Thesis Chapters by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
This qualitative study explores Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perspective... more This qualitative study explores Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perspectives regarding current English Language Teaching (ELT) policies, ELT curriculum, assessment practices, and teacher motivation in the Turkish EFL setting. The data were collected with semi-structured, 30-minute-long FaceTime interviews. The study’s participants were three
native Turkish EFL teachers, teaching at elementary, middle school and high school levels.
The focus of the study was to explore if teachers observed a gap between the language teaching policies and actual classroom implementation of these policies in the Turkish EFL context, and if there was a perceived gap, how did this gap affect EFL teachers’ motivation at different grade
levels.
The interview data were coded with a priori codes, and the data were analyzed with thematic analysis. The results show that teachers perceived a gap between the language teaching policies and their actual teaching practices in the classroom. This perceived gap stemmed from four
tensions that are explored in this study: (1) tensions between policy and practice, (2) tensions between the curriculum and assessment practices, (3) tensions between autonomy and centralized policy decisions, and (4) tensions between motivation and external pressure.
Teachers feel that it is not realistic to implement Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Turkish classrooms, as the assessment practices put too much emphasis on students’ reading comprehension and grammar knowledge in the centralized language examinations. As these exam results play an important role in determining students’ high school and college enrollment, teachers feel obliged to teach in line with the grammar-based language tests. One of the goals of this study was to explore if the imposed language curriculum, emphasizing communicative competence by implementing CLT rather than traditional-grammar based instruction, was more applicable with the elementary level students compared to middle school and high school level teachers, considering that the elementary level students and teachers did not have to face the pressure of centralized exams. The results show that elementary level EFL
teachers feel more free to implement the communicative curriculum by implementing the principles of CLT; however, middle school and high school teachers feel that they cannot implement CLT in their classrooms, as they feel pressure to teach to the test. The pressure that teachers faced due to their students’ test scores and external pressure from the administration decreased teachers’ motivation in the Turkish EFL setting.
Papers by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
Foreign Language Annals, 2024
This comparative case study explored the discourses in Ohio's Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) policy an... more This comparative case study explored the discourses in Ohio's Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) policy and promotional materials, and the perceptions of stakeholders regarding its value and benefits in an urban, suburban, and rural district. In doing so, this study aimed to analyze the discourses adopted in the SoBL policy and promotional texts at the state level, and the perceptions of the stakeholders regarding its value and benefits. The findings revealed the dominance of globalized human capital (GHC) discourses in not only policy and promotional texts, but also in interviews. By adopting GHC discourses, both the promotional materials and the stakeholder interviews emphasized the marketability benefits of the SoBL, with little emphasis on linguistically minoritized students' home/heritage language maintenance as set forth in the original SoBL policy in California. The findings have implications for policy arbiters to ensure equitable and accessible policy implementation.
OFLA Cardinal, 2024
This policy brief reports on a comparative case study examining Ohio's Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) ... more This policy brief reports on a comparative case study examining Ohio's Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) implementation across urban, suburban, and rural districts. Thirty-five participants, comprising Ohio Department of Education officials, world language (WL) teachers, ESL teachers, school counselors, principals, and former SoBL recipients, were recruited in the study, covering two urban, two suburban, and one rural SoBL participant school districts in Ohio.
The findings highlighted neoliberal language ideologies apparent in both policy and promotional materials, emphasizing the SoBL's commodity value and future career benefits. Implementation challenges were identified across districts, including issues related to student identification, shortages of world language teachers, and assessment planning. Additionally, the SoBL displayed a tendency to favor English-dominant students in formal classroom settings, posing challenges for English Learners (ELs) and Heritage Language (HL) speakers due to high English proficiency requirements and limited HL course offerings.
Journal of Caucasian Studies , 2023
Guided by language maintenance and shift (Fishman, 1991) as a theoretical construct, this study e... more Guided by language maintenance and shift (Fishman, 1991) as a theoretical construct, this study explored the sociolinguistic situation and the maintenance of Circassian, a Northwest Caucasian language, spoken in Turkey since the Ottoman Era. To explore the impacts of official language ideologies and policies on the maintenance of Circassian, five participants from different age groups and regions of Turkey were interviewed using linguistic life story interviews (Atkinson 1998). As part of its socio-historical focus, the study first highlights some of the Circassian initiatives that played an important role in maintaining the language during the Ottoman Era and addresses the changes in language ideologies and policies after the declaration of the Turkish Republic. Similar to other ethnolinguistic minorities' experiences in Turkey (Aslan, 2007; Seloni & Sarfati, 2013), the life story interviews revealed the impacts of assimilationist language policies in educational and social settings. Findings also revealed the long-lasting impact of the Citizen Speak Turkish policy (1928-1945) on the maintenance of Circassian and its negative impact on the generational transfer which has not been explored by former research. The findings have implications for language policymakers, Circassian NGOs, and Circassian speakers in Turkey to maintain and transfer the language to future generations.
