Bridging Philosophy and Practice: Teacher and Student Roles in English Language Teaching

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2026.e107571

Keywords:

Educational Philosophy, ELT, Teacher Role, Student Role, Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

The roles of teachers and students in English Language Teaching (ELT) are inextricably shaped by underlying philosophical orientations. This literature review investigates how major educational philosophies, including essentialism, progressivism, constructivism, humanism, perennialism, reconstructionism, and critical pedagogy, inform the conceptualization and enactment of teacher and student roles in ELT classrooms. Drawing on a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of eight peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2020 and 2025, this study identifies thematic patterns that reflect the philosophical undercurrents shaping pedagogical practice.

Author Biographies

Dewi Zulaiha, Yogyakarta State University

Doctoral Candidate in English Language Education at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Indonesia and a Lecturer at the Institute Cinta Tanah Air (INCITA) in Biak, Papua, Indonesia. Her research expertise lies in Educational Technology and English Language Teaching (ELT), focusing on areas like Open Educational Resources (OER) and digital teaching practices. She has a strong publication record, with several articles featured in international Scopus-indexed journals.

Margana Margana, Yogyakarta State University

Professor in Linguistics at the Department of English Language Education, Faculty of Languages, Arts, and Culture, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Indonesia. He explores sociolinguistic issues in multilingual classrooms, including code-switching and translanguaging, and the crucial role of Character Education in language learning

Sukarno Sukarno, Yogyakarta State University

Associate Professor in the English Language Education Department, Faculty of Languages, Arts, and Cultures, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Indonesia. His expertise lies in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), specializing in materials development and coursebook evaluation, including the development of a dynamic evaluation model.

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Published

2026-07-01

Issue

Vol. 79 (2026)

Section

Language Studies

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Copyright (c) 2026 Dewi Zulaiha, Margana Margana, Sukarno Sukarno

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.