Scaffolding EFL Teachers’ Black Box: Towards a Theoretical Framework of EFL Teachers’ Reading Knowledge

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VII, July 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Scaffolding EFL Teachers’ Black Box: Towards a Theoretical Framework of EFL Teachers’ Reading Knowledge

Salah Troudi¹, Emna Maazoun Zayani^2
1University of Exeter, England
²University of Sfax, Tunisia

Abstract— This paper presents an instructional framework for EFL teachers’ knowledge about reading instruction. Grounded in theories of EFL instruction, mainstream, critical literacies and EFL theories of teachers’ knowledge base, the proposed framework provides several dimensions that illustrate the core knowledge base system of an EFL teacher while teaching reading. This framework is meant to boost the understanding of the components of the knowledge that they should acquire. This paper focuses on the idea that EFL teachers are “lifelong learners by nature” (Troudi, 2009: 64). Therefore, it is meant to inform EFL teachers’ pre-service training, in-service practice, and post-service – reflection.

Keywords: EFL teachers’ knowledge base, critical thinking, reading, instruction, mentoring

I. INTRODUCTION

EFL teacher’s knowledge has received plenty of attention in research since it is a Complex construct which has raised a lot of questions about its nature, components, complexity, and ways of development which is addressed by Darling- Hammond (2006) as “the black box of the teacher education program”(p.303). In this paper, we address EFL teachers’ knowledge as a black box since it is latent and important. In addition, this paper focuses on two different lacunas. First, it sheds light on the link between EFL teachers’ knowledge and reading instruction which lacks research especially in relation to crafting frameworks about reading instruction and teachers’ knowledge base. Additionally, research has suggested that both pre-service and in-service teachers might lack adequate knowledge for effective instruction (Batugal, 2019 and Khanjani, et al, 2016). Second, it examines the academic divorce referred to by Pennycook (1990) when he claims “a major lacuna in second language education is its divorce from broader issues in educational theory”(p. 303). In spite of the continuous attempts to find out solutions to this issue (Meyers, et al 2010 and Yulianto, 2015), much more research should be done to address this gap.

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