in this case, their English teacher education program and schools) and their
experiences, we employed interviews as one method of data collection. The purpose of using interviews
was to provide in-depth information about the participants’ experiences or viewpoints of a particular
topic (Creswell, 2007; Turner, 2010). The school principal participants in this study were selected from
the schools in which the first-year English teachers taught. Moreover, in order to gather information
regarding the implementation of the English teacher education program curriculum and the program
itself, interviews with five teacher educators were conducted.
Additionally, document analysis was used to determine the curriculum content of the English teacher
education program at Jambi University. Documents such as the official English teacher education
curriculum and policies linked to the Jambi University teacher education program were analysed to gain
a comprehensive overview of the program. To analyse the data, thematic analyses (Liamputtong, 2009;
Mukminin, 2012; Mukminin & McMahon, 2013) involving initial coding, axial coding, and selective
coding were used to discover appropriate themes from interviews. Also, in this study, the data were
analysed using thematic analysis, which involved identifying, analysing and reporting themes in the
data. The findings indicated two major themes: (1) stakeholders’ perceptions towards beginner teachers’
English proficiency and pedagogical skills and (2) the curriculum content of EFL teacher education at
Jambi University.
The findings indicated that stakeholders’ perceptions on beginner teachers’ English proficiency and
pedagogical skills indicated that beginner teachers from English teacher education program at Jambi
University had adequate language knowledge and proficiency. However, they commented that the
pedagogical skills of new beginner teachers should be improved. Also, teacher educators in this study
expressed that pre-service teachers who had completed an EFL teacher education program were
equipped with adequate language knowledge, language proficiency, and language teaching skills. If
later, it was found that they could not demonstrate these things in their teaching, there must be another
important reason behind that. They believed the graduates were ready, and that poor teaching was most
likely attributable to other school factors.
In terms of the curriculum content of EFL teacher education, the findings from this study indicated that
experiential learning how to teach in school settings experienced as student teachers was not always
optimum. It might cause a lack expertise in pedagogy areas with graduates and beginner teacher.
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Therefore, the English teacher education program at Jambi University could arrange in-house training
for its graduates who are teaching in schools to renew and enhance their teaching skills to meet the
demand of high expectations from the teaching profession in EFL contexts nowadays. Also, the findings
of this study demonstrated that there was a need to balance courses related to pedagogical skills and
courses related to language skills.
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INTRODUCTION
There has been a considerable amount of studies both internationally and locally investigating the quality
of teaching as high quality teaching depends on the competent people who work as teachers at school,
(e.g. Lortie, 1975; Kyriacou, Hultgren, & Stephens, 1999; OECD, 2005; Mukminin, Ali, & Ashari,
2015). To produce high quality teaching which finally will change student achievement, teachers should
know what they should do and how they do it. This issue has attracted several scholars’ attention. For
example, Shulman and Shulman (2004) described an accomplished teacher as someone able to
understand what must be taught and how to teach it. This is what they referred to as the quality of
teachers—it is stated in terms of what they know and are able to do. Also, when examining pre-service
ESL teacher education programs, the formal institutions that produce English teachers, Day (2012)
identified two aspects that can be used as an assessment. The first is the knowledge for teachers to teach,
and the second is the ways that knowledge is delivered to the students. Drawing on Shulman’s (1987)
pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) framework, Day and Conklin (1992) pointed to four types of the
knowledge base for language teachers. First is content knowledge of the subject matter, which refers to
the language knowledge that ESL or EFL teachers teach. Second is pedagogic knowledge, which refers
to knowledge of generic strategies, or of the ways that teachers teach. Third is PCK, which refers to
knowledge of how to present content knowledge in various ways that students can understand, as well
as knowledge of what problems they might encounter and how to overcome these. The fourth is support
knowledge, which is knowledge of the various disciplines that inform teachers’ approaches to teaching
and learning English.
Further, Richards (2010) proposed the dimensions of teacher knowledge and skill that are at the core of
expert teacher competence and performance in language teaching. According to Richards, there are 10
dimensions of teacher knowledge and skill. The first is the language proficiency factor of the teacher.
