This study set out to explore student teachers’ beliefs on English teaching methods. A total of 69 student teachers of three different “English teaching methodology” classes participated in the study; and they were from science education, physical education, and ethics education. A student survey questionnaire, a focusgroup interview, and a class observation were employed to collect data. Data analysis was done quantitatively by using descriptive statistics and qualitatively by a thematic analysis as well. The main findings indicate that first, the student teachers showed a positive reaction toward the English teaching methodology course even though they were less willing to invest time in studying for it. In addition, taking the class seemed to positively influence their view and beliefs on ELT. Second, the student teachers of all three disciplines showed a similar pattern of preference regarding teaching methods by ranking CLT, the most useful, and followed by TPR and ALM while GTM was the least favored. Third, they believed that possessing an appropriate level of English proficiency is a key element for a successful teaching practice so they planned to study English skills, in particular, speaking and listening. Finally, suggestions for effective teaching in the primary English classroom have been discussed.
언어과학 29권2호 (2022.5) http://dx.doi.org/10.14384/kals.2022.29.2.147 ISSN 1225-2522 (Print) / ISSN 2508-4267 (Online) Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 1) Youngkyong Jong* Youngkyong Jong (2022), Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology Journal of Language Sciences 29(2), 147-170 This study set out to explore student teachers’ beliefs on English teaching methods A total of 69 student teachers of three different “English teaching methodology” classes participated in the study; and they were from science education, physical education, and ethics education A student survey questionnaire, a focus-group interview, and a class observation were employed to collect data Data analysis was done quantitatively by using descriptive statistics and qualitatively by a thematic analysis as well The main findings indicate that first, the student teachers showed a positive reaction toward the English teaching methodology course even though they were less willing to invest time in studying for it In addition, taking the class seemed to positively influence their view and beliefs on ELT Second, the student teachers of all three disciplines showed a similar pattern of preference regarding teaching methods by ranking CLT, the most useful, and followed by TPR and ALM while GTM was the least favored Third, they believed that possessing an appropriate level of English proficiency is a key element for a successful teaching practice so they planned to study English skills, in particular, speaking and listening Finally, suggestions for effective teaching in the primary English classroom have been discussed (Pukyong National University) ❙Key Words❙ English teaching methods, primary student teachers, beliefs and motivation, English proficiency level, English teaching practice * Youngkyong Jong/Pukyong National University/Lecturer 148 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) Introduction – “Educational change depends on what teachers and think it’s as simple and complex as that”(Fullan and Stiegelbauer, 1991: 117) As Fullan and Stiegelbauer claimed, it has been agreed that teachers are key and integral elements in the success of any educational program and the enhancement of teaching and learning in schools(Borg, 2009; Fullan and Stiegelbauer, 1991; Harmer, 2015; Seidlhofer, 1999) In Korea, primary student teachers are potential English teachers because in many cases novice teachers are often appointed to teach English in schools regardless of the subject areas they majored in In addition, they have to study English to pass the teacher appointment test for an in-depth English interview and English class demonstration on the 2nd test Thus, preparing student teachers by providing a wide range of knowledge and experience in practicing teaching to them is a crucial component and a primary goal of any teacher education institution(Ismail, 2011) In the field of second language teacher education, two strands, “one focusing on classroom teaching skills and pedagogic issues, and the other focusing on academic underpinnings of classroom skills”(Burns and Richards, 2009: 3) have received continuous attention from many The first one refers to ‘knowledge about and the other one ‘knowledge of how.’ While ‘knowledge about’ provides some of the core curricula of teacher education such as theories or curriculum development, ‘knowledge how’ teaches how to teach through methodology courses The knowledge they acquire is assumed to inform teachers’ classroom practices in the future; however, it has been recognized that many teachers often fail to apply what they learned at school into practice when they deal with students in classrooms(Bartels, 2005) Thus, any student teachers who want to have an effective classroom practice, need both sides of knowledge(Kamhi-Stein, 2009) While teacher education programs try to provide student teachers access to much needed pedagogical and content knowledge(Carlsen, 1999; Shulman, 1986), a body of literature on teacher education has indicated Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 149 that student teachers’ experiences and beliefs they held before entering teacher education greatly influenced their learning and instructional practices(Kiely and Askham, 2012; Borg, 2003; Johnson, 2009; Lortie, 1975) Student teachers’ perceptions of English including learning and teaching can significantly influence the future of Korean English education They create and develop the curriculum according to their own beliefs, deliver their personal values through the implicit curriculum, and carry out their classrooms in line with their own definitions of teaching and learning Teachers are unaware that they are doing this They are also unable to put into words the beliefs, values, and definitions that form the base of their teaching As there has been relatively little attention given to student teachers’ beliefs and motivation about implementing different teaching methods in primary English classrooms, this study set out to fill the knowledge gap left by a paucity of research in this field by inquiring about their perceptions about English teaching methodology It is hoped that the insights gained from this study on student teachers’ beliefs can contribute to the improvement of teacher education curricula which can be supportive of the teaching approaches reflected in the national curriculum To address the main research purposes, this study set out to explore the following research questions: Are there any differences in student teachers’ beliefs from different academic disciplines toward English teaching methodology? What are some suggestions to help student teachers be better prepared for English language teaching in their future careers? Literature Review 2.1 English Language Teaching(ELT) Methodology It has been known that how ELT has been instructed has changed over the years from the sixteenth century to the present(Harmer, 2015) Along 150 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) the way, a variety of different approaches and methods have been introduced and developed(Jawarskowa and Porte, 2007) to examine which method is the best and most effective to promote and facilitate second or foreign language teaching and learning However, it all came down to the fact that they were modified in the end because they failed to make language learners achieve languages for real communication The ways English is taught may have reflected teachers’ beliefs and attitudes according to a particular teaching methodology they learned or practiced through teacher training programs or courses Richards(2006: 3) explained this by saying, “the majority of language teachers today when asked to identify the methodology they employ in their classrooms, mention ‘communicative’ as the methodology of choice However, when pressed to give a detailed account of what they mean by ‘communicative’ explanations vary widely.” Up until the 1950s and 1960s, Grammar Translation Method(GTM) became dominant and popular in foreign-language classrooms (Richards & Rodgers, 2001), which focuses on teaching and learning grammatical rules and builds proficiency in grammatical competencies However, it was challenged by Audio-lingualism based on behaviorism which sees language learning as a continuous process of forming good habits using the stimulus-response-reinforcement cycle The influence of Audiolingualism is still seen in drill-based techniques and exercises in ELT today As it is, this method has drawbacks in failing to help learners develop communicative competence as equal importance is not given to all four language learning skills Communicative Language Teaching(CLT) is an approach that focuses on teaching English for communicative purposes and it has become the most common and widely adopted since the 1970s because it can lead learners to achieve the desired outcomes of communicative competence through learner interaction(Larsen-Freeman, 2000) During the last few decades, there has been a paradigm shift in English teaching methodology from Grammar Translation to Communicative Language Teaching(CLT) in Korea as well It changed the goal of English Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 151 education as the practical use of English as a communication method focusing on teaching speaking skills along with listening, reading, and writing To help students to build their communicative ability in English, teachers are required to obtain new teaching competencies based on CLT In 2001 the Ministry of Education required teaching English through English to be mandatory for Korean English teachers As a result, English speaking and Teaching in English have become components of the national teacher examination(Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, 2001) This resulted in changes in programs for teacher education as it emphasized the importance of improving student teachers’ English communication ability 