Kafkasya Çalışmaları, May 31, 2021
Handbook of Research on Effective Online Language Teaching in a Disruptive Environment, 2022
This chapter presents the results of a nationwide questionnaire of world language teachers in the... more This chapter presents the results of a nationwide questionnaire of world language teachers in the United States (n=135) that sought to examine how they perceived the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their ability to enact certain “core practices” for world language teaching. Quantitative analysis of Likert items and qualitative analysis of open-ended questions allowed for the examination of the teacher's perceptions of their practice related to three core practices that have been identified as essential to the work of contextualized, standards-based instruction. The findings contribute to an understanding of the realities of world language teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruptions created by it, and the challenges faced in carrying out the work of world language teaching. Given these insights, suggestions are made for ways forward for the work in core practices in world language teacher education, as well as for pedagogies for practice-based world language teacher...
This qualitative study explores Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perspective... more This qualitative study explores Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perspectives regarding current English Language Teaching (ELT) policies, ELT curriculum, assessment practices, and teacher motivation in the Turkish EFL setting. The study’s participants in this study were three native Turkish EFL teachers, teaching at elementary, middle school and high school levels. Data in the present study were collected with semi-structured online interviews. The interview data were coded with a priori codes, and the data were analyzed according to thematic analysis. The focus of the study was to explore whether EFL teachers teaching at primary and secondary levels observed a gap between the language teaching policies and actual classroom implementation of these policies in the Turkish EFL context, and if there was a perceived gap, how this gap affected EFL teachers’ motivation at different grade levels. The study found that teachers’ classroom practices were inconsistent with...
Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 2020
This study explored the potential effects of the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts thro... more This study explored the potential effects of the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts through the lens of language ideologies in the language education community. This community includes English as a second language (ESL), dual language bilingual programs, and world/foreign language education. The Trump administration proposed cuts totaling $4 billion by eliminating or reducing major language education programs. Through semi-structured interviews, the researchers explored the perspectives of stakeholders who would be impacted. Six participants who are actively involved in the language education community at different levels including ESL, dual language bilingual, and world language educators, administrators and coordinators of language education programs in the U.S. participated in this study. Thematic analysis of the interview data indicated that all participants from different stakeholder groups were ideologically aligned with the pluralist views. The budget cuts were perce...
Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 2020
This study explored the potential effects of the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts thro... more This study explored the potential effects of the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts through the lens of language ideologies in the language education community. This community includes English as a second language (ESL), dual language bilingual programs, and world/foreign language education. The Trump administration proposed cuts totaling $4 billion by eliminating or reducing major language education programs. Through semi-structured interviews, the researchers explored the perspectives of stakeholders who would be impacted. Six participants who are actively involved in the language education community at different levels including ESL, dual language bilingual, and world language educators, administrators and coordinators of language education programs in the U.S. participated in this study. Thematic analysis of the interview data indicated that all participants from different stakeholder groups were ideologically aligned with the pluralist views. The budget cuts were perce...
Journal of Culture and Values in Education (JCVE), 2020
This study explored the potential effects of the Trump administration's proposed budget cuts thro... more This study explored the potential effects of the Trump administration's proposed budget cuts through the lens of language ideologies in the language education community. This community includes English as a second language (ESL), dual language bilingual programs, and world/foreign language education. The Trump administration proposed cuts totaling $4 billion by eliminating or reducing major language education programs. Through semi-structured interviews, the researchers explored the perspectives of stakeholders who would be impacted. Six participants who are actively involved in the language education community at different levels including ESL, dual language bilingual, and world language educators, administrators and coordinators of language education programs in the U.S. participated in this study. Thematic analysis of the interview data indicated that all participants from different stakeholder groups were ideologically aligned with the pluralist views. The budget cuts were perceived as representative of broader assimilationist ideology. The negative impacts of eliminations on teacher professional development programs, K-12 public education, post-secondary language education, and world language education in America were expressed by the participants. The participants' counter arguments to the proposed budget eliminations are presented. This study has implications for the language education community, language policy makers, and educational policy planners in the U.S.