There are several language-specific competencies that a language teacher needs in order to teach
effectively, such as the ability to comprehend texts accurately, provide good language models, and
maintain use of the target language in the classroom. Richards pointed out that a teacher’s level of
language proficiency will determine the level of that teacher’s confidence; thus, teachers who perceive
themselves as weak in the target language will have reduced confidence in their teaching ability. The
second dimension is the role of content knowledge. According to Richards (2010), content knowledge
is what teachers need to know about what they teach. Similarly, Day and Conklin (1992) stated that
content knowledge of the subject matter is the language knowledge that language teachers teach. Content
knowledge for language teachers includes what teachers know about language teaching, and constitutes
knowledge that would not be shared with teachers in other subject areas. Interestingly, in explaining the
role of content knowledge, Richards (2010) proposed what he called disciplinary knowledge and PCK,
in his effort to distinguish between theory and practice issues in language teaching. Disciplinary
knowledge is a specific body of knowledge considered essential for the language teacher. This
knowledge is acquired by special training and is part of a teacher’s professional education. It does not
translate into practical skills. An example of this is knowledge about second language acquisition and
sociolinguistics. In contrast, PCK is the knowledge that provides a basis for language teaching, which
can be applied in different ways to resolve practical issues, such as curriculum planning, assessment,
reflective teaching and classroom management. While Shulman (1987) defined PCK as teachers’
understanding of what should be learnt and how it should be taught, Freeman (2009) added that teachers
should have mastery of the content to teach and the methodologies to teach it. The third dimension of
teacher knowledge is teaching skills. Richards (2010) stated that teacher training involves developing a
great number of teaching skills. These skills can be obtained by observing experienced teachers, and
often by having practice teaching in a controlled setting, using activities such as microteaching and peer
teaching. Richards further explained that having opportunities to experience teaching in various
situations with different kinds of learners, and teaching different kinds of content, is how a repertoire of
basic teaching skills is acquired.
Additionally, the fourth dimension of knowledge required by language teachers is contextual knowledge
(Richards, 2010). Given that teachers teach in many different contexts, in order to function in those
contexts, they must acquire appropriate contextual knowledge that will enable them to learn to be
effective in different countries, backgrounds and cultures. Richards (2010) further explained that
optimum teacher learning occurs through classroom experiences, in which the relationships among
teacher educators, fellow novice teachers, and experienced teachers are maintained in schools. Learning
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to teach in a specific context is a process of socialisation that involves becoming familiar with a
professional culture and its goals while sharing values and norms of conduct. This ‘hidden curriculum’
of professional socialisation is often more powerful than the school’s prescribed curriculum. The fifth
dimension is language teacher identity. According to Richards (2010), this dimension goes beyond skills
and knowledge to developing an understanding of what it means to be a language teacher. That is, it
refers to an identity that is shaped and reshaped as the student teacher takes on the roles and
responsibilities of a classroom teacher. The sixth dimension is the learner-focused teaching dimension.
Regarding this, Richards (2010) explained that teaching is a ‘performance’, whereby the teacher takes
account of both the social and learning interests of students, building a community of learners in the
classroom. This is undertaken by managing the learning environment, with the aim of creating a pleasant
and productive setting. The seventh dimension proposed by Richards (2010) for language teachers is
pedagogical reasoning skills. An important component in the current conceptualisation of SLTE is the
focus on teacher cognition. Pedagogical reasoning takes account of the ways in which teachers’ beliefs
and cognitive processes shape their thinking and actions in relation to classroom practice. The eight
dimension identified by Richards (2010) is the ‘theorising of practice’. This refers to the ways personal
understandings and knowledge (theories) are shaped (at least partly) by practical experience of teaching.
