Investigating Future Educators Training to Teach English in Ecuador - An Examination of one University’s Program

Oct 15, 2026

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Investigating how future educators are prepared to teach English in Ecuador within one university’s teacher training program, this study examines K-12 ELT training aligned with governmental educational mandates. Using mixed methods, researchers administer pre- and post-workshop surveys and conduct focus groups with 40 participants completing school-based internships. Results show mixed pre-to-post shifts in cultural beliefs, with positive changes in attitudes toward multicultural students. Findings also indicate a need for greater support to deliver instruction for monolingual and multilingual learners.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background to the Ecuadorian Context

Sociocultural factors and stakeholder support

Cultural and linguistic diversity in Ecuador

Athens Journal of Education-Volume 6, Issue 1 – Pages 33-52 Investigating Future Educators Training to Teach English in Ecuador: An Examination of one University’s Program By Mayra C. Daniel 􀀍 Ximena Burgin† Education in Ecuador is undergoing a process of change led and supported by the country’s government leaders. In this study, researchers use a wide-angle lens informed by governmental mandates to investigate English language teaching. They examine how English language teachers are trained for the K-12 Ecuadorian context within one university’s region. The 40 participants, students completing a school-based internship during the last year of their training to become teachers, represent a sample of Ecuador’s cultural and linguistic diversity. This work is informed by findings from a previous study, consisting of observations and interviews of practicing teachers (Burgin & Daniel, 2017). Using mixed methods, this research includes surveys and focus groups conducted before and after delivery of instructional workshops centered on topics related to English language instruction and teacher training. Findings indicate mixed-results from pre to post for teachers’ cultural beliefs; however, positive change was found regarding participants’attitudes toward multicultural students. Data revealed that teachers require more support to deliver instruction that is appropriate for monolingual and multilingual student populations. Keywords: English language teaching, multilingualism, teacher training. Introduction The investigation discussed in this article was conducted by two Latin American professors who reside in the United States (U.S.) . They are native speakers of Spanish whose schooling in Latin America ranges from seven to 16 years in length in the countries of Cuba and Ecuador. They have histories of working with teachers in the northern and southern hemispheres ofthe Americas, and with immigrant populations of students at levels K-12 in the U.S. This work examines English language teaching (ELT) in one university’ teacher instruction program. Keeping in mind Ecuador’s top-down educational mandates of the past decade as a backdrop to curricular requirements (Van Damme, Aguerrondo, Burgos, & Campos, 2013), this work examines how students finishing their teacher training program perceive they have been prepared to teach English, and to consider the country’s cultural and linguistic diversity in lesson planning. In this study, pre-workshop and post-workshop surveys were administered 􀀍Professor, Northern Illinois University, USA. †Associate Director Research and Innovation Partnerships, Northern Illinois University, USA. [https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.6-1-3](https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.6-1-3) doi=10.30958/aje.6-1-3 Vol. 6, No. 1 Daniel & Burgin: Investigating Future Educators Training to Teach… to teacher candidates (students completing a school-based internship during the last year of their training to become teachers), prior to and after participation in nine instructional workshops focused on ELT methods. The surveys explored these interns’(future teachers’) perceptions of the quality of their university’straining and its focus on ELT. In addition, the surveys provided data to evaluate changes in the participants’ espoused philosophy of ELT before and after attending the workshops. After the workshops, focus groups were held and data was used to document the knowledge and pedagogy of ELT that participants shared they had developed in the workshops. These provided an opportunity for the interns to voice additional questions, and to explore their future needs in professional development after graduation, unique to the particular needs of students and teachers in Ecuador. Background to the Ecuadorian Context Ecuadorian educators’work requires a consideration of the sociocultural context of the schools, the communities, and an awareness of the support available to all stakeholders to validate learners’ r

FAQs

What does the study examine about future educators in Ecuador?

The study examines how students finishing a university teacher training program perceive they have been prepared to teach English, considering Ecuador’s cultural and linguistic diversity in lesson planning.

How is the training and research carried out in the study?

The research uses mixed methods, including surveys and focus groups conducted before and after delivering instructional workshops focused on English language instruction and teacher training.

What key findings emerge from the pre- and post-workshop data?

The findings show mixed results for teachers’ cultural beliefs, but positive change regarding participants’ attitudes toward multicultural students. The data also indicates teachers require more support to teach appropriate instruction for both monolingual and multilingual student populations.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Mimi