Generation Z is significantly regarded as the future of the workplace, with the distinction of being the first digital natives. As rising concerns grow among educators in the academe, numerous studies have been conducted on the beliefs and practices of English Language Teachers, but there is no research study that specifically investigates the teacher beliefs and practices of ELT from a Gen Z perspective. This becomes the phenomenon of research interest through a qualitative approach using thematic analysis to identify the emerging themes that capture experiences and perspectives in language teaching. To elicit data, an in-depth interview was utilized with eight (8) Gen Z teachers as the primary data collection method. The informants were purposively and conveniently selected from different educational settings in Visayas, as the researchers aimed to have informants within reach during the conduct of the study. A student-centered approach to English language teaching (ELT) arises from the nine key concepts of teacher beliefs and practices derived from Gen Zs perspective on purpose, challenges, priorities, self-reflection, coping strategies, instructional context, progress markers, a learning paradigm shift, and the role of feedback. It implies, then, that Gen Z teachers, as new members of the academic workforce, have a clear emphasis on making English language teaching student-centric. The results of this study could lead to a better understanding of the teaching framework influencing Gen Z teachers as their unique insights are given a spotlight for real trends (Anderson, 2022), exhibiting why they cannot be ignored while workforce transformation goes on.

English language teaching

Practices

Beliefs