This helps make sense of experience and informs classroom practice. This dimension is different from
the application of theory, which involves connecting concepts, information and theories with practice
(Richards, 2010). Rather, theorising of practice involves reflection on one’s teaching practice in a variety
of ways, and theorising about the effect of that practice on learners. This can lead to changes in practice
and the implementation of subsequent actions based on this theorising. The ninth dimension of teacher
knowledge and skill proposed by Richards (2010) is membership in a community practice. This
dimension is about collaboration and sharing knowledge between professionals—in this case, language
teachers. This can lead to enhanced practices through teamwork and group collaboration. According to
Richards and Farrel (2005), membership in a community of practice provides teachers the opportunity
to work and learn together in activities with shared goals and responsibilities, including teacher trainers,
mentors and team leaders. The final dimension of teacher knowledge and skill is professionalism.
According to Richards (2010):
“English language teaching is not something that anyone who can speak English can do. It is a
profession, which means that English teaching is seen as a career in a field of educational specialization,
it requires a specialized knowledge base obtained through both academic study and practical experience,
and it is a field of work where membership is based on entry requirements and standards” (p. 119).
Richards (2010) further stated that:
“Becoming an English language teacher means becoming part of a worldwide community of
professionals with shared goals, values, discourses, and practices but one with a self-critical view of its
own practices and a commitment to a transformative approach to its own role” (p. 19).
Similarly, Faez (2011) advocated four domains of the knowledge base for second language teachers:
content knowledge, pedagogic knowledge, PCK and support knowledge. These domains were designed
for EFL or ESL teacher education programs in Canada. Faez (2011) also pointed out that content
knowledge of language teachers encompasses knowledge of English as the subject being taught, while
pedagogic knowledge is teaching practice knowledge. According to Faez (2011), PCK refers to teaching
strategies possessed by teachers to deliver English to students, while knowledge in the area of linguistics
is categorised as teachers’ support knowledge. Faez stated that teaching skills are essential and a core
competency required by teachers. His view on language teacher education, teaching skills include the
ability to develop competence using language teaching methods and strategies. It also includes the
ability to adapt teaching skills and approaches to new situations. He stated that teacher education
programs have a significant role in preparing teachers to develop these appropriate teaching skills.
Another competency that must be possessed by language teachers is communication skills and language
proficiency. Developing effective communication skills as a basis for language teachers is important to
support effective language teaching. It is essential for teachers to have advanced proficiency in the target
language, and the ability to use it as a medium of instruction. However, language proficiency can be an
issue for English teachers with a non-native background; with this being their most commonly identified
weakness (Luciana, 2006). Faez (2011) also highlighted that teachers’ lack of confidence in language
proficiency may limit their ability to conduct classroom functions through the medium of the target
language. Thus, the language proficiency of teachers is a factor that may affect major aspects of their
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teaching expertise, including a demonstration of teaching skills and subject matter knowledge (Richards,
2010). Faez (2011) defined subject matter knowledge as the characteristics of language and its usage.
This includes understanding phonology, syntax, and the aspects of second language learning.
Knowledge of the subject matter also encompasses understanding the principles of language teaching,
developing curriculum and learning materials, and undertaking assessment and evaluation techniques.
In a discussion of teachers’ pedagogical skills and decision making, Faez suggested that language
teachers must be able to identify pedagogical issues that may arise, and be able to adjust or adapt their
teaching approach as needed so that the goals of teaching can be achieved. Teachers’ ability to link
theories about language, learning and teaching with their actual practice is also part of teachers’
pedagogical reasoning and decision-making (Richards, 1998, 2010). In preparing lessons in the
classroom, teachers need to acquire and apply generic teaching skills. According to Moore (2007), there
are three generic teaching skills applicable for all teachers at all levels: pre-instructional skills,
instructional skills, and post-instructional skills. Pre-instructional skills include planning the lesson,
which encompasses writing the lesson goals, selecting learning materials, and structuring the lesson to
meet the learning styles of the students. Instructional skills are those applied to implementing the
planning in practice, while post-instructional are the skills needed to be an evaluator to assess students’
performance and mastery.
Among dimensions about what English teachers should know and be able to do as proposed by Richards
(2010), this research focused only on language proficiency and language teaching skill dimensions.
