Language Proficiency

Bearing in mind that the common denominator among the participating teachers is their profession as English language teachers, it was found that one feature of their performance that seems to worry everyone is language proficiency. In agreement with ^{Murdoch (1994)}, the most valued aspect of a non-native English speaker teacher is high proficiency in the target language. Hence, based on the results found, we argue that this area demands further development not only because proficiency is associated with the command and mastery of the language but also because it relates to the teachers’ “pedagogical and methodological preparation, experience, philosophy of teaching and social commitment” (^{Cárdenas Ramos & Chaves Varón, 2013}, p. 329).

When asked about their perceived proficiency in teaching English, the participants acknowledged diverse sources to support their answer, including assessing their proficiency through international exams (TOEFL, IELTS) and their experience and practice speaking English. Nonetheless, it is not just a matter of having language skills since most reported difficulties are associated with language use and endorsement of academic language. his language command is also connected to the teachers’ confidence in the classroom and the learners. In other words, an inefficient command of the language, be it English in this case, “can affect the self-esteem and professional status of the teacher and interfere with simple teaching procedures. It can keep the teacher from fulfilling the pedagogical requirements of a more communicative approach to language teaching” (^{Ghasemboland & Hashim, 2013}, p. 891).

During the focus group, the participating teachers mentioned that nowadays, there are colleagues who are still not language proficient, and even so, they manage to graduate from their bachelor’s programs and get a job. Their inquisitorial claim suggests the imbalances between successful development in the classroom and poor language proficiency. Similarly, ^{Cuesta Medina et al. (2019)} report that it is pivotal for teachers to be aware of the pitfalls in the language. They can use appropriate learning strategies to monitor language learning or other professional development opportunities.

The participants of this study visualize the strengthening of communicative competence (^{Hymes, 1972}) as a professional obligation because it empowers teachers and learners to access knowledge in numerous scenarios (^{Teng Fatt, 1991}). Thus, it is essential to pinpoint how some strategies teachers implement might be favorable when they consistently work to improve their language skills. For instance, it is recommended to spend some time in an English-speaking country, establish more straightforward plans such as always using English (^{Cárdenas Ramos & Chaves Varón, 2013}), and utilize diverse sources of input in the form of mass media, music, video, podcasting, and movie streaming services.

Based on the previous assertions, we argue that teachers cannot focus only on achieving their target language level performance but “what the act of language teaching entails” (^{Cuesta Medina et al., 2019}, p. 46). Furthermore, their mission is to find strategies that help them tackle their difficulties. They have a myriad of options ahead to overcome their language pitfalls and understand the dynamic nature of the English language by taking advantage of the opportunities that are made available through publishing companies, private and governmental organizations, and local Secretaries and Ministries of Education while being able to make decisions to accommodate both formal and informal learning scenarios.

Practice-Based Challenges

Gap Between Theory and Practice. The gap between theory and practice was identified when teachers experienced a vast difference between the knowledge they acquired during their university teacher education and the reality they faced in the classroom. They talked about the teaching pedagogies they received as learners since those were not as simple to implement as they seemed. When they started their teaching practicum, some teachers felt that the teaching knowledge imparted at university was inappropriate for facing real-life classroom challenges. Findings revealed that most participants experienced frustration during their practicum experience because they faced two significant challenges: teaching and learning to teach, a trend documented by ^{Hudson et al. (2008)}.

The world the participants had built around effective teaching and learning practices conflicted with the teaching reality they were exposed to. Hence, our findings match previous studies (^{Anderson, 2004}) in that the participants, during their practicum, were not prepared. During the teaching practicum, teachers experimented with different challenges, like classroom management issues, and they realized they required more than applying learned theories to take control of the class and construct compelling teaching experiences. In this sense, it is paramount to consider that observing sessions and reading about teaching is not enough for preservice teachers; they should be allowed to practice the theory they learn before entering the practicum stage (^{Calderhead, 1988}).

