"My class is mine, and I do it my way", empowering EFL teachers through theorizing practice

Abstract

Post-method pedagogy is often seen as an effective way to help EFL teachers develop their theory of practice. This paper investigated the name of personal practice theory used by EFL teachers, the underlying reasons for using personal practice theory, teachers' perceptions of using personal practice theory, and the implications that may be made from using personal practice theory. This study involved 36 (thirty-six) English teachers teaching at different levels of education in several cities in East Java, Indonesia. This study used qualitative research that helped the researchers to cover a deeper understanding of the data. Furthermore, the researchers gained the data by conducting an open-ended questionnaire through a Google form. The results revealed four main points; 1) most English teachers recognize their theories and label their theories, but some of them theorize their practice, but they use flexible methods; 2) the adoption of the personal theory was justified based on needs, ease of learning, heterogeneous classes, students' abilities, producing enjoyable learning, familiarizing students with good English, and improvement, 3) the majority of teachers had positive views on the use of personal practice theory, like students are easier to comprehend learning materials, and 4) the use of personal practice theory had a positive effect on a variety of student outcomes. This study might contribute to the English language teaching field that theorizing practice is essential to establishing a meaningful learning environment. Finally, this study suggests that English teachers should reflect on their practice in creating their theory to improve their professional growth.