A discursive study of ideologies in an EFL teacher training program in Chile: The case of applied linguistics instruction

Despite the vast literature on language teacher education, the value and nature of Applied Linguistics instruction in EFL teacher training programs remain under-researched. To fill this gap, this study reviewed relevant policies and interrogated lecturers’ and teacher trainees’ perceptions about EFL teacher education in Chile. Using Bartels’ model of Applied Linguistics and Language Teacher Education (2005), this research sought to understand the participants’ underlying ideologies to examine the perceived benefit of Applied Linguistics learning and the usefulness of its teaching methods and content for language teacher training purposes. This study took a discursive approach and used multi-methods and multiple datasets, including (i) language policy documents (ii) interviews with 19 lecturers and (iii) interviews with 17 teacher trainees in an EFL teacher training program in southern Chile. These three datasets were analysed using discursive approaches (corpus analysis - CDA) and thematic analysis strategies. Interviewees critiqued the national ‘English-only’ policies endorsed in EFL teacher education and promoted the knowledge and use of Spanish and indigenous languages, even at the expense of English. The overt economic policy focus on English was also critiqued, as interviewees advocated for incorporating other foreign languages into the curriculum. The discursive data also showed the lecturers’ and trainees’ predilection for English native varieties while depicting Chilean Spanish as deficient. In terms of methodology, there was a sharp divide in the pedagogy used in education and linguistics courses: teaching methods courses were seen as student-centred, practical, efficient and decontextualised, while SLA modules were perceived as teacher-centred, theoretical and academicist. The findings suggest significant tensions between policy discourses and participants’ views about Applied Linguistics instruction reflecting the stakeholders’ strong sense of agency vis-à-vis current language-in-education policies. This study informs EFL teachers, teacher educators and policy-makers by enhancing our current understanding of the gap between policy and practice. The research findings contribute to educational innovations in EFL teacher training programs, advocate for reflexive practices in EFL teacher education and promote the inclusion of pedagogical training for linguists taking teaching positions