2.2 English as a Foreign Language Teacher Beliefs It has been agreed that when teachers make a series of pedagogical decisions, their motivation, beliefs, and perceptions greatly affect them(Ghaith and Yaghi 1997; Pajares 1996) Teacher beliefs are defined as “the information, attitudes, expectations, theories, and assumptions about teaching and learning,”(Richards, 1998: 66) which play a role of a primary source of classroom practices Borg(2003) added that teacher beliefs have been proved to make an impact on their classroom behaviors, as having an in-depth understanding of teachers’ beliefs helps comprehend teachers’ classroom practices Thus, in teacher education, teacher beliefs are believed to be an essential component of the program(Borg, 2011; Ha and Murray, 2021) A body of studies has examined teacher beliefs and showed that teacher education can help student teachers to improve their knowledge about teaching methods, learners, or subject matter, and it can shape or reshape their pedagogical decisions drawing on their personal beliefs(Borg, 2011; Calderhead, 1996; Shinde and Karekatti 2021) For example, in a longitudinal case study, Almarza(1996) studied how EFL student teachers’ pretraining experience influenced their learning and teaching practices by documenting four teachers’ different ways of acceptance of a teaching method learned in the program The result showed that each student 152 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) teacher reacted differently toward the method depending on their own beliefs about language teaching and learning However, some studies have indicated that student teachers usually possess mixed beliefs and motivations toward English teaching Borg’s research(2011) showed some evidence of changes in student teachers’ beliefs while taking methodology courses and teaching practices The result revealed that the teacher education program encouraged and promoted the teachers’ belief change in a variety of ways across individuals Wang and Kim(2019) also investigated student teachers’ beliefs related to EFL teaching and learning as a result of the practicum and found the reconstruction and evolution of their beliefs change among the participants to different degrees and extensions In addition, it was also noticed that the education program made the student teachers rely on more traditional teaching methods such as GTM, as they found those methods more feasible and effective Zheng(2009)’s study showed how beliefs and assumptions of student teachers of English can influence their decisions for teaching practices during education programs as they selected to spend the majority of their time enhancing their English proficiency instead of spending time on learning and studying pedagogical knowledge Drawing on the result of the study, Zheng suggested the necessity of introducing different pedagogical methods to the teachers so that they can utilize those methods in their teaching contexts to create more flexible and students-oriented language learning and teaching Overall, it is clear that teacher education plays a crucial role in preparing student teachers to transit into actual teaching and construct or reconstruct teaching philosophy and beliefs that affect their teaching practices in the future As aforementioned, this study of student teachers’ beliefs about English teaching methods can reveal how they perceive English teaching method courses and teaching methods concerning changes in beliefs as well as how teachers prepare themselves to be successful teachers Therefore, the study might offer some beneficial insights regarding the matter to various parties(e.g learners, teachers, and educational institutions) Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 153 Methodology 3.1 Participants and Context A total of 69 student teachers(male: 28, female: 41) from three classes at a local Teacher’s College were recruited and asked to participate in the study while they took an English Teaching Methodology I course during the spring semester of 2021 Class I consisted of 23 students whose major was Ethics education while Class II had 24 students in Science education and Class III of 22 students from Physical Education Each class met once a week for hours long for 15 weeks The students were all sophomores and after taking this course, they needed to enroll in the English Teaching Methodology II class the following semester Table Participants’ Information(N=69) Age 21 to 26 69 Gender Male: 28 Female: 41 69 Grade Class I Science Class II Physical Class III Ethics Sophomore 24 22 23 69 69 The English Teaching Methodology I course was designed to introduce a variety of ELT methodologies to teach English to elementary students from Grammar Translation Method(GTM) to Task-based Language Teaching(TBLT) It also provided activities that can be applied what they have learned into practice for teaching English to elementary students, and other main issues regarding ELT All three classes were taught by the same instructor who has years of experience teaching ELT to student teachers in Korea 3.2 Data Collection and Analysis To gather data