‘I Can Teach English More Confidently’: How Madrassas’ and Pesantrens’ English Teachers Perceived ELTT Program

The study sought to investigate the perception of English teachers in madrassas and pesantrens toward the English Language Teacher Training (ELTT) program they underwent for five months. A convergent mixed-method research design was used, comprising a set of questionnaires administered to thirty-two teachers across three cities, namely Banjarmasin, Metro, and Palembang. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with twelve teachers who participated in the study. Interactive data analysis was employed to analyze the results obtained from the questionnaires and interviews. The study found that numerous teachers reported receiving significant benefits in their teaching and learning skills after participating in the ELTT program, including a boost in self-esteem when delivering English language instruction and enhanced English teaching abilities. However, participants also highlighted internet connectivity and time management as major hurdles that required attention. Hence, it is recommended that the Ministry of Religious Affairs continues to implement the program since it provides teachers with opportunities to enhance their English teaching skills. Consequently, this will enable students to receive greater exposure to the English language, facilitating their learning process.


Introduction
Language teachers play a prominent role in equipping students with language skills and competences at the same level as other schools in the same country and those from other countries.The status of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia necessitates substantial efforts from the English language teachers Asfihana, Sari, Hasanah, Setiowati 'I Can Teach English More Confidently': How Madrassas' and Pesantrens' English Teachers Perceived ELTT Program 1115 to create an enjoyable teaching and learning environment for their students (Maghfirotillah, Fajriyah, & Hariri, 2015;Amin & Sundari, 2020).To achieve the national standard performance of their students, it is imperative that the burden of studying foreign languages is reduced.For this purpose, English teachers, particularly those teaching in Islamic schools or madrassas, need to continuously improve their skills in providing the learning materials and maximising the technological support in teaching English (Hasan, 2015).
EFL teachers need to provide students with the easiest and most exciting way to learn English, as they do not use this target language in their daily communication.Therefore, it is critical to offer engaging communicative activities while establishing an effective teaching and learning framework.Students can achieve meaningful English language learning only if their teachers have undergone effective lesson training and developed teaching strategies to enhance their professionalism.The key aspects of teaching professionalism can be categorised into three competencies or knowledge domains: technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (Koehler et al., 2014).Three knowledge areas can be obtained through peer coaching and collaborative training for Indonesian language teachers, supported by either the government or private sector.
There have been numerous professional development programs available for language teachers in Indonesia, not only provided by the Ministry of Education but also by the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MorA) These programs include workshops, courses, seminars, webinars, coaching, mentoring, and in-house training (Uzun, 2016;Songbatumis, 2017).This program aimed to enrich the English language teachers' competencies in teaching strategies, lesson planning, materials development, and also the use of technology in language teaching.In contrast, a study conducted among English teachers in madrassa and pesantren in Indonesia reveals that although they have participated in various program (Wati, 2011;Radwan, 2019), they still exhibit some limitations in their language teaching competencies.It is evident that an effective training model is required to improve their teaching and learning competencies.
One of MoRA's recently launched programs, which took place last year, was the English Language Teacher Training (ELTT) program.The program was organised by MoRA's Directorate General of Islamic Education in conjunction with the Regional English Language Officer (RELO), and it was instigated by RELO in Indonesia belonging to the US Embassy.The ELTT program was granted to World Learning by RELO for implementation purposes.The ELLT program aimed to improve the skills of English language teachers in madrassas and pesantrens across Indonesia using a scalable, multi-stage training model.This involved 14 Master Trainers training 56 trainers, who subsequently trained 280 teachers.The program included a blended professional development scheme, incorporating National Geographic's ELTeach online courses and offline workshops.The trainers were appointed to facilitate the madrassa and pesantren English teachers in meeting the prescribed tasks and taking an active role in this program.
