The impact of a pedagogy for autonomy teaching practice module on the development of teacher autonomy in initial teacher education: A study of pre-service language teachers in a Mexican university

Abstract

Relevant literature in the field states that by promoting autonomy in language teacher education programmes, teacher trainers empower teachers to theorize from their practice, construct their own pedagogy, and self-direct their own teaching and learning, based on their learners’ needs and the particularities of their work contexts (Kumaravadivelu, 2001, 2006). However, research suggests there is a lack of teacher education programmes which provide teachers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to exercise their autonomy during their training and promote autonomy in their own classrooms (Benson 2011; Jiménez Raya & Vieira, 2008; Manzano Vázquez, 2016).

This action-research study was conducted at the B.A. in ELT programme at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mexico, in the context of a Teaching Practice module, to investigate how teacher autonomy can be developed in initial teacher education. Drawing on two of the six dimensions of teacher autonomy proposed by Smith (2003), teacher autonomy for this research refers to the pre-service teachers’ capacity to self-direct their teaching (professional action) and self-direct their learning as teachers (professional development) during the module.

The action-research included two cycles during which two different cohorts of pre-service teachers were exposed to a pedagogy for autonomy in a Teaching Practice module at the end of their studies. This pedagogy for autonomy is based on the principles of pedagogy for autonomy (PA) suggested by Jiménez Raya et al. (2017) and integrates three components to support the development of teacher autonomy: Reflective practice, action research, and community of practice.
Data were collected in each cycle through a focus group, pre/post-questionnaires, student-teachers’ reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. Throughout the research, the teacher-researcher also kept reflective notes to document her intervention and identify aspects that needed more attention, presented challenges, and required some modifications.

Findings suggest that through the implementation of the pedagogy for autonomy Teaching Practice module, pre-service teachers were able to develop some degrees of teacher autonomy and became aware of their strengths and weaknesses as teachers and learners. They took actions to improve their practice and were able to make more informed and independent decisions regarding their professional action and development. Their confidence to teach and face problems was also fostered as they realised that they were able to find solutions to the problems they encountered in their teaching practice. However, results also show that the development of teacher autonomy is related to their willingness, responsibility, and commitment to become better professionals. Contextual factors among pre-service teachers and the role of the supervisors and mentors were also found to impact the development of teacher autonomy in the study.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Adriana Patino: orcid.org/0000-0003-1950-3954

Catalogue record

Export record