EFL teachers’ pedagogical knowledge base: Do students’ proficiency level and formal teacher education make a difference?

This paper reports the results of a sequential exploratory mixed-methods study to examine the differences between the pedagogical knowledge base (PKB) of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in the light of their students’ proficiency level (i.e. elementary versus advanced) and exposure to formal teacher education judged by their academic credentials (i.e. BA versus MA holders). To this end, 8 EFL teachers teaching general English courses at four private language institutes participated in the study. Data were collected through stimulated recall and analysed using both qualitative and quantitative procedures. The results indicated no significant differences between the total pedagogical thoughts of EFL teachers teaching elementary students and those teaching advanced students. With regard to the PK categories, nevertheless, there were some slight differences in the rankings and significant differences in the frequency. On the other hand, no measurable difference was detected between EFL teachers holding a BA and those holding an MA. The results are interpreted based on the existing language learning theories and the formal teacher education the participants were exposed to. At the end, suggestions are provided for designing proficiency-level specific teacher training programmes and integrating university-based teacher education with clinical experience.