The Autistic Student Teacher’s Usage of Classroom Languages in English Language Teaching Practicum

Abstract

During English Language Teaching (ELT) practicum, an autistic student teacher must have pedagogical competence. To demonstrate it, the autistic student teacher’s ability to use classroom language largely depends on the proficiency level. This study investigates (1) examine the various classroom languages that the autistic student teacher used during the English Language Teaching (ELT) practicum process in the classroom; (2) explain how the autistic student teacher used these languages during the ELT practicum process in the classroom; and (3) determine whether the classroom languages are categorizable based on student levels. A descriptive qualitative approach was used in this study. The autistic student teacher who had an ELT practicum at SMPN 39 Surabaya was the subject of this study. Observation, interview, and an audio-video recording were used to collect the data. The study's findings demonstrated that (1) The English teacher used four languages—Indonesian, English, Bilingual, and Javanese languages—while teaching the students. (2) The way in the eighth-grade level's teacher used classroom languages. (3) Depending on the students' proficiency, the teacher used different classroom languages during the teaching and learning process.