Learning to Teach EFL in Libya: a Critical Analysis of Perspectives from Student Teachers and Practice in Az-Zāwiyah University

This research investigated the Libyan EFL student teachers and their lecturers’ perceptions about the teaching practice course using the interpretive research paradigm. It examines perceptions about the focus of the teaching training in general and the teaching practice course specifically. It also discusses perceptions about the challenges and the difficulties that student teachers and their lecturers encountered during the implementation of teaching and learning within the teaching training application. Finally, it studied the perception of the student teachers about the effectiveness of the teaching practice course in enhancing their teaching performance during practicum.

The study adopted a qualitative approach of data generating, including interviews, observation and reflective journals. It included fourth-year Libyan students in an English language department at the Faculty of Education of Az-Zāwiyah University. Athematic analysis technique was used to analyse the research data. Findings from this study identified three key areas of skills development in the focus of the teaching practice course at the Faculty of Education of Az-Zāwiyah University: developing the skills of lesson planning, lesson implementation and lesson evaluation. Research data revealed that the lecturers of student teachers have a lot of time for planning and implementing skills, while neglecting the focus on lesson evaluation skills.

In the perspective of challenges and difficulties, the research’s findings indicated that EFL student teachers and lecturers face several challenges around giving and receiving feedback in their group work as well as in planning and modelling the skills. In spite of that, it has been found that the teaching training course enhanced the performance of student teachers in practicum on a professional basis but not in their personal qualities. This thesis also discusses the socio-cultural, and political factors as well as the psychological factor affecting the execution of the teaching practice course.