Beliefs About Professional Teaching Competency Development: A Case Study of Thai Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

Effective use of first (L1) and second (L2) languages and digital technology (DT) has particular salience for professional competence that teachers should possess according to the latest Regulation of the Teacher Council of Thailand. Yet, there has been a lack of evidence to identify teacher preparation gaps and guide improvements on pre-service teachers’ language and technology competency. The purpose of this investigation is to explore teacher candidates’ beliefs towards the development of their L1, L2, and DT across the self-perceived proficiency levels. An Internet-based questionnaire, including dichotomous questions, rating scale, and open-ended items, was widely distributed among 523 student teachers throughout Thailand by employing a quantitative mode of inquiry. One-way ANOVA and Scheffé’s method, followed by descriptive statistics, were run to analyse the collected data. Research findings suggested significant differences among pre-school teacher cohorts in three items of each L1 and L2 competence, but no difference was found in technological competence. The study concludes with a discussion on three vital professional competencies for enhancing teacher preparation programmes.