Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied LinguisticsVol. 36:1 (2013) ► pp.102–115
‘Qualified’? A framework for comparing ELT teacher preparation courses
There is no standard way via which to measure the ‘qualified’ English language teacher in a way that is meaningful to institutions seeking to employ teaching staff. This is significant given that candidates may differ markedly in their language competence, knowledge about language, methodological skills and ability to explain and justify their praxis and operate in intercultural spaces. In this article, we propose a framework, based on Bourdieu’s (1986) ‘forms of capital’, with a view to helping stakeholders articulate and evaluate teachers’ skills. To demonstrate how this framework might be used, we apply it to two English language teacher qualifications that have wide professional currency: CELTA courses and Masters degrees in ELT/Applied Linguistics.
Keywords: language teacher expertise, ELT qualification standards, ‘qualified language teacher', Language teaching capital, Master's degrees in TESOL, CELTA, interculturality
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.
For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].
References
Bax, S.
(2003) The end of CLT: A context approach to language teaching. ELT Journal, 57(3), 278–287. 
Bourdieu, P.
(1986) ‘The forms of capital’. In J.G. Richardson, (Ed.), Handbook for theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 214–2580. New York: Greenwood Press.
Cambridge ESOL
(2003) CELTA syllabus and assessment guidelines. Cambridge, University of Cambridge ESOL Teaching Awards.
Cortazzi, M. & Jin, L.
(1996) Cultures of learning: Language classrooms in China. In H. Coleman (Ed.), Society and the language classroom (pp. 169–206). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ferguson, G. & Donno, S.
(2003) One-month teacher training courses: Time for a change? ELT Journal, 57(1), 26–33.
Green, T.
(2005) ‘Staying in touch: Tracking the career paths of CELTA graduates’. University of Cambridge ESOL Research Notes 191, 7–11.
Horne, S
2003 Readers Respond: Short teacher training courses. 395–397.
IELTS
(2009) IELTS guide for educational institutions, governments, professional bodies, and commercial organisations. Accessed April 7, 2012, from: [URL].
Kanowski, S.
(2004) ‘Helter CELTA: Do short courses equal ’best practice’ in teacher training?’ TESOL in Context, 13(2), 21–27.
Macpherson, S.
(2003) ‘Readers respond: The short intensive teacher-training course’. ELT Journal, 57(3), 297–300.
Murray, N. & Crichton, J.
(2010) What’s in a name? Degree programs and what they tell us about applied linguistics in Australia. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 33(2), 15.1–15.16.
Pasternak, M. & Bailey, K.M.
(2004) ‘Preparing nonnative and native English-speaking teachers: Issues of professionalism and proficiency’. In L.D. Kamhi-Stein, (Ed.), Learning and teaching from experience: Perspectives on nonnative English‐speaking professionals (pp. 155–175). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
Ramsden, P.
(1992) Learning to teach in higher education. London: Routledge.
Stanley, P.
(2013) A critical ethnography of ‘Westerners’ teaching English in China: Shanghaied in Shanghai. London: Routledge.
Tsui, A. B. M.
(2003) Understanding expertise in teaching: Case studies of second language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cited by
Cited by 7 other publications
Al-Issa, Ali S. M.
2020. The language planning situation in the Sultanate of Oman. Current Issues in Language Planning 21:4 ► pp. 347 ff. 
Bendle, Lawrence J. & Aaron W. Pooley
2016. Higher skilled working tourists and their leisure lifestyles: a qualitative study of guest language instructors in South Korea. Leisure Studies 35:4 ► pp. 406 ff.
Bernstein, Joshua D.
2023. Becoming “TEFL Certified”: Professionalization, Certification, and Commodification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language Volunteer Tourism. In Voluntourism and Language Learning/Teaching [Palgrave Advances in Language and Linguistics, ], ► pp. 69 ff.
Chick, M.
2015. The education of language teachers: instruction or conversation?. ELT Journal 69:3 ► pp. 297 ff.
Mackenzie, Lee
2018. Teacher Development or Teacher Training? An Exploration of Issues Reflected on by CELTA Candidates. English Teaching & Learning 42:3-4 ► pp. 247 ff.
Mackenzie, Lee
2019. Investigating reflection in written assignments on CELTA courses. ELT Journal 73:1 ► pp. 11 ff.
USLU KAPLAN, Nebile & Gamze ERDEM COŞGUN
2023. Metaphorical Understanding of ELT Students toward a Master’s Degree. Bayburt Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 18:40 ► pp. 1366 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 28 march 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.