PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ONLINE VS. FACE-TO-FACE MICROTEACHING PRACTICES

Abstract

This study investigates the perceptions of pre-service English teachers (PSETs) regarding microteaching practices in the context of Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) courses, comparing their experiences in face-to-face and online classroom settings. The importance of online education has risen globally, propelled by events like the COVID-19 pandemic, which underscored the need for preparing future teachers in both online and traditional classroom settings. 70 PSETs who have experienced both online and face-to-face education at a Turkish public university participated in this study. Data collection involved the self-reflective diaries of the participants, which were analyzed using Atlas.ti software for qualitative content analysis. Findings reveal the advantages of face-to-face microteaching in developing teaching skills in a safe environment, increasing social interaction with peers, building confidence, and receiving immediate feedback, but also highlight challenges such as lack of authenticity, time constraints, stress, and the cost of materials. In terms of online microteaching practice, PSETs emphasized the flexibility and convenience it provides to students and the importance of developing online teaching skills and collaboration, but underlined that technical problems, the lack of immediate feedback, limited non-verbal interaction, and limited social and affective elements all pose challenges for the participants. This research contributes insight into the evolving landscape of microteaching practices in TEYL, offering implications for teacher education in online and face-to-face classrooms.