The literature on teacher professional development, which has been widely discussed in the field of education, offers diverse perspectives.However, the primary objective throughout these endeavors remains unchanged: teacher professional development seeks to empower educators to acquire new knowledge, enhance their learning proficiency, and proficiently utilize their expertise to advance their students' development (Febriyanti, 2018).Teacher professional development is a complex process that requires both cognitive and emotional engagement from teachers, both individually and collectively.Assessing personal convictions and beliefs is a crucial aspect of professional development.Identifying suitable alternatives for improvement or change and accepting them are also essential.It is worth noting that not all professional development forms, although they have strong evidence of a positive impact, can be applied to every teacher universally.Hence, a continuous investigation, experimentation, discourse, and reflection are necessary to address the interrelated factors that influence teacher professional development (TPD), which was the main objective of this research.Possible factors that may influence TPD are the historical and traditional backgrounds of teacher groups, the educational requirements of their students, the expectations placed on them by the education system, the working conditions experienced by teachers, and the learning opportunities available to them.
Ineffective teaching practices among English teachers in Indonesia are commonly linked to inadequacies in their pre-service education.However, the impact of in-service Professional Development (PD) on these practices remains uncertain.Thus, Zein (2016) conducted a study to investigate the perspectives of Asfihana, Sari, Hasanah, Setiowati 'I Can Teach English More Confidently': How Madrassas' and Pesantrens' English Teachers Perceived ELTT Program teachers, teacher educators, and  In their study, Yuan and Burns (2017) explored how two language teachers in China formed and reformulated their professional identities through engagement in action research.Utilizing the theory of 'community of practice,' the research discovered that this type of research had a transformative impact on the teachers' professional identity development, which was reflected in their active engagement in diverse communities of practice.However, participants encountered contextual challenges in their identity development, such as the rigid school curriculum, inadequate research knowledge, and the dynamic between teachers and researchers.The study provides many implications for educators and leaders to support teachers in creating a robust and resilient professional identity while pursuing continuous professional development through action research.
It is well known that teaching English as a foreign language can be a daunting task, especially in environments where English has limited practical use.To address the potential challenges during teacher education, Aktekin and Celebi (2020) examined the process of identity construction within an English Language Teaching (ELT) teacher education program.The researchers focused on the challenges that student teachers faced in establishing their roles as teachers and improving their expertise in subject matter, didactics, and pedagogy.To address these issues, the researchers collected reflections and survey responses from 18 student teachers enrolled in an ELT education program.The findings revealed that ELT student teachers struggle to position themselves as experts in both English Asfihana, Sari, Hasanah, Setiowati 'I Can Teach English More Confidently': How Madrassas' and Pesantrens' English Teachers Perceived ELTT Program 1118 language and teaching practices.They expressed a strong desire to develop expertise primarily in subject matter, followed by didactics and pedagogy.These findings indicated that certain language ideologies are still prevalent in ELT teacher education and need to be addressed by teacher educators in order to achieve transformative educational outcomes.Songbatumis' (2017) study aimed to examine the difficulties faced by English language teachers in MTsN Taliwang, Indonesia, and the strategies they employed to overcome these challenges.Through interviews, the study sought to gain insights from the teachers themselves about the obstacles they faced in teaching English and the corresponding solutions they implemented.
Several challenges were identified that came from a variety of sources, including students, teachers, and school resources.Students faced difficulties such as limited vocabulary, lack of concentration, discipline problems, boredom, and speaking problems.On the other hand, teachers faced challenges related to insufficient training opportunities, language skills, limited knowledge of teaching methods, unfamiliarity with technology, and lack of professional development.In addition, the study revealed facility-related issues, including inadequate resources and facilities, and time constraints.
The present research differs from other research in three main ways.First, this research was conducted on the basis of careful observation and analysis of the ELTT program, which included the independent learning that teachers accomplished by completing their units through the National Geographic website, attending smallgroup offline teacher training workshops facilitated by the trainers, and teaching action and reflection in their own classrooms.Second, the research questions focused on the benefits and challenges of dual learning modes: synchronous and asynchronous.It aimed to answer today's challenge of a blended learning education system that requires EFL teachers to be familiar with technology in teaching and learning.

