TCs in english language teaching in L2 setting: a conceptual framework

A growing body of literature recognises the importance of understanding the English language teachers' journey. However, not much study has been done to explore the aspect of the journey within the second language (L2) setting, as these future teachers are being trained in the local setting where English is not the first language. The Threshold Concepts Framework (TCF) provides a valuable tool to explore how English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers transition and experience identity and ontological shifts throughout their teaching journey in Malaysia. Gaining insights from available literature and past research on threshold concepts (T C) in English language teaching (ELT), this paper proposes a conceptual perspective in understanding the crucial TCs that ESL teachers in Malaysia must master to become good English teachers. During the pre-liminal stage, early-career teachers are anxious as they encounter 'the concepts' and accept the conduct of the 'communities of practice' that might be specific to the L2 setting that is often counter-intuitive to what they have been exposed to during their pre-training period. As a result, these early career teachers might move between old and new understandings as they test their beliefs through a trial-and-error process while reconstructing their knowledge through classroom experiences. As a result of understanding the TCs, successful teachers are more effective in developing their identity as English language teachers and adding to the values they hold about their teaching, their students, and their worldview of the education system. The proposed conceptual framework contributes significantly to research on ELT by demonstrating a new understanding that can be implemented and integrated into L2 teacher training settings. Hence, the study recommends future empirical research to probe further the relationship between these concepts and an in-depth inquiry into the attributes of successful ELT experts in their transformative journey to become effective teachers.