Therefore, the research was focused on the beginner teachers’ English proficiency and teaching skills
perceived by school principals and teacher educators. The results of this research are expected to be
useful information for Jambi University in improving the quality of its English teacher education by
redesigning the curriculum content that best meet the demand of qualified English teachers to work with
students in school settings. This research was part of a larger research investigating the effectiveness of
English teacher education program in Jambi University, Indonesia. The research was focused on
answering questions of how teacher educators and school principals (as employers) perceived Jambi
University EFL graduates as beginner teachers toward their English proficiency and teaching skills and
to what extend the curriculum contents used in the program accommodated these needs. English
proficiency dimension in this study refers to what Richards (2010) defines as the ability that language
teachers should have in order to teach effectively, such as the ability to comprehend texts accurately,
provide good language models, and maintain use of the target language in the classroom. Whereas, the
language teaching skill refers to the ability to deliver language content to students such as the ability to
teach in various situations with different kinds of learners, use appropriate strategies, and teaching
different kinds of content.
METHOD
Design
In this research, in order to determine the interaction between the participants, their world (in this case,
their English teacher education program and schools) and their experiences, we employed interviews as
one method of data collection. The purpose of using interviews was to provide in-depth information
about the participants’ experiences or viewpoints of a particular topic (Creswell, 2007; Turner, 2010).
The school principal participants in this study were selected from the schools in which the first-year
English teachers taught. The selection criteria for school principal participants involved in this study
that they were English teachers so that they have related knowledge and experience that would be helpful
and a good source of data for the purpose of the study. Moreover, in order to gather information
regarding the implementation of the English teacher education program curriculum and the program
itself, interviews with five teacher educators were conducted. The selection of teacher educator
participants participating in this study was based on the idea that they are the designer as well as the
user of English as a Foreign Language Teacher Education Program (EFLTEP) Curriculum. Thus, they
have worked with and implemented the curriculum for a period of time. Teacher educators were
considered a good source of knowledge for seeking the information regarding the implementation of
EFLTEP’s curriculum and any issues about the program.
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Table1. Group of Participants
Categories of Participants
Criteria
Information
School principals (five
interviews)
School principals who were selected
from the schools in which the first-
year English teachers taught
English teachers’ readiness and
preparedness to teach in the classroom
Teacher educators (five
interviews)
English teacher education program
staff who were teaching the student
teachers
Implementation of the English as a
Foreign Language Teacher Education
Program EFLTEP curriculum, and any
issues regarding the program
This study did not aim to use statistics to test any specific hypothesis but focused on exploring the
participants’ perspectives and opinions. The choice of interview participants in this study was based on
their background in order to meet the purpose of this study, and to align with the literature underpinning
the study (Creswell, 2007; Merriam, 1998; Cohen et al., 2011). Non-probability sampling was
considered for this study because ‘the research process is one of “discovery” rather than the testing of
hypotheses’ (Denscombe, 2007, p. 29). In addition, May and Cantley (2001) pointed out that, in some
cases, the criterion of ‘fit for purpose’ (p. 95) is more important than the statistical accuracy of
probability sampling. In addition, according to Cohen et al. (2011), non-probability samples are
frequently used in small-scale research, such as with one or two schools, and two or three groups of
students or teachers.
Document analysis is a technique for evaluating documents, both as printed and electronic material
(Creswell, 2007; Merriam, 1998; Bowen, 2009). The purpose of employing document analysis in this
research was to obtain meaning and understanding and develop empirical knowledge (Corbin & Strauss,
2008). Document analysis was used to determine the curriculum content of the English teacher education
program at Jambi University. Documents such as the official English teacher education curriculum and
policies linked to the Jambi University teacher education program were analysed to gain a
comprehensive overview of the program. This method of document analysis was an attempt to attain
supplementary research data that might be helpful to support the core data gathered from the interviews.
As Bowen (2009) stated, documents can provide valuable information and insights for supplementary
data during research, and can be used as a means of tracking the change and development of a program
or event.
This study’s questions were about the participants’ experiences and perceptions of the program, feelings
about the program, expectations of the program, and beliefs about what changes need to be made to the
program. These are typical questions featured during evaluation interviews. Patton (2002) further
explained that the interviewer needed to provide a framework within which the participants can respond
comfortably, accurately and honestly to these kinds of questions.