In like manner, ^{Fajardo Castañeda and Miranda Montenegro (2015)} imply that during the teaching practicum, the knowledge that preservice teachers gain when faced with the complexities of actual classroom practices lets them reinforce and enhance their positive attitudes, motivation, and engagement toward the teaching profession. Finally, a noticeable gap shown by teachers was related to the traditional methodologies used by their mentors, which they echoed in their classrooms. At the beginning of their teaching practice, their classes emphasized learning grammatical structures and isolated vocabulary lists. At times, this focus lasted long until they realized the emphasis should be on communication. However, they recognized that it was a long route of discoveries dictated by the whole teaching experience rather than by the learning they had formerly acquired. Findings in ^{Liu’s (2005)} study reveal that novice teachers tend to adopt and follow their teachers’ strategies and methods when they were school and university learners.

Inefficient Mentoring Experiences. Mentoring, viewed as a reciprocal learning exchange between a mentor and a mentee, fosters self-development and helps mentees build on their autonomy and agency, alleviating self-doubt and feelings of anxiety about meeting teaching expectations, especially in situations where mentees are new to the teaching profession (^{Cuesta Medina, 2022}). Hence, mentoring suggests the existence of a scaffolded partnership environment.

When examining the participants’ past mentoring experiences, more issues associated with their practicum (during undergraduate education) were considered. At that time, each participant’s experience was shaped by the particularities of their practicum: the school context in which they had to teach; the assigned practicum supervisor; and the monitoring, support, and encouragement received by their mentors (i.e., the head teachers at the schools). The one common point was that all the participants had high school teachers as mentors during their practicum.

For instance, Teacher 3 argued that his mentor was conscious of his needs and helped him to handle and surpass specific situations that occurred in the classroom. This is precisely what ^{Wang and Odell (2007)} emphasize about the role of mentors. They are in charge of helping mentees to succeed in the possible pitfalls that can overshadow their skills and overall performance. Mentors also help build attitudes toward the teaching world, reinforcing the teachers’ identity as educators.

Unfortunately, not all participants’ experiences were as satisfactory as that of Teacher 3. Most teachers complained about the poor feedback they received from their mentors. For example, Teacher 11 said he just received one short observation about his performance in the classroom, which, consequently, was not enough to answer his teaching concerns.

On the other hand, Teacher 14 mentioned that her mentor sporadically visited the school to observe her classes. She indicated that the classroom head teacher was the one who supported her in some specific instances. In Colombian practicum scenarios, mentors are generally assigned by the universities/programs where students pursue their degrees; however, in some instances, schools (or institutions) where students attend their practicum also assign their mentors, establishing a dual formative mentorship scheme.

A more critical case was exposed by Teacher 4, who expressed her impotence in handling discipline issues in the group under her charge. She notes: “I couldn’t tolerate this situation anymore; [I felt that] I was wrong about choosing my career.” Reflecting upon this, she alluded that this frustrating experience was mainly due to her mentor’s lack of guidance and neglect. Hence, we assert that going through the practicum without proper scaffolding from a committed, effective, and competent mentor can significantly affect preservice teachers’ perceptions and attitudes, leading them toward negative perceptions and judgments of their professional lives (^{Maphalala, 2013}).

Teachers generally wished to have mentors who helped them improve and reflect on their teaching practices. They also would have liked to receive sufficient training concerning the possible populations and contexts assigned to them in their practicum. Accordingly, they recommended that teaching programs be more selective and careful when choosing mentors for preservice teachers since, as they consider, this role cannot be assumed just by a good teacher but by a capable professional with the training required to teach, guide, monitor, and encourage their mentees’ teaching experiences (^{Orland, 2001}).

Classroom Management. Classroom management has been “a pebble in teachers’ shoes,” as it represents a constant and significant challenge for teachers (^{Sánchez Solarte, 2019}). The participants in our study are no exception; they have also experienced classroom management difficulties as one of the significant challenges in their careers.

Therefore, it is vital to understand what classroom management implies. Several authors agree that classroom management skills represent an effective learning environment (^{Çakmak, 2019}; ^{Marashi & Assgar, 2019}; ^{Şanlı, 2019}). Through classroom management, teachers tailor the space and conditions in the classroom, monitoring the students’ behavior and encouraging them to get involved in the classroom activities (^{Baş, 2019}), as well as negotiating classroom rules with the students (^{Şanlı, 2019}).

In addition to the existing gaps between theory and practice and our participants’ inefficient mentoring practices, findings revealed other issues that affected their classroom management skills during their practicum. These were classroom size, poor teaching experience in classroom management skills, lesson planning, and teacher’s additional roles.