needed for the study, a mixed methodology study was employed The main instrument for data collection was a survey designed 154 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) by the researcher The questionnaire consists of two parts: the first section focused on gathering demographic information on age, gender, educational classification, and major, while the other section contained 35 close-ended questions items and open-end question items The 35 items were divided into four themes under the research questions and the purpose of the study Five-point Likert scale was employed and the student teachers evaluated their beliefs by indicating the extent to which they agreed with each statement from five(strongly agree) to one(strongly disagree) In line with the survey, focus-group interview sessions were prepared and carried out by the researcher Each session lasted 20 minutes and the purpose of conducting the interview was to confirm the results of the survey analysis The close-ended questions items from the questionnaire were analyzed by using the SPSS 28 to examine the descriptive statistics that display the frequency of response distribution and mean scores of three classes and to compare the patterns shown by them For the open-end questions, a thematic analysis was adopted to look at the collected data The goal of the thematic analysis is to identify themes or patterns in the data that are important or interesting and they are used to address the issues related to the research This method was useful for the study since it enabled researchers to discover and describe the main focus of individual or group attention(Braun and Clarke, 2003) Thus, through the analysis, thematic patterns in the student teachers’ responses about their motivation, self-perception toward ELT, and teaching methodology Findings and Discussion 4.1 Student Teachers’ Motivation and Beliefs toward English Teaching Methodology Course It has been suggested that since motivation is context-specific oriented either at personal or societal levels(Lamb, 2017; Ushioda, 2013), Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 155 investigating learners in specific contexts is necessary to obtain an in-depth understanding of their minds Nine items from the questionnaire were devoted to finding out the student teachers’ perceptions of English teaching methods Table Motivation and Self-Perception(N=69) Items a1 I was interested in taking the class a2 I think the class was interesting and fun a3 I invested enough time and effort for the class a4 I think I can obtain the grade I want for this class a5 I think my knowledge of English teaching methods has been improved after taking this class a6 I believe that having knowledge and principles of teaching English to primary school students is useful for my teaching career a7 I think I can apply what I have learned about English teaching methods into the class later a8 I think all student teachers should take the English Teaching Method class regardless of their major a9 I have changed my thoughts and beliefs on English teaching methods after taking this class Physical (N=22) M SD Science (N=24) M SD Ethics (N=23) M SD 3.67 1.090 3.81 894 4.03 626 3.89 1.096 4.01 985 4.19 548 3.51 1.062 3.64 953 3.85 647 3.33 963 3.45 912 3.70 703 3.93 970 4.09 1.162 4.32 600 4.12 1.018 4.32 958 4.70 470 3.95 989 4.01 1.129 4.24 562 3.97 1.274 4.12 958 4.43 788 3.98 1.018 4.11 1.129 4.18 635 156 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) As shown in Table 2, the analysis of the items indicated that the students were positive about taking the English teaching method class To question 1, the student teachers in each discipline agreed that they were interested in taking the class as the mean scores of three classes ranged from 3.67(Physical) to 3.81(Science) and 4.03(Ethnics) The mean scores were relatively high, but they expressed that the class was more interesting and fun than they expected even though some differences existed among the three groups The mean scores for question were 3.89, 4.01, and 4.19 for each group respectively However, incongruent with this result, they were less willing to invest time and effort in the class as the mean scores for question were 3.51, 3.64, and 3.85 for students from Physical, Science, and Ethics Education respectively This student teachers’ view was reflected in their answer to the question related to ‘grade for the class’ as the mean scores for this variable were quite low(M=3.33, M=3.45, and M=3.70) This contradiction might be attributed to the fact that they are not English majors even though they were taking the method class for the possibility of teaching English when they become a teacher Despite their reluctance to invest time and effort in the class, the students teachers’ responses were quite positive regarding the usefulness of the method class Most students from the three disciplines indicated that their knowledge of English teaching methods has been improved by taking the class as the mean scores to question ranged from 3.93(Physical) to 4.09(Science) and 4.32(Ethics) In a similar vein, they also believed that