At the time that the potential participants were approached to take part in the interview, they were
provided with a plain language statement and consent form in accordance to Human Research Ethics at
RMIT University. Five school principals and five teacher educators who indicated interest in being
interviewed were approached. The principal participants were selected from the schools at which the
five interviewed beginner teachers taught. All interviews were conducted at a time nominated by the
interviewees. The interviews were conducted in Indonesian, which was transcribed and then translated
into English by a third party. Each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes and was audio recorded.
For the purpose of privacy, the identity of the participants was protected by not recording names, and
then coding the participants as Participant 1, Participant 2 and so forth.
The aim of data analysis is to create meanings from raw data (Johnson & Christensen, 2008; Mukminin,
2012). Simons (2009) stated that analysis involved a process such as ‘coding, categorizing, concept
mapping, theme generation—which enable you to organize and make sense of the data in order to
produce findings and an overall understanding (or theory) of the case’ (p. 116). In line with Johnson and
Christensen (2008) and Simons (2009), Creswell (2009) asserted that analysis:
“involves preparing data for analysis, moving deeper and deeper into understanding the data (some
qualitative researchers use the metaphor of peeling back the layers of an onion), representing the data,
and making an interpretation of the larger meaning of the data” (p. 183).
There are a variety of ways to use thematic analysis for qualitative data. According to Liamputtong
(2009), thematic analysis involves initial coding, axial coding and selective coding, which is aimed at
discovering appropriate themes from interviews. In this study, the data were analysed using thematic
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analysis, which involved identifying, analysing and reporting themes in the data. In addition, Creswell
(2009) suggested six steps to analyse data collected from interviews: (i) organising and preparing the
data for analysis; (ii) reading through all the data; (iii) beginning detailed analysis with a coding process;
(iv) using the coding to generate a description of the setting or people, and create categories or themes
for analysis; (v) advancing how the description and themes will be represented in the qualitative
narrative; and (vi) interpreting or finding meaning from the data.
The process of thematic analysis in this study adopted the steps suggested by Creswell (2009) and
Liamputtong (2009). The interview recordings were transcribed by the researcher and manually
analysed for key themes. Data obtained from the curriculum documents. The data from document
analysis and interview transcriptions were read repeatedly to assist this process. The data were
summarised and grouped with codes, then organised into categories. Other related documents and
interview transcriptions were read repeatedly to assist this process. The data were summarised and
grouped with codes, then organised into categories, such as student teachers’ pedagogic knowledge,
resourcing, teacher educators’ role, communication between teacher educators and supervising teachers
during teaching practice, the need for curriculum change, and possible solutions. These categories were
further evaluated to identify new connections, which revealed the key themes. These themes are
described and presented in the findings part. The key themes were used to address the research questions
by linking the data and theoretical frameworks to draw conclusions.
Trustworthiness
To guarantee the credibility of our study or the “trustworthiness” (Lincoln & Guba 1985, p. 300) of our
study, we conducted individual interviews and to validate the accuracy of the data, findings, and
interpretations (Creswell, 2007; Johnson & Christensen, 2008). We checked not only with the
participants but also with our colleague that served as member checking. Our colleague graduated from
a Ph.D. program in the United States of America who had taken three qualitative research methods
during his Ph.D. program. He was also a qualitative research assistant during his Ph.D. program and his
dissertation was purely qualitative. Additionally, he already published his research articles in peer-
reviewed journals indexed in Scopus and ISI Thomson. We also returned the transcribed interview data,
findings, and final report to each participant. This approached was chosen to ensure that each participant
agreed with the data that we used from them.
FINDINGS and DISCUSSION
The purpose of this inquiry was to document information on English teacher education program at one
state-owned university in Jambi, Indonesia in order to better prepare student teachers with sufficient
knowledge and skills they need to teach. This research was part of a larger research investigating the
effectiveness of English teacher education program in Jambi University, Indonesia. The research was
focused on answering questions of how teacher educators and school principals (as employers)
perceived Jambi University EFL graduates as beginner teachers toward their English proficiency and
teaching skills and to what extend the curriculum contents used in the program accommodated these
needs. The findings of this study were categorized into two main themes as presented below.