The participants started having difficulties when they were aware of the large class sizes. As Teacher 4 said, “I wondered how I was going to manage such large groups: They included 40 to 45 children.” This evidences that large classroom sizes represent, from the start, one of the most common struggles for novice teachers (^{Sánchez Solarte, 2019}) in their new teaching context. This situation, however, seems to contradict what Teacher 11 asserted: “[Prior to the practicum] we did exercises based on possible situations we could face in the classroom.” However, it is worth noting that no participant mentioned receiving explicit instruction on handling class size from their mentors.

Notably, the previous situation validates the notion that ^{Simonsen et al. (2019)} predicted regarding how unlikely it is for teachers to enter the teaching field with suitable classroom management preparation, eventually leading preservice teachers to frustration. Teaching skills improve with time and experience, so novice teachers should be given all the assistance they need before starting their careers. They are expected to be fully prepared to face classroom realities once they start formal teaching. For instance, Teacher 4 endorsed this idea concerning the lack of preparation, which symbolized her teaching experience. In her opinion, she would have liked to have more time in the practicum to do some research and to receive more guidance about all possible situations within the classroom; thus, she would have been better prepared to address difficult situations more successfully.

Additionally, participants mentioned the poor feedback from their teacher mentors regarding their classroom management skills; thus, they remained unsure if they were doing the right thing. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to recognize that the lack of knowledge about multifaceted aspects of classroom management (^{Baş, 2019}) hinders the teacher’s performance. In other words, we believe mentors are responsible for advising preservice teachers during the practicum, clearly indicating the multiple roles they are expected to perform within the classroom so that a lack of awareness in certain classroom matters does not hamper their work. In this sense, mentors also must instruct future teachers on handling the most common classroom situations.

^{Sánchez Solarte (2019)} considers planning as one of classroom management’s three principal dimensions. She explains that overpreparing is strongly suggested for novice and in-service teachers. This planning should include a clear goal meeting students’ needs, specific roles, materials, equipment, how learners will interact, and which routines will be established (^{Collier-Meek et al., 2019}). Following these routines avoids chaotic classrooms and thus creates a safe environment for learners, with effective time management. Furthermore, ^{Sánchez Solarte (2019)} suggests not to overreact or take things personally in situations like the one mentioned by Teacher 8: “My lesson plan never turned out the way I expected.” This perfectly illustrates the sense of frustration that teachers might experiment when things turn out to be the opposite of what they had planned in the first place. However, it is necessary to understand that such things might happen, and it is okay as this allows teachers to improve their skills. The point here is not to overreact, take it personally, or lose sight of what came out correctly.

The last issue the teachers addressed was the teacher’s additional roles in the classroom. The main concern was about parenting. Teacher 9 said:

Honestly, I was never explained about parent management. I think it is essential to be taught how to deal with parents, how to set boundaries, because, sometimes, as they might look older, they think they can treat you with no respect.

In this regard, ^{Ming-tak (2008)} underlines parents’ important role in the student’s educational process. She sees the need to create good relationships with parents and invites teachers to give in, work with parents concerning similar goals, and share the responsibility for their children’s learning. In the teaching practicum or the core curriculum, attention is rarely placed on parenting management.

Technology-Assisted Learning Scenarios: A Road Not Paved Yet. In the 21^st century, the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in second/foreign language teaching and learning scenarios is becoming crucial to grow and develop (^{Alkamel & Chouthaiwale, 2018}), and everyday new and more robust technologies are built. Such fast technological emergence suggests a proper alignment to educational needs and contexts is nurtured. As some participants argued, the lack of knowledge and training regarding the use of ICT in the classroom is locking the path towards a broader vision of new tendencies in language education. To illustrate, the context in which the participating teachers work is equipped with several resources to implement ICT in the classroom. Besides the regular board, the teachers have a permanent internet connection, a projector, and a speaker in the classroom. There are also computer rooms, among other digital resources. However, all these technological resources are useless, considering that some teachers do not know how to take maximum advantage of these technological aids. So, they continue using traditional teaching methods where learning experiences for students may not be compelling (^{Arias Soto et al., 2011}).

