Belief-Practice Tensions in EFL Teachers' Online Practicum

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, much has been written about its impact on education. However, with most studies focusing on the challenges met by teachers or students in general, fewer studies have examined how pre-service English language teachers’ practicum experiences were shaped during the period of online instruction. Departing from this premise, this mixed-methods study reports the teaching experiences of seven pre-service EFL teachers during their practicum course in a higher education setting in Northern Cyprus, a fast-growing yet understudied context. We gathered data through qualitative and quantitative surveys, as well as reflective diary entries. The findings indicate that pre-service teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and classroom practices were shaped by persistent belief–practice tensions, which resulted from the interplay of variety of factors (e.g., lack of preparation, insufficient collaboration opportunities with mentors, limited reel time teaching and contextual factors just to name a few) during the online practicum. At the micro, meso, and macro levels, the study suggests that teacher education programmes should reconceptualise their aims, as there is a need to make pre-service teachers' learning experiences more responsive to unexpected situations.