Stakeholders’ perceptions towards student teachers’ English proficiency and pedagogical skills
Data for stakeholders’ perceptions on beginner teachers’ English proficiency and pedagogical skills
were obtained from interviews. Four out of five school principals who participated in the interviews
agreed that the beginner teachers from English teacher education program at Jambi University had
adequate language knowledge and proficiency. However, they commented that the pedagogical skills of
new beginner teachers should be improved. As School Principal (1) said,
“I think Mr N is good at speaking as I have seen him teaching English to students by using English for
instruction in the classroom. But for his ability to manage students to engage in learning process, this
needs to be improved.”
In addition to that, school principal (2) mentioned that beginner teacher from Jambi University has
demonstrated a good level of English but he (the teacher) still needed more practical experiences in
terms of classroom management and teaching skills.
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This observation about beginner teachers was supported by other studies conducted by Luciana (2006)
and Abednia (2012) who suggested that while language teachers may have a good level of proficiency
in the language they teach, they also need to be able to demonstrate skills to transfer this proficiency to
their students. Data from interviews with school principals revealed that limited experience is the most
likely factor that causes beginner teachers to show a lack of strategies in coping with their tasks. beginner
teachers from Jambi University tended to agree as they perceived their inadequate knowledge of
pedagogy came mostly through lack of experience. As School Principal (3) said: ‘I have mostly found
EFL beginner teachers from Jambi University who teach in this school to have less knowledge of
pedagogy. This may be caused by lack of experience’.
Moreover, school principal (4) perceived that both language proficiency and teaching skills of new
teachers need to be improved by encouraging them to join professional training and other in –service
trainings which are carried out by local Ministry of National education. As he mentioned,
Mr A has taught English in this school for nearly two years and I always encourage him to join any
professional training that can improve his language knowledge and teaching skills. Not only English
teachers but also other teachers in this school are encouraged to join such training.
Unlike, her colleagues, School Principal (5) believed that a new English teacher in her school has shown
a good level of English as well as the pedagogical skills. She said, “Ms D has demonstrated a good level
of both English and the teaching skills. The students like the way Ms D teaching them, it is engaging
and interesting. Now, many students can speak English.”
In contrast, teacher educators gave a view in the interviews that pre-service teachers who had completed
an EFL teacher education program were equipped with adequate language knowledge, language
proficiency, and language teaching skills. If later, it was found that they could not demonstrate these
things in their teaching, there must be another important reason behind that. They believed the graduates
were ready, and that poor teaching was most likely attributable to other school factors. Teacher Educator
(1) stated,
“Pre-service teachers who have completed their EFL teacher education program have been equipped
with adequate language knowledge and language teaching skills. If later we found that they could not
perform well in their teaching profession, there must be a reason of sorts behind that.”
In line with teacher educator (1), teacher educator (2) mentioned that English teacher education
graduates have been equipped with adequate language proficiency and teaching skills they need to teach.
However, their level of mastery on each skill depends on the individual ability that varies from one to
another.
Moreover, teacher educator (3) stated that the graduates of the EFL teacher education program Jambi
University had good speaking and reading skills, but lower proficiency in writing and listening:
“If we are talking about English skills of our graduates, for speaking and reading skills, I think they are
good at this. They use English for communication in classrooms with their colleagues. Reading is a skill
that our graduates are good at. As I teach speaking and reading courses to EFL student teachers, I know
their proficiency on those two skills. However, their proficiency in writing and listening skills is not
sufficient.”