The Gap between Language Teaching Policies and Classroom Practices in the Turkish EFL Context: The Effects on Teacher Motivation, 2020
This qualitative study explores Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perspective... more This qualitative study explores Turkish English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perspectives regarding current English Language Teaching (ELT) policies, ELT curriculum, assessment practices, and teacher motivation in the Turkish EFL setting. The study's participants in this study were three native Turkish EFL teachers, teaching at elementary, middle school and high school levels. Data in the present study were collected with semi-structured online interviews. The interview data were coded with a priori codes, and the data were analyzed according to thematic analysis. The focus of the study was to explore whether EFL teachers teaching at primary and secondary levels observed a gap between the language teaching policies and actual classroom implementation of these policies in the Turkish EFL context, and if there was a perceived gap, how this gap affected EFL teachers' motivation at different grade levels. The study found that teachers' classroom practices were inconsistent with the expectations of official language teaching policy. Even though the findings of this study are not generalizable, the findings of this study are transferrable to other educational contexts and can be used to deepen understanding of the policy and practice gap phenomenon in different EFL and English as a Second Language (ESL) contexts. Resumen Este estudio cualitativo explora las perspectivas de los maestros turcos de inglés como idioma extranjero (EFL) con respecto a las políticas actuales de enseñanza del idioma inglés (ELT), el currículo del ELT, las prácticas de evaluación y la motivación de los docentes en el entorno de EFL de Turquía. Los participantes del estudio fueron tres maestros turcos de EFL, que enseñan en los niveles de primaria, secundaria y preparatoria. Los datos se recopilaron con entrevistas semiestructuradas en línea. Los datos de la entrevista se codificaron con códigos generados a priori, y los datos se analizaron con análisis temático. El objetivo del estudio fue explorar si los docentes de EFL que enseñan en los niveles de primaria y secundaria observaron una brecha entre las políticas de enseñanza de idiomas y la implementación real de estas políticas en el contexto de EFL de Turquía, y si se llegó a percibir una brecha, ¿Cómo afecta esta brecha la motivación de los profesores de EFL en los diferentes niveles de cada grado? Los resultados muestran que los maestros percibieron una brecha entre las políticas de enseñanza de idiomas y sus prácticas de enseñanza reales en el aula. Aunque los hallazgos de este estudio no son generalizables, los hallazgos de este estudio son transferibles a otros contextos educativos y se pueden usar para una comprensión profunda del fenómeno de la brecha de política y práctica en diferentes contextos de EFL.
Book Reviews by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
Journal of Caucasian Studies (JOCAS), 2021
The Circassian genocide is certainly one of the least remembered genocides in world history. In a... more The Circassian genocide is certainly one of the least remembered genocides in world history. In all fairness, we should avoid the temptation of a genocide rivalry. Nor should we spend too much energy on body counts or formal recognitions by political entities. Premediated mass murder reckless deportations of populations based purely on their nationality, regardless of sex and age or military considerations, is a crime against humanity no matter how long ago it was committed and how many families it affected (p. 146).