building knowledge and studying principles of teaching English to primary school students is useful for their future teaching careers (M=4.12, M=4.32, and M=4.70) This result is supported by their reaction as they emphasized the possibility of applying English teaching methods to classes in the future with mean scores of 3.95, 4.01, and 4.24 respectively Thus, during the focus-group interview, the students from all three groups asserted the necessity of taking the method class Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 157 It is necessary for teachers to know their students level of English and interest in learning Based on that they should apply teaching methods accordingly Through English Teaching Method class, we can learn about a variety of methods so all student teachers should take this class (Student Teacher C of Science Education) This outcome presented the importance of the successful transition of learning theories into practice as many teacher educators highlighted the necessity of linking teaching methods with real classroom practices and of studying with students(Hart, 2006) In addition to this, the student teachers agreed that taking the class influences their thoughts and beliefs on English teaching methods The mean scores ranged from 3.98(Physical) to 4.11(Science) and 4.18(Ethics) The high scores of this variable demonstrated that teacher education has an impact on student teachers’ beliefs(Borg, 2009; 2011) Overall, the student teachers of Ethnics Education consistently scored the highest points on all the question items followed by those of Science and Physical Education However, the difference does not seem to be significant enough to interfere with the process of drawing a conclusion that these student teachers were interested in the methodology class to enhance their knowledge of English teaching methods, and taking the class seemed to positively affect their view and beliefs on ELT 4.2 Preference for English Teaching Methods In line with the student teachers’ beliefs and motivation toward the ELT methodology course, their preference for ELT methods studied while taking the course was inquired They were asked to rank the usefulness and application of the seven teaching methods including GrammarTranslation Method(GTM), Direct Methods, Audio Lingual Method(ALM), Total Physical Response(TPR), Communicative Language Teaching(CLT), Content-Based Instruction(CBI), and Task-Based Language Teaching(TBLT) This inquiry was made based on the claim that these popular methodologies can influence the current state of English teaching by student teachers(Harmer, 2015) 158 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) Figure Ranking of English Teaching Methods by Student Teachers (Ethics=23, Physical=22, Science=24) As seen in Figure 1, the result showed almost identical responses from the student teachers of all three disciplines despite slight differences CLT was ranked the most useful and helpful method and it was followed by Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 159 TPR, ALM, CBI, TBLT, Direct Method, and GTM respectively It was not surprising to see that CLT was ranked number one as Korean English teachers need to manage CLT-based English classes During the focus-group interview, many student teachers stated, “Currently all English classes are constructed and carried out based on principles of CLT in elementary schools, I think learning about CLT will help me most.” Along with CLT, TPR was considered a useful teaching method by many student teachers While preparing for the teaching demonstration, I and my teammates experienced difficulty teaching word definition However, we found TPR very helpful in making young learners understand difficult words easily by using our bodies (Student Teacher K of Ethnic Education) TPR is suitable for teaching young learners because this method can allow them to feel happy to learn new English words while not feeling any pressure to use them for communication(Larsen-Freeman and Anderson, 2011) Another popular teaching method selected by the student teachers was ALM and it was more mentioned than CBL and TBLT Even though CBL and TBLT followed the principles and learning and teaching strategies of CLT, the student teachers expressed some concerns in applying them to teaching Even though TBLT is one of the most popular English teaching methods, I think it is not easy to apply in the elementary English class in Korea I’m not sure whether my students could follow and complete the tasks I prepare ALM, on the other hand, can be very applicable to speaking and pronunciation (Student Teacher Y of Physical Education) This result is similar to that of Gareca and Gui‘s(2019) study which revealed that Chinese English teachers valued CLT, but also favored the 160 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) use of ALM Meanwhile, GTM was ranked the last method the student teachers preferred to use in their English class During the focus-group interview, some student teachers from all three groups indicated, In the case of GTM, it is very useful for studying our own English, but since English