The essentials of the foreign language learning environment: Through the eyes of the pre-service EFL teachers

The present study aims to identify pre-service EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers' perceptions in relation to various aspects of foreign language learning environments. 50 pre-service EFL teachers participated in the study. They were in the fourth year of their 4-year undergraduate teacher education program at an English Language Teaching department in Turkey. Data were collected by means of open-ended questionnaires and were analyzed qualitatively. 'Language teaching materials' and 'teaching techniques and methods' were the most frequently mentioned elements of the foreign language learning environment by pre-service EFL teachers. Findings were discussed in relation to pre-service language teacher education. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.