Facilitation teacher education: Students' experiences, perceptions, and insights

Facilitation plays a significant role in class discussions. Teachers' demonstrated facilitation skills may serve various purposes: building bridges, connecting ideas, validating students' participatory efforts, and building critical thinking skills. At a superficial level, facilitated classes make the class discussions more interactive and inclusive. However, what larger impact do facilitated class discussions have on our EFL students and future EFL educators? This qualitative research examined ten interviews from Indonesian students about their experiences and perceptions of facilitation skills within the classroom. Data found that students, while challenged to define the term, understood facilitation and found it beneficial in the classroom discussions for various reasons. Students wished to employ these skills when they become educators. Though the students indicated that time, lack of teacher guidance, and familiarity are reasons facilitation fails within class discussions.