The Role of Classroom Observation in Pre-Service English Teachers' Understanding of the Teaching Profession

Abstract

[eng] This study examines the role of classroom observation in pre-service English teachers' understanding of the teaching profession. Both systematic and unstructured classroom observations were used to evaluate teacher knowledge and the process that prospective English teachers undergo during a two-month classroom observation period. Based on a questionnaire and journals, our findings show that the participants (N=171) reportedly developed their critical thinking and their basic knowledge of teaching procedures such as generating motivation, using adequate EFL methodologies and classroom management. An extended classroom observation encounter allowed the student teachers' beliefs to evolve and their identities as English teachers to develop.