Research On The Changes Of Pre-service English Teachers’ Instructional Design Ability During Teaching Practicum

Instructional design ability not only affects the quality of education by influencing the teaching effect,but also affects the effectiveness of current curriculum reform and the trend of future curriculum reform.The existing researches mainly focus on the current situation of in-service teachers’ instructional design ability,rather than the change of pre-service teachers’ instructional design ability.The purpose of this study is to explore the changes and influencing factors of instructional design ability of pre-service English teachers during the educational practicum.The participants were 44 students in a master’s program in English education at a comprehensive university.Data sources include questionnaires,interviews and case documents.Through descriptive statistics,the paired sample T-test of quantitative data and the content analysis of qualitative data,the findings are as follows.First of all,the overall instructional design ability of pre-service English teachers has a significant difference before and after the educational practicum(p=0.00<0.05).Among the seven components of instructional design ability,the ability to select and apply teaching strategies improves the most,because through educational practicum,pre-service English teachers could comprehensively consider the selection and application of instructional strategies based on the analysis of teaching content,learners and literature,combined with their own experience and the results of learning from others.However the ability to analyze learners improves the least,because after the practicum,pre-service English teachers found that without long-term contact and communication,relying solely on the new curriculum standards,previous learning and teaching experience and their own imagination,they could not fully grasp the actual situation of learners.In addition,due to the isolation of the epidemic,most of the pre-service English teachers’ understanding of the learners was based on the descriptions of the instructors.Secondly,the change of instructional design ability of pre-service English teachers is affected by internal and external factors.Internal factors include learning experience,teaching experience,practical experience,teacher beliefs,motivation,self-efficacy and self-reflection.External factors include peers" presentation,peers’ teaching plans,peers assessment,teachers’ presentation,teacher assessment,teacher requirements,specific theoretical guidance,online resources,school resources,social pressure and other factors.According to the findings,we can get the enlightenments as follows.First of all,pre-service English teachers should continuously enhance their awareness of self-development,make use of all available resources and channels around them to keep learning and cultivate the good habit of regular reflection.Secondly,each school should constantly improve the teacher training system and establish school-based teaching case base.Regular inspections and strict requirements should be applied to promote the development of pre-service English teachers.In addition,all the departments must improve the emergency guarantee system,make good planning and coordination,and try their best to ensure the normal operation of the practicum and fully protect the integrity of the pre-service English teachers’ practicum.