Exploring Teachers' Beliefs and Practices to Facilitate Learners' Language Development in a Modified English Immersion Program

Abstract

This study aims to explore teachers’ beliefs regarding students’ language development and how those beliefs are reflected in teaching practices within the Modified English Immersion Program (MEIP) in Indonesia. This study employs a qualitative design using a mini-ethnographic approach. Data were collected through shadowing three English teachers—two at the basic level and one at the intermediate level—during three to four 90-minute learning sessions per participant, as well as through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis through Braun and Clarke’s six-phase model, employing an abductive coding approach that integrates Xu’s framework of teacher beliefs and key concepts from Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. This research found three main themes: language development through meaningful language use; teachers’ pedagogical practices that support students’ language development; and the negotiation between beliefs and practices in learning. The findings indicate that teachers view sustained exposure to English, meaningful interaction, and active participation as crucial aspects of language development. These beliefs are reflected in efforts to maintain an English-language environment, create opportunities for language use, provide linguistic support through questioning, scaffolding, translation assistance, and corrective feedback, and foster students’ motivation and comfort. However, these beliefs are not always applied directly; instead, they are negotiated based on students’ needs, classroom dynamics, and the institution’s language-use policies. This study provides a contextual understanding of the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and pedagogical practices in supporting students’ language development in a non-formal immersion program in Indonesia.