Innovation in Language Learning

In Germany, standards for teacher education programs are outlined by the assembly of ministers of education of all the German states (Kultusministerkonferenz). These standards presuppose that prospective EFL teachers develop a number of competences during the course of their training, such as the ability to plan their lessons in a methodologically sound manner, to create learning environments that foster deep-learning and motivate pupils, to equip pupils with means to promote their learning autonomy as well as to assess learning outcomes, conditions and processes in a valid and objective way. The European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages provides a similar guideline and allows prospective teachers to reflect on and assess their competences in the area of curriculum-based lesson planning, teaching methodology, fostering learner autonomy and the assessment of learning. Although the Kultusministerkonferenz standards are federally accepted in Germany and define the core knowledge that teachers should possess, they do not delineate the curriculum of teacher education programs, i.e. they do not specify what essential information has to be taught to what extent, in what order and using what methods. In fact, there is a lack of scrutinized empirical evidence of what approach to teacher training works best and realizes such learning standards in the most effective way. This leads to various institutions relying on various methods and emphasizing various topics and content – a tendency also observed on the international arena. Despite common learning goals, such conditions leave ample room for divergent, not necessarily desired, and often vague learning outcomes, processes and experiences within teacher education programs. As a result, the development of perceived teaching competence among prospective teachers cannot be assumed to follow a predictable pattern, which can be problematic since varying degrees of perceived competence can be indicative of fluctuations in intrinsic motivation of prospective teachers to engage in their profession.

The goal of the project is to investigate the subjective experience of prospective EFL teachers undergoing their training and, by extension, the degree to which perceived teaching competence is affected by the outlined training conditions. The study takes a cross-sectional look into the changes in perceived teaching competence among EFL teachers currently undergoing their training at different stages of their training. The results of the study carry implications both for teacher training and classroom practice.