Investigating Pre-service EFL Teachers’ Self-concepts within the Framework of Teaching Practicum in Turkish Context

Abstract

The present study aimed at understanding the nature and potential dynamism of five pre-service EFL teachers’ self-concepts in the domain of English as a foreign language (EFL). To this end, the effects of pre-service teachers’ experiences gained alongside the practicum on their EFL self-concept development were also discussed. Data were generated in a case study research paradigm using journal entries and in-depth interviews. The major themes derived from the analysis of the data were indicative of pre-service teachers’ self-beliefs which profoundly affected their EFL self-concept development. These included the passion for English, the use of L1 and L2 in language teaching, and the critical experiences that the pre-service teachers had during the practicum. It was shown how the practicing teachers’ EFL self-beliefs can at once be dynamic and also stable, depending on the type of beliefs investigated. The study concludes by suggesting the need to help EFL pre-service teachers to form positive but realistic self-concepts within the framework of EFL teacher training.