Balancing being a ‘Good Teacher’ and a ‘Motivating Teacher of English’: Analysing the Sense of Professional Responsibility of Pre-Service EFL Teachers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study explicates the roles, responsibilities, and preparedness of pre-service EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia with regard to their self-perceived levels of professional responsibility, pedagogical skills, and motivation. It was a quantitative-descriptive-survey design that employed the use of questionnaires to collect data from 100 pre-service teachers, and in addition, a more in-depth interview was further conducted on The findings of this research indicated that most of the respondents view themselves as high-responsibility professionals who have enough pedagogical skills and present a correlation between their motivational capacities and motivational skills. The study holds implications for the understanding of the unique Saudi Arabian cultural context within which pedagogical decisions take place. Many of the limitations exist in this research, such as the sample size and self-reported data; however, it does open great implications for teacher training programs and educational policies in Saudi Arabia, especially under the Vision 2030. This study paves the way for future research in the dynamically evolving educational landscape of Saudi Arabia.