education in elementary schools is centered around spoken English, GTM is not our favorite choice for ELT to young learners (Student Teacher K of Science Education) In sum, the analysis revealed a similar pattern of the student teachers’ preference regarding English teaching methods as CLT was valued most while GTM was the least favored one TPR and ALM were also ranked high enough to say that they are considered useful and helpful in teaching English to young language learners 4.3 Student Teachers’ Level of English Proficiency It has been considered that teachers’ English proficiency is one of the crucial elements necessary for them to help their students to achieve communicative competence in English(Kim, 2007; Lee, 2005) Five items in the questionnaire are addressed to know these teachers’ beliefs regarding the level of English proficiency and the use of Korean for ELT Table English Proficiency Items b1 I believe that English language teachers should have good language proficiency for successful teaching practice b2 I believe that my English ability is good enough to carry the class in English b3 I plan to invest time to Physical (N=22) M SD Science (N=24) M SD Ethics (N=23) M SD 4.38 596 4.29 485 4.56 348 3.08 881 3.55 1.057 3.13 1.100 4.25 737 4.36 790 4.48 593 Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 161 improve my English in the future b4 I think learning English teaching methods helps me to instruct English class in English better 3.98 737 4.04 790 4.33 593 b.5 What is the language skill you need to improve most for your teaching? First, the student teachers were asked to check the degree of importance of teachers’ level of English proficiency in the English classroom The mean scores for the variable were 4.38(Physical), 4.29(Science), and 4.56(Ethnics) respectively and they were relatively high compared to responses to other questions Their strong reactions toward teachers’ foreign language ability were supported by their statement regarding the essential component for a successful English teaching practice during an interview I strongly believed that teachers should have good English ability to provide appropriate feedback to students and design and construct an effective lesson (Student Teacher K of Ethnic Education) Teachers should be able to carry out the English class ONLY in English for the class to be successful (Student Teacher J of Science Education) In line with this question, they were also asked to respond to the question concerning their own English ability The outcome of their reply to this variable was very interesting as the student teachers of Physical Education showed the lowest mean score of 3.08, and it was followed by the mean score of 3.13 and 3.55 from the student teachers of Ethics Education and Science Education respectively While the student teachers of Ethnics Education consistently displayed a high level of mean scores to all other variables related to English teaching method class, they showed somewhat in-confidence concerning their language ability 162 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) However, some classroom observation from the class instructor was contradictory to the student teachers’ answers as their ability to use the English classroom language to carry out English class in English was evaluated as above the average To find out their willingness to improve their English ability, they were asked if they plan to invest time in studying English and the mean scores of the question were 4.25(Physical), 4.36(Science), and 4.48(Ethnics) each These mean scores were relatively higher than those of the previous question Along with this item, the questionnaire asked student teachers to indicate which language skills they need to improve Table Student Teachers’ Self Evaluation of their English Skills Items Grammar Speaking/Listening Physical (N=22) Science (N=24) Ethics (N=23) 2(9%) 1(4.5%) 2(9%) 10(45.5%) 12(50%) 11(48%) Reading 1(4.5%) 3(12.5%) 2(9%) Writing 5(23%) 4(16.5%) 4(17%) Vocabulary 4(18%) 4(16.5%) 4(17%) 22 24 23 Total As seen in Table 2, it is not surprising that the student teachers all ranked speaking and listening as the skills they need to work on most Since they need to carry the English class in English, speaking and listening are the skills used most in the language teaching class This outcome was supported by their interview responses I think English teachers should be good at communicating with students in English For this, I would like to have more English communication classes before graduation (Student Teacher K of Ethnic Education) The reason this study inquired about student teachers’ beliefs and motivation regarding student teachers’ English ability and investment in Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 163 studying English was that it can have a significant influence on teachers’ decision-making process As Medgyes(2001) pointed out, insecurity over the proficiency of non-native English teachers could lead to their reluctance to implement more communication-centered classes and stay with the traditional way of language teaching by focusing more on linguistic