Books by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
Cerkeslerin Gelcegi Uzerine Dusunmek Kultur, Toplum ve Demokrasi, 2022
Çarlık Rusya’nın 1864’te Çerkeslere yönelik sistematik soykırımı sonucunda Kuzey Kafkasya’dan Tür... more Çarlık Rusya’nın 1864’te Çerkeslere yönelik sistematik soykırımı sonucunda Kuzey Kafkasya’dan Türkiye’ye trajik sürgünlerinin ardından, Çerkesler Türkiye’yi yeni vatanları olarak kucaklamak zorunda kalmışlardır. O dönemki imparatorluğun ihtiyaçlarına göre şehirlere ve köylere yerleştirilen Çerkesler çoğu durumda aynı dili konuşan soydaşlarından ayrılmış ve yerel halkın yaşadığı köylere yerleştirilmiştir. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun resmi iskân politikası, uzun vadede Çerkesler için dillerini muhafaza etme konusunda kendi zorluklarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bazıları Kuzey Kafkasya’daki ana vatanlarına dönecekleri konusunda umutlu olsalar da bir süre sonra bunun mümkün olmadığını anlamışlardır. Türkiye’de bir asır yaşadıktan sonra, dilsel asimilasyon ve dil soykırımının (Skutnabb-Kangas, 2000) bir sonucu olarak Çerkesler, ana dillerinin ciddi tehditlerle karşı karşıya kalacağının farkında olamamışlardır. Çerkeslerin yerel halkla beraber yaşadığı şehir veya diğer yerleşim yerlerinde dilsel asimilasyon hızı daha yüksek iken, ana dili konuşanların yoğun olarak yaşadığı Kayseri-Uzunyayla gibi yörelerde dilsel asimilasyon hızı daha yavaş gerçekleşmiştir. Araştırmalar (Van Tubergen & Kalmijn, 2009; Van Tubergen & Wierenga, 2011), aynı etnik ve dilsel geçmişe sahip insanların birlikte yaşayabildikleri yerleşim bölgelerinde göçmenlerin hâkim dile daha az maruz kaldıklarını ve bu durumun onların günlük yaşamlarında ana dillerini kullanmalarına olanak sağladığını göstermektedir. Ne var ki, eğitimsel ve ekonomik nedenlerle köyden kente yapılan göçler sonucunda, Uzunyayla ve diğer bölgelerdeki Çerkes nüfusu son otuz kırk yıl içerisinde giderek azalmıştır. Günlük yaşamda Çerkesçe’nin konuşulduğu köylerden şehirlere yapılan göçler, dilin korunması bakımından büyük bir zorluk oluşturmuştur. Köylerde yaşayan Çerkesler eğitim alanında kendi dillerinin kullanılmasını yasaklayan devletin baskıcı dil politikalarına rağmen dillerini koruyabilmiş, fakat çevre şehirlere yapılan göçler Çerkeslerin Türkçe’ye dilsel asimilasyonunu hızlandırmıştır.
Bu bölüm dilsel asimilasyon ve dilsel soykırım teorileri rehberliğinde, dilsel baskı ve dilin zoraki asimilasyonu da dahil olmak üzere Çerkesçe’nin sosyo-dilsel durumuna ilişkin tarihsel bir bakış açısı sunarak Çerkesçe’nin Türkiye’de korunması konusunu ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. Bölümde öncelikle Osmanlı döneminde dilin korunmasına olanak sağlayan bazı Çerkes girişimlerinden bahsedilecek, ardından Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin Çerkesçe’nin dilsel soykırımını şiddetlendiren dil ideolojileri ve politikaları ele alınacaktır. Dilsel soykırıma yol açan baskıcı dil politikalarının etkilerine değinmek amacıyla Türkiye’nin farklı bölgelerinden ve farklı yaş gruplarından Çerkeslerle yapılan bazı mülakat alıntılarına yer verilecektir. Son olarak, Çerkesçe’nin Türkiye’de korunması ve yeniden canlandırılması açısından geleceğin neler getirebileceğinden bahsedilecektir.
In book: Handbook of research on effective online language teaching in a disruptive environmentPublisher: IGI Global, 2022
This chapter presents the results of a nationwide questionnaire of world language teachers in the... more This chapter presents the results of a nationwide questionnaire of world language teachers in the United States (n=135) that sought to examine how they perceived the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their ability to enact certain “core practices” for world language teaching. Quantitative analysis of Likert items and qualitative analysis of open-ended questions allowed for the examination of the teacher's perceptions of their practice related to three core practices that have been identified as essential to the work of contextualized, standards-based instruction. The findings contribute to an understanding of the realities of world language teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruptions created by it, and the challenges faced in carrying out the work of world language teaching. Given these insights, suggestions are made for ways forward for the work in core practices in world language teacher education, as well as for pedagogies for practice-based world language teacher education.
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Thesis Chapters by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
native Turkish EFL teachers, teaching at elementary, middle school and high school levels.
The focus of the study was to explore if teachers observed a gap between the language teaching policies and actual classroom implementation of these policies in the Turkish EFL context, and if there was a perceived gap, how did this gap affect EFL teachers’ motivation at different grade
levels.
