Examining the English pre-service teachers' views on the interdisciplinary approach with the vignette technique

The purpose of this study is to examine English language pre-service teachers' views on the interdisciplinary teaching approach with vignette technique. According to this aim, pre-service teachers' views about this approach have been comprehensively investigated in terms of gender, grade level, pedagogical content knowledge, social-emotional learning skills, and digital competencies. A qualitative research approach and a case study design were employed in the study. The study group consisted of a total of 40 English language pre-service teachers selected from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade students enrolled in the English Language Teaching undergraduate program at Inonu University during the 2024-2025 academic year spring semester, using criterion sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods. Data were collected using three different vignettes and open-ended questions which were developed by researcher. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis method with a qualitative data analysis software. It is found that English language pre-service teachers generally perceive the interdisciplinary approach as a positive pedagogical strategy, basing it on elements such as integrating different disciplines, making learning enjoyable, supporting emotional learning, and utilizing materials. Furthermore, it was determined that permanent and multifaceted learning, along with increased motivation and participation, were the most significant effects, but they were also aware of implementation problems such as distraction, difficulty in control, classroom management, and time management. Differences in cognitive structures were observed based on gender and grade level variables. Based on these results, it was suggested that teacher education programs should comprehensively address the aforementioned competencies.