Critical Issues in Reflective Teaching Practices: A Case Study of Twelve Korean In-Service English Teachers

Abstract

This study attempts to explore how twelve Korean in-service EFL teachers applied the theories that they had learned into their classroom practices while participating in their teaching practicum for a TESOL MA program. The major data were derived from the collection of the teachers’ teaching philosophy statements as well as their reflective discussion materials based on their reflective journals. The data were used to examine the beliefs of the teachers and the critical issues addressed in their process of teaching practices. This case study used qualitative content analyses to identify the most frequent and significant themes. The findings reveal the teachers would apply the basic principles of communicative language teaching into their teaching practices; however, they struggled to implement their lesson plans based on the approach. The most significant issues in their teaching practices had to do with appropriate ways of guiding and managing students’ task completion. In particular, they involved the areas of 1) classroom management techniques, 2) giving clear directions, and 3) leading groups. The skills and ways to reduce the gap between their beliefs and actions mostly relate to making decisions on-the-spot and raising interactional competence between teachers and students vital to successful language teaching. The major findings indicate the importance of developing teaching skills in the process of experiential learning through experience and socially constructed reflective discussions about their teaching practices. Moreover, this study addresses more attention should be paid for improving teacher’ classroom management skills as part of teacher competence and pedagogical knowledge.