Student Teachers‟ Microteaching Experiences in a Preservice English Teacher Education Program

Abstract

—Microteaching has been widely used in pre-service teacher education programs to enhance prospective teachers' instructional experiences. Within ELT programs, the use of microteaching offers valuable opportunities for trainee-teachers to develop effective teaching strategies. Understanding the perceptions and concerns of student teachers is crucial for promoting teacher education programs' outcomes. This study aimed at investigating the views of sixty-one female teacher trainees from the English Language Education Program in the Faculty of Education in the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) regarding the microteaching component offered in two courses of English language teaching methods. A combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques was employed for the purpose of gathering the data. Mainly, a questionnaire and a focus group interview were used as the main tools for data collection. Overall analysis of the findings indicated that prospective teachers described a variety of benefits they gained from microteaching experiences. The study ended with recommendations and directions for future studies to further examine the highlighted results.