Readiness of Slovak pre-service teachers in EFL classroom with regard to communication

Barbora Pavelová, Prešovská univerzita, ID Výzvy2017-532;      Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in interaction in the classroom. Given the dynamic nature of all activities carried out in language classrooms, there is an assumption that teacher’s talk promotes interaction. Moreover, the beginning of pre-service teachers’ teaching path reflects a unique challenge in terms of communication in the classroom. The aim of the paper is to introduce the current perspective on Slovak students of EFL teaching programs in their final year at the second level of university studies in asking questions during the educational process. The paper aims to compare and reflect on (non)existing readiness of pre-service teachers (trainees) in linking theory with practice based on the observation and self-reflection before teaching practice, during teaching practice and after teaching practice. The research methods used include Flanders observation tool that was adjusted aiming at the teacher’s talk. A key factor was to get self-reflection of pre-service teachers that provided the insights of their perception of (non)readiness in terms of communication in the EFL classrooms. The article presents current findings and brings the possibilities for improving pedagogical communication of pre-service teachers.

Key words: pre-service teachers, interaction, observation, self-efficacy, self-reflection, teaching practice, educational process