Research Methodology
The research utilized the convergent mixed methods design (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004;Creswell, 2014;Johnson & Christensen, 2014;Creswell & Creswell, 2018), allowing for simultaneous collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data.The present study required researchers to conduct both quantitative data collection by distributing survey questionnaires and Asfihana, Sari, Hasanah, Setiowati 'I Can Teach English More Confidently': How Madrassas' and Pesantrens' English Teachers Perceived ELTT Program 1119 qualitative data collection through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions concurrently with participants.This one-phase mixed methods design allowed for multiple steps of data interpretation (Creswell & Creswell, 2018) while the data were interacting to obtain the final results.Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004) noted that researchers who sought to equally emphasize both quantitative and qualitative strands predominantly chose this convergent mixed methods design.
The survey comprised twelve questions that requested information on the respondents' identity.Additionally, the questionnaire examined the teachers' confidence in articulating the content and objectives of their English lesson, appraising their students' work, and providing feedback in English.It inquired about the teachers' assurance levels in commencing, concluding, guiding, supervising, motivating, and comprehending their class's English material.Additionally, the questionnaire examined the teachers' confidence in articulating the content and objectives of their English lesson, appraising their students' work, and providing feedback in English.The ELTT program's efficacy was also evaluated by assessing the improvement of the teachers' abilities subsequent to participation.The researchers analyzed the questionnaire-generated data and developed the interview protocol for the qualitative phase.
Purposive sampling was used to select participants, and their location was considered for easy access.As face-to-face interviews were necessary, participants living in the same cities as the researchers were chosen.To obtain comprehensive data, a convenient sampling approach was utilized, enlisting thirty-two English teachers from madrassas and pesantrens situated in Banjarmasin, Metro, and Palembang engaged in the ELTT program.The study involved a combined total of twenty two female and ten male teachers from the three aforementioned locations.
The twelve English teachers who participated in the in-depth interview session had diverse teaching experiences in terms of teaching length and location representations.They shared their positive reactions and opinions about the Englishfor-Teaching and Professional Knowledge Course included in ELTT's synchronous and asynchronous materials.They shared technical difficulties, satisfaction, and challenges faced during their involvement in the ELTT program.The researchers also categorized their responses.Asfihana, Sari, Hasanah, Setiowati 'I Can Teach English More Confidently': How Madrassas' and Pesantrens' English Teachers Perceived ELTT Program 1120 The data collected were analyzed using the interactive data analysis model suggested by Miles et al. (2014).The analysis consisted of three concurrent actions: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing or verification.The researchers also utilized thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012) in the data analysis.
The study's results consisted of comprehensive accounts of participants' experiences in the ELTT program.These accounts were then categorized under relevant topics.
The researcher utilized thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012;Braun et al., 2019) to analyze the data by recognizing patterns, constructing an index of central and subthemes.Braun and Clarke (2012) emphasized the utility of thematic analysis in identifying and organizing patterns of meaning or themes in data sets, providing researchers with a framework to comprehend participants' shared or collective intentions and experiences in this study.Meanwhile, the aim of Professional Knowledge training was to provide English teachers with professional terminology to discuss fundamental aspects of language acquisition and essential practices for teaching English as a second language.

Findings and Discussion
Learning both modules enhanced teachers' ability and competency in teaching English skills, as illustrated in the following table.The table indicates that, in response to the first item on the questionnaire, the teachers reported feeling confident in managing their classroom, which they initiated by greeting students in English at the start of the class.Specifically, 65.6% of teachers expressed feeling very confident when using phrases such as: Hi, everyone.

Good morning students.
How are you doing?
How is everyone today?
Good to see you.

How was your vacation?
After greeting the students, the teachers asked the students about the date and the weather, checked their attendance, and asked for and checked their homework using English instruction.A majority of the teachers reported being highly confident at using the phrases, such as: Please put your homework on my desk.
Please take out your homework.
After completing the pre-activity, the teachers proceed with in-class activities such as explaining the lesson to students, assessing their work and providing feedback.Language instruction is an integral part of teaching and cannot be overlooked.The researchers therefore investigated the teachers' response on their confidence in using English instructions after participating in the ELTT program, as illustrated in the following figures.
44.1% of the teachers were very confident in instructing students to use classroom materials in English as similar as the result of the teachers who answered confident.English instructional materials, such as those used, were:

Does everyone have their books?
Please turn the page ….
Use dictionary to check new words.

