Pre-service teachers' perceived readiness and willingness to teach English to young learners
Pre-service teachers' perceived readiness and willingness to teach English to young learners

Summary/Abstract: The general aim of this study was to explore the extent to which pre-service English as a Foreign Language (henceforth EFL) teachers perceived themselves capable and ready to teach English at the primary school level. In addition, the influence of a semester-long training on their views was investigated. Specifically, the following research questions were asked: (1) to what extent are pre-service teachers willing and ready to teach English to young learners? (2) what are the reasons behind their decisions? and (3) what is the influence of the ‘Teaching English to Young Learners I’ course on their decisions? Data was collected through open-ended questionnaire items administered both at the beginning and at the end of the semester to 110 junior level students enrolled in the English Language Teaching (henceforth ELT) department of a university in Turkey. The quantitative data was analyzed by applying descriptive statistics while the qualitative data was analyzed by using a coding procedure. Analysis of the data revealed that most of the prospective teachers were willing to teach to young learners, being internally and externally motivated, while those who were not willing to teach young learners had mostly personal reasons. Although quantitative data did not reveal changes between the beginning and end of the semester, qualitative analyses detected alterations in the participants’ ideas. Implications and recommendations for teacher-education programs, as well as further research are provided.

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