Pre-service teachers' beliefs related to English as a second language and English as a foreign language: Where is the difference?

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a qualitative case study examining the knowledge base held by English language teacher candidates enrolled in two university pre-service programs in Lebanon and Canada. Through an examination of blog postings and the data collected through semi-structured interviews, eight Canadian and eleven Lebanese respondents were polled while taking courses focusing on second language teaching methodology. Based on our findings, we argue that what teacher candidates know about their field of expertise is communal, contextually bounded and uniquely rooted in their experiences within and outside their pre-service programs. Moreover, the multitude of beliefs shared by these two groups of pre-service teachers demonstrate that there is indeed a universal knowledge base associated with the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). However, we have also found significant differences between these fields based on specific and local contexts. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.