Is everyone ready?
Do the exercise at the bottom of page … Look at the board everyone.Is that right?
The questionnaire results revealed that the respondents were highly selfassured in their ability to provide classroom instructions in English, specifically in directing students and conducting tests and quizzes.
Furthermore, the teachers were also very confident to use teaching classroom language, for instance: Please ask me in English.
Repeat after me, please.
You can say, "May I go to the bathroom, please?
When you want to know a word, say: "How do you say this in English?" When you don't understand, please ask me in English.
Then, the result of questionnaires also identified that a half of the total respondents were very confident in directing students around the classroom in English and giving test and quiz instructions in English, such as: Go to your seats.
Please speak louder.
Copy the words from the board.During classroom activities, it is important for teachers to foster student enthusiasm through motivation and discipline.Analysis of a corresponding survey showed that teachers were confident in motivating students in English.According to a result of the questionnaire, 53.1% of the teachers were very confident in motivating the students in English.
Analysis of a corresponding survey shows that most of the teachers always give appreciation to the students to make them happy and enjoy learning English by using some phrases, such as: Don't worry, take your time.
Besides, the teachers also felt very confident in checking students' understanding, such as: Is everything clear?
Are the examples clear?
Let me give you an example.
If you have a question, please raise your hand.
When communicating content and goals, teachers engaged students by asking questions and giving instructions in English, as well as modeling and providing examples in the language.They explained English grammar in English and asked for students to provide their examples.58.8% of teachers reported feeling confident in using phrases to encourage students in English.Examples of the phrases included: That isn't correct.

Use another verb.
What is wrong with this sentence?
Please look at the sentence again.There's a word missing.
For the final activity, the teachers concluded the lesson and dismissed the class.50% of the respondents felt very confident in utilizing common phrases like "goodbye," "see you tomorrow," "the class is finished," and "you can finish this exercise at home." During the in-depth interview, participants acknowledged that the EFT courses enhanced their English proficiency, pronunciation practice, and language confidence in the classroom.The following quotations highlight the benefits of the courses: "I appreciated several aspects of the English-for-Teaching course.Firstly, it fostered my confidence in using English in the classroom.Secondly, I learned English phrases that are applicable in my instructional setting.Lastly, I received feedback on practice and the activities were comparable to those they do in their classroom.She got feedback on her pronunciation.There was a good amount of practice.
Furthermore, during the interview, the participants expressed that the English for Teaching course was incredibly beneficial, straightforward, and applicable to their future teaching endeavors.For example, one participant stated that the course provided useful material for opening and closing a class through games.With the numerous game ideas they gained from the course, they can now engage and refocus their students during English classes."For instance, my students expressed great enthusiasm for snowball fighting as it allowed them to be active in the class rather than sitting at their desks."(P1)The questionnaire results also indicated that 65.6% of the teachers could explain types of activities, summative and formative assessments, and lesson planning frameworks to a colleague using professional terminology, while 34.4% of the teachers could explain using their native language.At this point, teachers learned ELT methodologies, basics of planning, basics of teaching, basics of assessment, working with students, reviewing and connecting using professional terminology.
Teachers could utilize specialized language to describe English grammar, covering the framework of English as a global language, essential components of pronunciation, and the workings of the English writing system.Half of the teachers answered that they could explain this to a colleague in English using professional terminology, and the other 50% could explain it using their native language.
When it comes to teaching vocabulary, the teachers were able to use professional terminology to explain the form, meaning and use of vocabulary and how to teach it.The instructors gained knowledge on vocabulary form, meaning and use, and the process of vocabulary learning.The teachers also learned about identifying the learning goal of vocabulary and assessing vocabulary.Furthermore, the teachers learned about techniques and activities for teaching vocabulary and Asfihana, Sari, Hasanah, Setiowati 'I Can Teach English More Confidently': How Madrassas' and Pesantrens' English Teachers Perceived ELTT Program 1127 ways to supplement vocabulary materials.75% of the participants were able to explain the vocabulary using professional terminology in English to a colleague, while 25% preferred to explain it using their first language.
Grammar is one of the most challenging parts of an English lesson, including the way grammar is taught.Half of the teachers surveyed stated that they could explain grammar in their first language, while 6.25% had difficulty explaining it using professional terminology.In other words, it was challenging for teachers to convey English grammar concepts and terminology to colleagues.Important terms in this subject include: Teachers can enhance their students' English speaking skills by utilizing professional terminology to explain the necessary strategies, such as inductive and deductive approaches, corrective methods, receptive modes of communication, and the use of metalanguage.In this topic, the teachers were instructed on critical components of effective communication, including the organization of speaking exercises, teaching communicative functions and strategies for communication, and the implementation of pair and group activities to optimize student participation.Of the teachers, 65.6% were able to articulate these concepts in English utilizing technical terminology, while 34.4% relied on their native language.
Teachers were able to use professional terminology to explain what students need to know to listen effectively in English and how to teach to help students improve their listening skills.In this regard, teachers learned about concepts such as one-way and two-way listening, top-down and bottom-up listening, listening strategies, identifying the learning goal of listening activities, and techniques for assessing listening.The questionnaire results indicated that 50% of the teachers were proficient in explaining materials using their first language, while the other 50% were able to use professional terminology in English when communicating with a colleague.
In regards to teaching reading, half of the teachers were able to use English professional terminology to explain the lesson, while the other 50% utilized their first language.The materials presented the concepts of bottom-up and top-down reading, as well as reading strategies.It also included the concept of reading comprehension.Additionally, the teacher received instruction on teaching specific reading strategies, implementing a pre-during-post lesson sequence for teaching

