Nurturing Beginning EFL Teachers’ Sense of Plausibility in Teaching Through Formal Coursework: A Qualitative Case Study

An essential component of teachers’ expertise is their ability to utilize their sense of plausibility (SoP), which refers to their perceptions about what defines effective teaching. This enables them to design lessons and adapt methods that align with their teaching purposes and needs. Despite its importance for informed pedagogical decision-making, teachers’ SoP has received limited research attention to date. This qualitative case study investigated the development of SoP among eight beginning EFL teachers in an ELT methods course designed to enhance and support teachers’ SoP. An analysis of data from semi-structured interviews, video-recorded teaching demonstrations, and written self-reflections revealed that the participants fostered an active SoP as they learned and adapted methods for their teaching purposes. Their SoP was nurtured through ongoing critical thinking about method learning, reflection upon methods adaptations and experimentation, and observation of others’ teaching followed by self-reflection. Their lack of teaching experience and their prior learning experience influenced whether they could transform course learning opportunities into available resources for their development of SoP. The findings contribute to the literature on English language teacher education by providing insights into the importance of formal coursework in nurturing beginning teachers’ SoP for informed pedagogical decision-making and professional development.