Reconceptualising English Language Teacher's Journey through the Lens of Threshold Concepts

Abstract

This conceptual paper provides an overview of Malaysia's English Language Teaching (ELT) situation and briefly introduces Threshold Concepts in teacher education. This paper is based on the literature review related to the identification of threshold concepts in English language teaching. The study aims to discuss the possibility of adapting the Threshold Concepts framework to understand and charter the language teaching journey, particularly how English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers transition and experience the identity and ontological shifts throughout their teaching career. This study proposes a new conceptual perspective in understanding the ELT journey among ESL teachers, which will be relevant to the teacher training industry to leverage and support the professional development of English language teachers. The study recommends future empirical research to probe further the relationship of these concepts and an in-depth inquiry into the experiences of experts in ELT in their transformational journey to become effective teachers.