Bridging the gap between theories and practice: Alumni’s perceptions on English teaching subjects in English department

Abstract

The body of theories in the area of English Language Teaching (ELT) has grown exponentially in the past decades. The theories of ELT have been developed continuously over time in order to keep up with the market needs and teaching trends. However, it is believed that ELT theories are not always in line with the real practice of English teaching. This research aims to investigate whether the topics, materials, and syllabi of the ELT subjects, which the alumni learnt, are in accordance with the need of the education industry. In order to acquire the data for this research, interviews are conducted towards the alumni. The participants are 15 alumni who are currently teaching English in various English language courses and educational institutions. The results show that the alumni argue that ELT theories presented in five syllabi are important and useful. In addition, there are two different perceptions of the alumni regarding the ELT theories. One is from the alumni who teach at school and the other from the ones teaching in English courses. Those two different perceptions will be included as the data in the revision of ELT syllabi.