One of the questionnaire items referred to using ICT as a tool for teaching English. In this regard, some teachers argued their use of technology, referring to the mandatory educational platform that enables them to share content and assess students. Conversely, many classes are based on the textbook assigned according to students’ English level. When asked about using other educative webpages or technological resources for learning languages, most teachers limited their answers to some webpages to play games to learn vocabulary and others to listen to music. One participant (pursuing a master’s degree in ICT) gave comprehensive, appropriate, and relevant information about ICT use in the classroom. Reflecting on this issue, teachers showed they were aware of the meaningfulness and usefulness of ICT for learning languages. Although they are doing their best to learn how to include ICT in their teaching scenarios, its application remains a source of tension for them (^{Bouziane, 2013}). Notwithstanding, teachers report inadequacies in having vast knowledge about platforms for the educational delivery of courses and lessons, and many reported a lack of instructional design of activities for online/blended environments and content curation of tools and other sources.

Language Teacher Awareness

Drawing on the seminal work of ^{Wright and Bolitho (1993)}, we argue that language awareness is an essential component of teacher education, as this allows teachers to gradually find a natural connection between their knowledge of the language and their teaching practices. This enables teachers to broaden their comprehension of language phenomena and the dimensions through which they will be studied, learned, and taught.

Most of the interviewed teachers coincided in their assumptions about their own experiences as learners and teachers. They reflected upon the vital role they play in students’ learning and upon their own personal and professional growth. The discussion around this category allowed us to identify some concerns mentioned below.

Language Learning: A Call to Teach. When discussing the reasons to be an English language teacher, participants mentioned language learning as one of their most significant personal interests and the idea of becoming teachers to help others by sharing and transmitting their knowledge about the language. Some participants mentioned that their call to teach originated from their experience as language learners. Some others referred their call to teach to their family’s teaching background, to which they were exposed since childhood. Notwithstanding the reasons behind the teachers’ calling, this involves, as ^{Palmer (1983)} argues, the teachers’ ability to identify and to be aware of their weaknesses and strengths framed within the more general understanding of who they are as persons, what they value, and their perceived place in the world. This consideration emphasizes the teachers’ abilities to self-monitor and understand their inner world regarding thoughts, emotions, behavior, and personality.

Hence, we assert that participants know their role as teachers since they were committed to achieving effective student learning results. With this in mind, it is fundamental to identify one’s calling to teach and be aware of the inner self (^{Kung, 2013}). Said otherwise, participants acknowledge the role they play in their specific work environment. In this sense, they are led by the internal conscious identity that links their love for teaching with their personal and professional values, beliefs, goals, and motivations.

Language Teachers’ Cultural Awareness. When asked about the reason for pursuing a career in language teaching, some teachers argued that their initial interest in studying languages was to learn about culture, education, and society; and, from a more psychological point of view, to understand people’s perceptions about the world. Indeed, culture is critical in learning languages; they both are intricately connected and lose their significance if separated: “A language is a part of a culture, and a culture is a part of language” (^{Brown, 1981}, p. 171). Consequently, when a learner acquires a new language, they also acquire the culture of that language.

In the same line of thought, when referring to the development of 21^st-century skills, teachers mentioned their commitment to teaching some cultural concerns. For instance, critical thinking skills are promoted in their classrooms when the lesson focuses on analyzing and comparing students’ cultural backgrounds and those in which English is the official language. However, the need to continuously and systematically frame the lessons to align these goals to the expected competences and actions remains on the ground since the journey to embrace cross-cultural connections that lead to more solid policies and pedagogies towards multiculturalism is still under development.

Teachers’ Role to Promote Learners’ Self-Awareness. To approach this idea, teachers were asked to reflect upon the ideal profile for an English language teacher. Among their thoughts and the characteristics mentioned, they emphasized the importance of fostering learners’ self-awareness in the classroom. They also alluded to the integration and promotion of meaningful learning among students, mainly when linking the class content with their personal lives (background, feelings, experiences, and memories). “One shall trust in students’ own capacities and be able to learn about their realities” (Teacher 3). Through their reflection, it was possible to note that these teachers’ thoughts revolved around the importance of helping learners become aware of their learning styles and preferences, as well as their weaknesses and strengths regarding language learning.