Discussion
According to the questionnaire and interviews, the teachers expressed similar opinions.Most believed that participation in the program could enhance their confidence in teaching language.During the pre-activity stage, teachers could use the language they learned in the English for Teaching (EFT) course to greet students, check their attendance, ask for their homework, and check their homework.Most believed that participation in the program could enhance their confidence in teaching language.This also holds true during while activities.The teachers found that the EFT course helped them with various aspects of their instructional practice in English, such as guiding students around the classroom, providing motivation to build student enthusiasm, discipline, properly communicating content and goals, assessing students' work, and giving feedback.The closing activity confirmed that these advantages were widely recognized among the teachers.They also found that the EFT course was beneficial for concluding and summarizing lessons.
Based on the interview results, the teachers indicated that utilizing EFT could yield useful feedback for their pronunciation practice and result in a significant amount of practice.This is due to their use of the National Geographic website, which offers native speaker pronunciation examples.The website allows teachers to record their voices and replay them repeatedly until they sound comparable to a native speaker.This process could enhance the teachers' confidence in using the language while teaching.The participants expressed satisfaction with the EFT content as it was beneficial, comprehensible, and advantageous for their teaching.
Additionally, the participants reported advancements in their PK course language proficiency, enabling them to articulate characteristics, learning styles, and communication patterns using English.Furthermore, the participants could convey various activities, assessments, and lesson planning frameworks to colleagues in English using professional vocabulary.The instructors could expand on English language structures, pronunciation intricacies, and the intricacies of the English writing system when teaching their colleagues.
Additionally, when it comes to imparting knowledge on vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading, and writing, the teachers shared comparable opinions that the PK course improved their capacity to instruct others by utilizing either English or their native tongue.It appears that communicating the teaching of grammar terms, such as inductive, deductive, receptive, corrective, metalanguage, mode of communication, open-ended, and timeline, in English presented difficulties for the participants.Half of the respondents reported being able to explain these terms more effectively in their first language.The same holds true for teaching reading.
Half of the participants indicated proficiency in explaining bottom-up and top-down reading, reading strategies, and the use of pre-during-post lesson sequences in their native language, while the other half felt confident clarifying these concepts in English.
However, teaching vocabulary, including forms, meanings, and teaching methods, can be easily elucidated by using English with colleagues.This also occurred when they had to describe to their colleagues how to teach speaking skills, particularly effective communication, organizing speaking activities, instructing The participants reported being capable of explaining to their colleagues in English about teaching listening concepts such as one-way and two-way listening, top-down and bottom-up listening, listening strategies, identifying the learning objective of listening activities, and techniques for assessing listening.They also indicated they could proficiently convey English terminology for effective writing instruction to their colleagues.The interview conducted also supported the results of the questionnaire in that the participants stated that they learned a lot about professional vocabulary that they could improve and share with their fellow teachers in teaching vocabulary, grammar, and four skills by learning them through the PK course.
However, there were challenges that some teachers encountered during the course.The challenges centered around technical issues, specifically regarding internet speed.Additionally, participants voiced concerns that the allotted time for completing the online course was insufficient due to the many other responsibilities they needed to manage.Despite the program being five months in length, the teachers found it overwhelming to dedicate a minimum of three hours per week to the online course.
What teachers learned when they participated in ELTT supported their professional development, which they could implement in their classroom activities.
This aligns with Galaczi et al.'s (2018) assertion that professional development must fit specific situations and be compatible with educational and cultural settings.
Effective professional development should be applicable, according to the principle (Galaczi et. al., 2018).The participating teachers could implement and apply what they received during the ELTT in their classrooms.They could also explain the professional terms to their colleagues.This aligns with Febriyanti's (2018) assertion that professional development empowers teachers to enhance their learning abilities and transfer knowledge effectively, leading to their students' growth.
The survey and interview findings also indicated that teachers who participated in ELTT were able to increase their professional knowledge, improve their language skills, know more about effective teaching methods, and were familiar with technology due to the online courses they were required to take.These The above evidence demonstrates that the teachers who participated in the ELTT program obtained more benefits than challenges.Thus, the ELTT program could be deemed successful.

