Energizing the Teacher Potentials for Teaching English in Diverse Socio-Cultural and Geo-Political Contexts in Nepal

“Not Just Boring Adult Stuff” Issue-Based and Critical Pedagogies for Civic and Political Learning in Welsh Primary Classrooms

Pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ identity construction during teaching practicum in Vietnam

This study explores how pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Vietnam construct their professional identities during teaching practicum. Framed within sociocultural theory (SCT), it examines both the factors that mediate their identity development and the processes through which identity is negotiated. Data were collected from five pre-service teachers through reflective journals written over two months and two rounds of interviews. Using holistic and categorical narrative analysis, the study found that teacher identity was mediated by mentors, students, peers, and institutional regulations, while also shaped by emotional experiences, reflection, and agency. Contradictions between university-based pedagogy and classroom realities emerged as central to identity negotiation. The study contributes theoretically by highlighting the longitudinal development of identity across practicum stages and practically by offering insights into designing teacher education programs that integrate formal regulations with supportive mentoring, peer collaboration, and opportunities for reflection.

EFL teachers as intercultural gatekeepers: Designing culturally responsive materials with GenAI in Indonesia

Interculturality and culturally responsive pedagogy are gaining priority in Indonesian primary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) as learner diversity increases and Generative AI (GenAI) becomes part of everyday teaching. Yet little empirical work explains how EFL teachers use GenAI to design materials and tasks, or what language and ethics checks they perform. This qualitative case study examines teachers’ perceptions and their strategies for maintaining linguistic appropriateness, cultural fit, and inclusion in GenAI-supported EFL resources. Twelve in-service primary English teachers were selected through purposive maximum-variation sampling across regions, school sectors, experience, and AI proficiency. Data included a GenAI-assisted design task with think-alouds, stimulated-recall interviews, and digital artifacts (prompts, outputs, and final materials). Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to trace how teachers moved from initial prompts to revised materials and what checks they applied before considering the outputs suitable for pupils. Results show that GenAI speeds drafting and widens ideation, but teachers operate as intercultural gatekeepers: they contextualize prompts, refine outputs repeatedly, verify level and accuracy, evaluate cultural portrayals, and screen for bias to avoid generic or Western-leaning content while facing policy ambiguity, privacy risks, and uneven AI skills. The study recommends teacher training on culturally responsive prompting, critical checking of AI outputs, clearer school-level guidance on ethics and privacy, and better access to digital infrastructure across school contexts.

Strengthening English Teaching Competence in Rural Elementary Education: Lived Experiences and Adaptive Instructional Practices of Teachers in Ifugao, Philippines

English instruction in rural elementary school requires teachers to negotiate linguistic diversity, foundation literacy needs, curriculum expectations, resource availability, and culturally situated learner experiences. These demands become particularly significant in Indigenous communities, where English may coexist with Filipino and local languages used in learners' homes and communities. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences and adaptive instructional practices of elementary teachers teaching English in Ifugao, Philippines. Specifically,  it examines teachers' experiences in developing learners' English proficiency, the instructional challenges they encounter, the strategies they employ to address linguistic and learning diversity, the ways they contextualize English instruction, and the professional meanings they construct from these experiences. Participants will be purposively selected elementary teachers with direct experience teaching English in rural and Indigenous school contexts. Data will be generated through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed through phenomenologically informed thematic analysis. Four provisional analytical themes frame the discussion: Bridging Languages, Building Understanding; Teaching Beyond the Textbook; Meeting Learners Where They Are; and Growing Through Practice and Reflection. The study positions English teaching competence as a dynamic combination of language knowledge, pedagogical skill, cultural responsiveness, adaptive decision-making, and continuing professional learning. Findings may inform teacher professional development, culturally responsive English instruction, literacy initiatives, and institutional support for rural elementary teachers.

Translanguaging in EFAL Assessment: Pre-service Teachers Navigating a “Pedagogy of Compromise"

In South African multilingual classrooms, assessment remains constrained by monolingual English frameworks, creating a systemic contradiction with additive bilingualism policies. This qualitative study explores how pre-service teachers navigate this contradiction and argues that they are often socialized into a “pedagogy of compromise.” Within this approach, translanguaging is accepted as a scaffold in formative assessment but largely excluded from high-stakes summative assessment, thereby sustaining English's dominance. Drawing on questionnaire and interview data from twenty-fourth-year pre-service teachers, the study, using reflexive thematic analysis, identifies a persistent gap between beliefs and practices. While participants recognized the potential value of translanguaging, many showed conceptual confusion between translanguaging and code-switching. In practice, home languages were predominantly used as a bridge to support learning, rather than as legitimate resources for demonstrating knowledge in assessment. Informed by sociocultural perspectives on learning and language interdependence, and critically attentive to the dominance of English in education, the findings suggest that supporting translanguaging in assessment requires more than technical training. It also involves engaging with underlying language ideologies that shape South African classrooms and assessment practices. The paper concludes by recommending that teacher education programs should create opportunities for critical dialogue, provide practical experience in designing multilingual assessments, and support greater alignment between language policy and assessment practices.

From local reading to global understanding: Pre-service teachers’ global and multicultural literacy competencies in literary analysis

As educational environments become more globally interconnected and culturally diverse, developing global and multicultural literacy has become increasingly important in preparing future teachers to respond effectively to contemporary educational demands. This study explored how pre-service teachers in a higher education institution in the Philippines demonstrate global and multicultural literacy competencies in literary analysis through their written narratives, as these competencies are essential 21st-century skills that teachers are expected to develop and demonstrate before engaging in future teaching practice.  Guided by a qualitative research design grounded in narrative inquiry, the study involved eight pre-service teachers selected through purposive sampling from a teacher education program. Data were gathered through written reflective narratives and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that participants demonstrate global literacy competency by connecting literary texts to global and social issues, considering multiple perspectives, and reflecting on cultural identities, including their own. They also show multicultural literacy competence through their ability to support interpretations with evidence, engage respectfully with diverse viewpoints, and remain aware of personal biases. Furthermore, their narratives point to the value of reflective writing and classroom dialogue in shaping more critical and culturally responsive approaches to literary analysis. The study suggests that global and multicultural literacy are closely interconnected and play a meaningful role on how pre-service teachers interpret and respond to texts. These findings highlight the importance of integrating reflective and context-based practices in teacher education to better prepare future educators for diverse and globalized learning environments.