Pre-Sevice English Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Strategies in English Learning for Adolescents

Muhammad Imam Lazuardi, Pasca Kalisa

Abstract


This study investigates pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of teaching strategies for adolescent students and the factors shaping those perceptions during practicum. Grounded in a qualitative descriptive design, the study involved 40 pre-service English teachers from Universitas Negeri Semarang who participated in the LANTIP 6 practicum program. Data were collected through a 20-item Likert-scale questionnaire and follow-up semi-structured interviews with five selected participants representing varied response tendencies. The questionnaire data were analyzed descriptively by examining item means and the distribution of responses across strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree categories, while the interview data were analyzed thematically to explore the reasoning underlying participants’ choices. The findings indicate that participants generally viewed teaching strategies as more suitable for adolescent EFL classrooms when they promoted active participation, provided clear scaffolding, and supported a low-anxiety classroom environment. High endorsement was found for additional materials, digital tools, clear modeling, supportive classroom atmosphere, improvement-oriented feedback, pair/group work, and goal-oriented instruction. However, several items showed more varied responses, particularly those related to textbook reliance, textbook adaptation, self-assessment, peer assessment, and activities requiring students to explain opinions or reasons in English. The interview findings further reveal that strategy selection was shaped not only by pedagogical preference, but also by practicum-related realities such as students’ confidence, mixed proficiency levels, classroom management demands, time limitations, mentor expectations, and available facilities. These findings suggest that pre-service teachers understand teaching strategies in adolescent EFL learning as contextual and mediated classroom practices rather than as fixed instructional techniques.

Keywords


Adolescents; practicum context; pre-service english teacher; teacher perceptions; teaching strategies

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i3.2643

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