In line with the previous comments from the teacher educators, Teacher Educator (5) perceived that the
English teacher education program’s graduates have been well prepared with the language knowledge
and language teaching skills they need to teach English. However, she stated that, to be professional in
teaching, graduates must be encouraged to upgrade and update their knowledge through the various
programs initiated by the Indonesian government, such as the Teacher Professional Development
Program, which is currently popular among teachers throughout Indonesia. She stated,
“As teacher educators, we have to prepare our student teachers with the knowledge and skills they need
to be English teachers. This quality outcome is written into our curriculum. EFLTEP graduates must
have pedagogical competence, subject matter content knowledge, personal and social competence. They
also need to continue learning as a teacher to upgrade their knowledge to keep up with education needs
in the future”.
The perceptions of the teacher educators suggested that there was a need for improving English language
proficiency among the student teachers, and that they need pedagogy knowledge on how to teach
students who learn EFL. The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a need to balance subjects
related to pedagogical skills and subjects related to language skills. The interview data with teacher
educators implied a belief that the core of knowledge base delivered to EFL student teachers equips and
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prepares them to be ready to teach English. However, in order to expand and build upon this initial
knowledge base, assembled while being student teachers, there is a crucial need to provide them with
an in-service program to keep them with updated after they enter teaching profession in the future.
The Curriculum Content of EFL Teacher Education
As mentioned earlier, English teacher education programs need to include what teachers should know
and be able to do in their curriculum contents. In other words, the aspects of language proficiency and
teaching skills should be the core content of the program curriculum. In line with that notion, in assessing
to what extend an English teacher education program has effectively provided its student teachers with
knowledge and skills to teach, Day (2012) proposed two aspects that can be used as assessment. The
first is the knowledge base for teachers to teach, and the second is the ways that knowledge is delivered
to the student teachers. It is a matter of teaching student teachers learning how to teach.
Richards’ (2010) framework of ten dimensions of teacher knowledge and skills was used as a guideline
for analysing English teacher education curriculum in this research. According to Richards (2010),
language proficiency is the first dimension that language student teachers must acquire. This refers to
the language-specific competencies that language teachers require in order to teach effectively, such as
the ability to comprehend the texts accurately, provide good language models, and use the target
language for instruction in the classroom. Courses related to language proficiency in the English teacher
education program in Jambi University curriculum include Listening (one to four), Speaking (one to
four), Reading (one to four), Writing (one to four), Interpreting, English Grammar (one to four),
Vocabulary (one to two), Pronunciation and Translation. These courses fall under the category of
English skills and language elements. The total credit points of these courses add to 49 credit points or
32% of the total 150 compulsory credit points offered in the program. The following table shows how
the course lists are categorised for language proficiency.
Table 2. Language Proficiency Courses
Course Title
Semester Offered
Total Credit Points
Listening
1 to 4
8
Speaking
1 to 4
8
Reading
1 to 4
8
Writing
1 to 4
8
Grammar
1 to 4
9
Vocabulary
2 to 3
4
Pronunciation
2
2
Translation
2
2
Total
49 (32%)
Teaching skills is another important dimension proposed by Richards (2010). Teacher education or
teacher training programs are the places for developing a great number of teaching skills. According to
Richards (2010), examples of teaching skills include selecting learning activities, preparing students for
new learning, monitoring students’ learning, giving feedback on students’ learning and so forth. Courses
such as Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Teaching English for Young Learners, and Teaching
Practicum Project are examples of the teaching skills dimension covered in the English teacher education
program in Jambi University curriculum. This covers about 8% of the total credits offered during the
program. The following table lists the teaching skill courses.
Table 3: Teaching Skill Courses
Course Title
Semester Offered
Total Credit Points
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (theory)
5
2
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (practice)
6
4
Teaching English for Young Learners (elective)
6
2
Teaching Practicum Project
7
4
Total
12 (8%)
Based on table 2 and table 3, it shows that language proficiency and language teaching skill related
courses cover 40% (32% and 8%) of the total credit points offered in the program. Other dimensions of
language teacher knowledge and skills proposed by Richards (2010) such as content knowledge,
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contextual knowledge, teaching skills, professionalism, membership of community practice,
pedagogical reasoning skills, and learner-focused teaching, cover the rest of the total credit points which
is 60%.
