EFL TEACHERS’ REFLECTION IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO EFL STUDENTS OF RURAL AREAS

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical grounds suggest that the discussions on the practices of teaching English in rural area are limited in numbers. Ergo the voices, challenges, and recommendations echoed by EFL teachers of rural areas remain unexplored. This study is thus to shed light on the voices, challenges, and recommendations of EFL rural teachers in teaching EFL to students of rural areas. This study used qualitative research method with multiple case study design. The participants were two EFL service teachers teaching English in Pegunungan Bintang in Papua and Talaud Island in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The data collection techniques were teaching reflection writing journal and phone and WhatsApp call semi-structured interview. This study extended our knowledge that teacher-centered learning was not always perceived to be a left-behind and invaluable teaching approach. This study revealed that teacher-centered learning, which the teachers became the sources of knowledge, was an appropriate teaching approach to teach English to students of rural areas. Moreover, this study found that lack of facilities and learning recourses as well as students’ low motivation and proficiency in English language were main challenges faced by EFL teachers in rural areas. Therefore, shared-recommendations were given by the participants to English teacher candidates taking career to be English teachers in rural areas. First, English teacher candidates should have or build strong and good characters. Meaning, they have to be discipline, creative, innovative, patient, firm and adaptable. These characters are non-negotiable for other English teacher candidates teaching English in any region as well. Second, English teacher candidates should take into account students’ competency and social condition of learning to make students succeed in target language. Third, they had better use teacher talk and caretaker speech to explain English teaching materials or topics to the students.

A Systematic Review of Teaching English in Rural Settings: Challenges and Solutions

“…Students' English proficiency level should also be taken into account while preparing the classroom materials and incorporating classroom activities so that students do not feel anxious or stressful during English lessons. This is again supported by Saiful & Triyono (2018) who suggested the use of simple English or repeated explanation while teaching English among rural students with limited competence in English.…”

“…One of the crucial factors in affecting English Language education in rural schools is the attitudes of the English Language teachers. It is stated in one of the studies by Saiful & Triyono (2018) that English Language teachers should be creative and innovative in preparing English learning materials and conducting classroom activities, patient in dealing with the unfavourable physical environment of the rural schools as well as firm in dealing with appalling attitudes of rural students in learning English. Students' English proficiency level should also be taken into account while preparing the classroom materials and incorporating classroom activities so that students do not feel anxious or stressful during English lessons.…”

Enhancing English in Ecuador: Exploring Korean English Educational Policy Innovations

“…This great importance stems from the study carried out by Greenier & Whitehead (2016) where they highlight EFL teachers as cultural ambassadors, given that they represent a role model of how society should treat other people who are culturally and linguistically different from them. Teachers at EFL must also possess critical thinking to adjust and perfect their own learning in teaching a second language, thus favoring their practice as a teacher in their future classroom (Saiful & Triyono, 2018).…”

The Six Characteristics of Andragogy and Future Research Directions in EFL: A Literature Review

“…This can be influenced by both internal and external factors such as students' lexical resources, pronunciation, motivation, school facility, and so on (see Batubara et al, 2020;Nursafira, 2020;Nur Aisyah, et al, 2021). To assist EFL teachers to improve their professional capacity and practice, particularly in the rural area, it is essential to have special treatments referring to strategy and approach, learning materials, teaching methodology and learning speed (Saiful & Triyono, 2018). These factors can be linked to the six principles of andragogy.…”