Conclusion and Suggestion
The questionnaire and follow-up interviews revealed that the teachers' confidence in teaching English increased after participating in the program.
Moreover, their understanding of professional knowledge also grew.Nevertheless, some respondents experienced internet connection and time management challenges.It is recommended that the Ministry of Religious Affairs continues implementing the program based on the observed benefits.Researchers interested in conducting similar studies can explore information on other types of development programs, including online, offline, or hybrid programs.
school principals on the effectiveness of in-service PD in preparing elementary English teachers.The research suggests that inadequate teacher educators have hindered the effectiveness of in-service professional development programs.Moreover, the study highlights the need for systematic intervention to address the deficit of skilled teacher educators, and emphasizes the importance of professional development opportunities for teacher educators themselves.Additionally, the involvement of educational administrators has had a detrimental effect on the design and implementation of teacher preparation programs, resulting in inadequate management of training and unclear participant selection criteria.The study emphasizes the importance of empowering teacher educators to facilitate the necessary transformation of in-service professional development programs for teachers.

Findings 1 .
The benefit of ELTT program for the Madrassah and Pesantren English teachers'professional teaching skillAccording to the questionnaire completed by 32 participants from 3 different provinces, the ELTT program provided valuable support for English teachers' professional teaching skills.The teachers completed two online modules: English for Teaching and Professional Knowledge.In the English for Teaching module, they received language instruction for managing classrooms, understanding and communicating lesson content, assessing student work, and providing feedback.
my pronunciations."(P2) "Overall, the course helped me to become a more active English teacher.I received feedback on my pronunciation and the course increased my confidence in using English in my classroom.I received feedback on my pronunciation and the course increased my confidence in using English in my classroom.I received feedback on my pronunciation and the course increased my confidence in using English in my classroom.Overall, the course bolstered my confidence in teaching English."(P4) Participant 11 stated, "I learned English phrases that I can utilize in my classroom."Additionally, Participant 12 noted that there was ample opportunity for

Table 1 :
Teachers' Confidence in Using Language Instruction day is today?
Who's not here today?Let's check your homework.Please exchange papers with partner.

Table 2 :
Skills' Progress in Professional Knowledge technical terminology.The terms listed include fluency, context, accuracy, positive feedback, motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, developmental stages, autonomy, self-assessment, learning outcomes, and anxiety.

The Challenges as Experienced by the English Teachers during their Involvement in the ELTT Program a. Technical Difficulties
Songbatumis's (2017)nah, Setiowati   'I Can Teach English More Confidently':  How Madrassas' and Pesantrens' English  Teachers Perceived ELTT Program   1132findings contradictSongbatumis's (2017)report that teachers encountered challenges due to inadequate training opportunities, language proficiency, limited teaching method knowledge, unfamiliarity with technology, and insufficient professional development.