English for Teacher Trainees: Increasing Motivation and Preparedness Through an ESP Workshop Design

Abstract

Many pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teachers struggle with motivation and self-efficacy due to a lack of alignment between the English instruction they have received as learners and the specific linguistic and pedagogical demands of teaching EFL and CLIL. To address this, an Action Research (AR) project was conducted to redesign the English for Education II course at a Spanish university, shifting it from a General English to an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) approach with a workshop-centered methodology. Over four years, iterative cycles of planning, intervention, and evaluation guided the development of targeted workshops and reflective journal writing. Data from student surveys, focus groups, and instructor interviews indicate increased motivation, stronger perceived utility, and greater preparedness for pedagogical coursework and teaching practice. Findings highlight the benefits of ESP-based instruction for pre-service teachers and the role of collaborative AR in higher education curriculum innovation. This study underscores the need for English-for-Teaching courses in initial teacher education to bridge the gap between general language proficiency and professional language needs.

Many pre-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) teachers struggle with motivation and self-efficacy due to a lack of alignment between the English instruction they have received as learners and the specific linguistic and pedagogical demands of teaching EFL and CLIL. To address this, an Action Research (AR) project was conducted to redesign the English for Education II course at a Spanish university, shifting it from a General English to an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) approach with a workshop-centered methodology. Over four years, iterative cycles of planning, intervention, and evaluation guided the development of targeted workshops and reflective journal writing. Data from student surveys, focus groups, and instructor interviews indicate increased motivation, stronger perceived utility, and greater preparedness for pedagogical coursework and teaching practice. Findings highlight the benefits of ESP-based instruction for pre-service teachers and the role of collaborative AR in higher education curriculum innovation. This study underscores the need for English-for-Teaching courses in initial teacher education to bridge the gap between general language proficiency and professional language needs.