It can be seen from the content analysis of the English curriculum used in EFL teacher education
program of Jambi University that courses related to language proficiency has covered 32% of the total
credit points. This portion is accordance with the fact that 4 out of 5 school principals have perceived
that Jambi University graduates of English education have been well equipped with language
proficiency they need to teach. By having more English courses, it will provide more opportunity for
student teachers to enhance their language skills. Beside the quantity of English language related
courses, the quality of each course also need to be improved as indicated by Teacher Educator (3) that
student teachers have less proficiency in Writing and Listening skills compared to Speaking and reading
skills. The delivery of these Writing and Listening courses need to be improved as well as the learning
sources that support them.
Regarding the language teaching skill courses, the portion of courses related to pedagogical skills is
considered not adequate compared to other courses which is only 8% of the total courses offered in the
program. This brings impact that the beginner teachers form Jambi University who have been teaching
in several schools in Jambi Province have less adequate pedagogical skills. This weakness is also
mentioned by school principals participating in this study. All school principal participants agreed that
new English teachers teaching in their schools need to improve their teaching skills in order to be able
to engage students in the teaching and learning process. So, the need for more pedagogical skill related
courses is highly recommended to accommodate student teachers’ need for better knowledge of
language teaching.
CONCLUSION
Elaborating on the views from school principals and teacher educators, and the curriculum content of
English teacher education in Jambi, it is clear that English beginner teachers do need to continue to
develop professionally in response to ongoing changes in the field of EFL teaching (Rahayu & Hizriani,
2014; Irmawati, 2014). As pointed out by Richards (2001), teachers need regular opportunities to update
their professional knowledge and skills through typical activities such as attending conferences,
undertaking workshops and in-service seminars, and establishing reading groups. In line with previous
comments from teacher educators, one teacher educator (Teacher Educator 1) pointed out that Jambi
University’s graduates have been well prepared with the language knowledge and EFL teaching skills
needed to teach English but she also believed that to be fully professional in teaching, graduates are to
be encouraged to upgrade and update their knowledge through programs initiated by Indonesian
Government such as the Teacher Professional Development Program that is currently popular with
teachers in Indonesia.
The need for teacher professional development is essential to the strengthening of the position of English
as a foreign language in Indonesia. According to Irmawati (2014), in the context of EFL teachers,
Teacher Professional Development (TPD) refers to that process in which the teachers can increase their
English skills as well as knowledge of English content that they teach. A study investigating teacher
professional development in South Kalimantan (Indonesia) conducted by Rahayu and Hizriani (2014)
found that in terms of ongoing development, the English teachers involved in her study did several
activities to enhance their professional expertise, such as: personal reflection and collaborative
discussion with colleagues. There are other kinds of activities that teachers can employ to develop their
teaching skills, such as peer observation, student feedback, and engagement with reading materials
related to English teaching.
The findings from this study indicated that experiential learning how to teach in school settings
experienced as student teachers was not always optimum. It might cause a lack expertise in pedagogy
areas with graduates and beginner teacher. Therefore, the English teacher education program at Jambi
University could arrange in-house training for its graduates who are teaching in schools to renew and
enhance their teaching skills to meet the demand of high expectations from the teaching profession in
EFL contexts nowadays.
Regarding the curriculum content of the program, the findings of this study demonstrated that there was
a need to balance courses related to pedagogical skills and courses related to language skills. Based on
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the data, there was a significant proportional gap between language skill courses (32%) and pedagogical
skill courses (8%). In order to prepare English teachers with adequate knowledge and skills-what should
be learnt by students and how teachers should be taught it to students--the program must balance both
language skill–related subjects (such as speaking, writing, reading and listening skills) and pedagogical
skill–related subjects (such as the Teaching English as Foreign Language Strategy and Practice Course,
curriculum and material development subjects, and teaching practicum). The data from the interviews
show that improving these skills among new teachers must remain a focus in the future. These findings
align with other research conducted in teacher education, especially in language teacher education in
Indonesia, which has suggested that there is a crucial need for teacher education to prepare graduates
with adequate levels of English language proficiency and pedagogical skills to be fully competent
professional teachers of English (Luciana, 2006; Rahayu & Hizriani, 2014).
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