aspects of English including grammar and vocabulary Thus, to the question of whether they think learning English teaching methods can help them to instruct English classes in English better, the mean scores of this variable were relatively high with 3.98, 4.04, and 4.33 respectively Overall, the student teachers believed that developing an appropriate level of English proficiency is a key element for successful teaching practice However, the mean scores indicated that they did not rate their confidence in English high This result presents the need for student teachers to have adequate preparation in all four skills and build a strong sense of efficacy to use English in class 4.4 Suggestions for Successful English Teaching Practice and Methodology Class It has been claimed that student teachers’ motivation and beliefs can influence their future teaching in the classroom, so helping them to pose positive views on language teaching is essential(Kang et al., 2006) This section investigated the student teachers’ opinions regarding what is necessary for them to have successful English teaching practice and methodology classes for their future careers Table Student Teachers’ Responses to What to be Necessary for English Teaching Practice Items Teachers’ appropriate level of English proficiency, especially speaking skills Teachers’ ability to identify students’ needs, level of English proficiency and choose and apply appropriate teaching methods Frequency(n=69) 21(31%) 12(17%) 164 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) Teachers’ communication skills and knowledge of English teaching methods 11(16%) Teachers’ confidence in managing class 11(16%) Teachers’ ability to motivate students’ interest in the class 7(10%) Teachers’ preparation for Interesting contents and comfortable class atmosphere 5(7%) Teachers’ ability to interact with students 2(3%) Total 69(100%) Table summarizes the student teachers’ answers to the questions and as displayed in the table, the most noticeable response indicated the need for ‘teachers’ appropriate level of English proficiency focusing on speaking’ regardless of their major(21, 31%) This result is congruent with their answer to the question earlier in the study as they wanted to improve their English speaking and listening skills They also suggested that teachers should build an ability to identify students’ needs, and levels of English and apply proper teaching methods(12, 17%) There was a similarity found between this suggestion and another one which emphasizes the importance of teachers’ knowledge of English teaching methods(11, 16%) During the focus interview, some student teachers commented regarding improving the methodology class by stating that, Studying theories and principles of English teaching methodology is very useful for us to become a teacher However, if the class provides more chances to practice how to apply the methods in the real English class, it would be more valuable (Student Teacher J of Physical Education) Others also added that if they could watch more videos in which teachers in the field use a variety of teaching methods in English class, it would help them in a more practice way These comments reflected how much the student teachers were interested in English teaching methodology Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 165 In addition, 11(16%) student teachers highlighted the necessity of teachers’ confidence in managing their class while 7(10%) mentioned teachers’ ability to motivate students to learn and study English In Thomson(2007)’s study on the qualities of being a good teacher, respondents valued teachers who have good classroom management skills along with being caring and passionate about their students’ learning achievements Other suggestions include ‘teachers’ preparation for Interesting content and comfortable class atmosphere(5, 7%) and ‘Teachers’ ability to interact with students(2, 3%) All in all, the results of the inquiry regarding suggestions for what contributes an effective English language teaching indicated that the student teachers believed that teachers should be able to deliver their lessons with confidence in English along with knowledge of English teaching methods to identify students' needs Conclusions and Implications This study was conducted to investigate primary student teachers’ beliefs and motivation on English teaching methodology It is possible that teachers’ beliefs and motivation may not affect their teaching, the way they practice it can be shaped and reshaped by their beliefs(Shinde and Karekatti, 2012) Thus, exploring primary student teachers’ beliefs about useful English teaching methods can offer insights into how they would teach English, and in what areas they need support from the education programs Some of the main findings include that first, the student teachers displayed a positive reaction toward the English teaching methodology course even though they were less willing to invest time in studying for it Most students indicated that their knowledge of English teaching methods has been improved by taking the class As a result, building