A study of pre-service English language teachers' engagement with faculty-school collaboration at the English fest

Abstract

In recent years, collaboration between faculty and schools has widely drawn attention in teacher education. However, little is currently known about the impact of faculty-school collaboration on pre-service teacher (PST) learning in the field of ELT. For this purpose, this study aims to investigate PSTs' insights of the English Fest event in terms of faculty-school collaboration, professional, personal, and pedagogical benefits, challenges, and their willingness to volunteer again. The study adopted a qualitative research design, and data were collected through open-ended survey questions with 34 PSTs who participated in the English Fest event. The findings of thematic analysis indicated that PSTs reported positive perceptions of the English Fest event, highlighting the benefits in terms of bridging their theoretical knowledge with practice. However, the study also revealed that PSTs faced some challenges during the event, including material development and lack of support from in-service teachers. Nevertheless, PSTs were willing to participate in future events and suggested improvements, such as more frequent events, better organizational planning, and more support in terms of materials and technological equipment. To conclude, the study contributes to the benefits and challenges of collaborative events from perspectives of PSTs and provides insights for improving future English Fest events.