The Pedagogy of Cultivating Confidence and Assertiveness in Preservice English Language Teachers in Order to Enhance their Self-Concept
Abstract
Confidence and assertiveness are two essential components of interpersonal communication that every school-going child ought to tap into in order to thrive and succeed in the school environment as well as contribute to its well-being. Teacher education institutions have the obligation to cultivate confidence and assertiveness in their learners such that they are empowered enough to be able to establish lasting healthy interpersonal relationships in schools. This study was conducted at Makerere University, College of Education and External Studies, Department of Humanities and Language Education, in the English Language and Literature in English section. The study focused on the English language teacher trainers (ELTT) and Preservice English language teachers (PELT) as the unit of analysis. The main objective was to establish the pedagogies ELTT used to cultivate confidence and assertiveness in the PELT. The study was qualitatively conducted and an in-depth interview guide, focus group discussion guide and document analysis guide were the instruments used to collect data. The results revealed that confidence and assertiveness are not catered for in the English language Teaching (ELT) curriculum, but the teacher trainers cultivated confidence and assertiveness extemporaneously as situations arose during lecturer-learner interactions. The study recommends that confidence and assertiveness should be included in the ELT curriculum, the number of PELT admitted and a policy on mark allocation be tabled so that lecture attendance, participation and research work take the greatest percentage of the marks in order to neutralise the grade-centric mindset of the learners and encourage lecture attendance
Downloads
References
Alam, M. R., Jahan, S., Khan Milon, M. R., Ansarey, D., & Faruque Al Hadi, S. U. (2021). Accelerating Learners’ Self-confidence Level in Second Language Acquisition: A Qualitative Study. ICRRD Quality Index Research Journal, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.53272/icrrd.v2i3.5
Barnlund, D. (1970). A Transactional Model Of Communication. In J. Akin, A. Goldberg, G. Myers & J. Stewart (Ed.), Language Behavior: A Book of Readings in Communication. For Elwood Murray on the Occasion of His Retirement (pp. 43-61).
Granero-Gallegos, A., Escaravajal, J. C., López-García, G. D., & Baños, R. (2022). Influence of Teaching Styles on the Learning Academic Confidence of Teachers in Training. Journal of Intelligence, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030071
Ibrahim, I. W., & Shahabani, N. S. (2020). The use of public speaking to promote confidence in learning English as a second language. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(1).
Iserbyt, P. (2015). Reciprocal peer learning with task cards: analysis of behaviour and verbal interactions in structured and unstructured dyads. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 20(2), 174-185.
Johnston, O., Wildy, H., & Shand, J. (2021). ‘Believe in me, and I will too’: a study of how teachers’ expectations instilled confidence in Grade 10 students. Social Psychology of Education, 24(6), 1535–1556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-021-09668-1
Kagoda, A. M., & Ezati, B. A. (2014). Secondary School Teachers’ Perception of “Teacher Professional Development”: A Case Study of Teachers from Five Districts of Uganda. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, 3(2), 185–202.
Muwagga, A. M., Itaaga, N., & Wafula, W. S. (2013). Challenges to quality primary and secondary education in Uganda. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, 25(3).
Nabayego, Catherine; Itaaga, N. (2015). How University Education in Uganda Can Be Improved To Prepare Economically Productive Graduates. Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Management Studies, 1(2), 62–70.
Nambi, R. (2019). Secondary school students’ experiences with reading aloud in Uganda: A case study. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 10(2), 224–231. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1002.02
Prabhakararao Sampthirao. (2016). Self-Concept and Interpersonal Communication. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 3(3). https://doi.org/10.25215/0303.115
Shelton-Strong, S. J., & Mynard, J. (2021). Promoting positive feelings and motivation for language learning: the role of a confidence-building diary. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 15(5), 458– 472. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2020.1825445
Wahyuny, I. (2020). The Use Of Public Speaking To Promote Confidence. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(1), 76–86. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejel.v6i1.3346
Wessels, S., Trainin, G., Reeves, J., Catalano, T., & Deng, Q. (2017). Pre-service teachers’ confidence and attitudes toward teaching English learners. Teacher Education and Practice, 30(3), 443-461.
Yang, A. (2018). English Teaching and the Cultivation of Young People's Cultural Confidence. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology, 2(1), 125-155.
Zondag, A., Larsen, A. B., Guldal, T. M., & van den Tillaar, R. (2020). The influence of improvisation activities on speaking confidence of EFL student teachers. Nordisk Tidsskrift for Utdanning Og Praksis, 14(2), 82– 102. https://doi.org/10.23865/up.v14.1879
Copyright (c) 2024 Nicholas Isaac Mukwana, PhD, Ssebbunga Masembe Connie, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