knowledge and studying principles of teaching English methodology is useful for their future teaching career Overall, taking the class has 166 언어과학 제29권 2호 (2022 5) influenced positively on their thoughts and beliefs on English teaching methods Second, they believed that developing an appropriate level of English proficiency is a key element for a successful teaching practice so they planned to study English skills, in particular, speaking and listening Third, the exploration into the primary student teachers’ beliefs about effective English teaching methods revealed that no statistically significant difference among different groups was noted regardless of their major However, their responses showed a similar pattern of preference by ranking CLT as the most useful and followed by TPR, ALM As for choosing the right teaching methods, the student teachers are clear about their preferences and direction to go However, it would benefit them more if they examine a range of different methods to see what they can offer to both teachers and students to provide the best chance of successful teaching outcomes(Harmer, 2015) Primary student teachers’ beliefs about effective English teaching and learning are likely to change as a result of the training provided for them (Borg, 2011) Thus, the findings of this study have valuable implications for the primary teacher education program First of all, an understanding of student teachers’ beliefs and motivation toward studying English teaching methods would help to identify their strong points and weakness While CLT was considered very useful for teaching English to primary students, it is not easy to be implemented effectively in Korean classrooms For this reason, CLT and other teaching methods are needed to be further explored and practiced in courses such as practicum classes so that student teachers can get used to applying a variety of methods to their own classes Also, the findings of the study suggest that to help student teachers acquire knowledge of ELT methodology and equip them with the appropriate level of English proficiency, it is necessary to prepare education programs in which they can study and practice classroom English In conceptualizing assessment in second language teacher education, the emergent framework also suggests a lens in which knowing a language works as a vehicle that intermingles with the content of Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 167 knowledge about language and with the methodology of knowing how to teach(Freeman, Orzulak, and Morrissey, 2009) While accepting communicative competence as the goal they need to achieve for effective teaching practice, the student teachers seemed to be not sure of proficiency levels for primary English in terms of use Thus, teacher training programs should provide courses that can improve teachers’ communication skills to facilitate or enhance interaction with students in class This study is meaningful in that it inquired about student teachers’ perceptions of English teaching methodology Beneficial as it may be, this study is also limited in some ways that need to be taken into consideration First, this study was based on non-English major student teachers so they are not completely representative of primary student teachers Thus, for future research, English major student teachers should be recruited and their responses to the research points should be compared with those of non-English major student teachers 주제어: 영어 교수법, 초등 예비 교사, 신념과 동기, 영어 능숙도 수준, 영어 교육 실습 References Almarza, G G 1996 Student Foreign Language Teachers’ Knowledge Growth In D Freeman and J C Richards (eds.), Teacher Learning in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 50-78 Bartels, N 2005 Researching Applied Linguistics in Language Teacher Education In N Bartels (Ed.) 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M.A Dissertation The University of Birmingham Ushioda, E 2013 Motivation and ELT: Looking ahead to the Future In E Ushioda (Ed.), International Perspectives on Motivation London: Macmillan 233-239 Wang, C and Y Kim 2019 Changes of Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs on EFL Teaching and Learning English Language Teaching 31(3), 67-91 Zheng, H 2009 A Review of Research on EFL Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices Journal of Cambridge Studies 4(1), 73-81 Youngkyong Jong College of Liberal Arts 24 Gyodae-ro, Yeonje-gu, Busan, Republic of Korea (47503) E-mail: ykyong315@naver.com Received: 2022 04 09 Revised: 2022 05 15 Accepted: 2022 05 15 ... 4.48 593 Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 161 improve my English in the future b4 I think learning English teaching methods helps me to instruct English. .. graduation (Student Teacher K of Ethnic Education) The reason this study inquired about student teachers’ beliefs and motivation regarding student teachers’ English ability and investment in Student Teachers’. .. how much the student teachers were interested in English teaching methodology Student Teachers’ Beliefs and Motivation toward English Teaching Methodology 165 In addition, 11(16%) student teachers