The interview data were coded with a priori codes, and the data were analyzed with thematic analysis. The results show that teachers perceived a gap between the language teaching policies and their actual teaching practices in the classroom. This perceived gap stemmed from four
tensions that are explored in this study: (1) tensions between policy and practice, (2) tensions between the curriculum and assessment practices, (3) tensions between autonomy and centralized policy decisions, and (4) tensions between motivation and external pressure.
Teachers feel that it is not realistic to implement Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Turkish classrooms, as the assessment practices put too much emphasis on students’ reading comprehension and grammar knowledge in the centralized language examinations. As these exam results play an important role in determining students’ high school and college enrollment, teachers feel obliged to teach in line with the grammar-based language tests. One of the goals of this study was to explore if the imposed language curriculum, emphasizing communicative competence by implementing CLT rather than traditional-grammar based instruction, was more applicable with the elementary level students compared to middle school and high school level teachers, considering that the elementary level students and teachers did not have to face the pressure of centralized exams. The results show that elementary level EFL
teachers feel more free to implement the communicative curriculum by implementing the principles of CLT; however, middle school and high school teachers feel that they cannot implement CLT in their classrooms, as they feel pressure to teach to the test. The pressure that teachers faced due to their students’ test scores and external pressure from the administration decreased teachers’ motivation in the Turkish EFL setting.
Papers by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
The findings highlighted neoliberal language ideologies apparent in both policy and promotional materials, emphasizing the SoBL's commodity value and future career benefits. Implementation challenges were identified across districts, including issues related to student identification, shortages of world language teachers, and assessment planning. Additionally, the SoBL displayed a tendency to favor English-dominant students in formal classroom settings, posing challenges for English Learners (ELs) and Heritage Language (HL) speakers due to high English proficiency requirements and limited HL course offerings.
Book Reviews by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
Books by Emre Pshigusa, Ph.D.
Bu bölüm dilsel asimilasyon ve dilsel soykırım teorileri rehberliğinde, dilsel baskı ve dilin zoraki asimilasyonu da dahil olmak üzere Çerkesçe’nin sosyo-dilsel durumuna ilişkin tarihsel bir bakış açısı sunarak Çerkesçe’nin Türkiye’de korunması konusunu ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. Bölümde öncelikle Osmanlı döneminde dilin korunmasına olanak sağlayan bazı Çerkes girişimlerinden bahsedilecek, ardından Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin Çerkesçe’nin dilsel soykırımını şiddetlendiren dil ideolojileri ve politikaları ele alınacaktır. Dilsel soykırıma yol açan baskıcı dil politikalarının etkilerine değinmek amacıyla Türkiye’nin farklı bölgelerinden ve farklı yaş gruplarından Çerkeslerle yapılan bazı mülakat alıntılarına yer verilecektir. Son olarak, Çerkesçe’nin Türkiye’de korunması ve yeniden canlandırılması açısından geleceğin neler getirebileceğinden bahsedilecektir.
native Turkish EFL teachers, teaching at elementary, middle school and high school levels.
The focus of the study was to explore if teachers observed a gap between the language teaching policies and actual classroom implementation of these policies in the Turkish EFL context, and if there was a perceived gap, how did this gap affect EFL teachers’ motivation at different grade
levels.
The interview data were coded with a priori codes, and the data were analyzed with thematic analysis. The results show that teachers perceived a gap between the language teaching policies and their actual teaching practices in the classroom. This perceived gap stemmed from four
tensions that are explored in this study: (1) tensions between policy and practice, (2) tensions between the curriculum and assessment practices, (3) tensions between autonomy and centralized policy decisions, and (4) tensions between motivation and external pressure.
Teachers feel that it is not realistic to implement Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in Turkish classrooms, as the assessment practices put too much emphasis on students’ reading comprehension and grammar knowledge in the centralized language examinations. As these exam results play an important role in determining students’ high school and college enrollment, teachers feel obliged to teach in line with the grammar-based language tests. One of the goals of this study was to explore if the imposed language curriculum, emphasizing communicative competence by implementing CLT rather than traditional-grammar based instruction, was more applicable with the elementary level students compared to middle school and high school level teachers, considering that the elementary level students and teachers did not have to face the pressure of centralized exams. The results show that elementary level EFL
teachers feel more free to implement the communicative curriculum by implementing the principles of CLT; however, middle school and high school teachers feel that they cannot implement CLT in their classrooms, as they feel pressure to teach to the test. The pressure that teachers faced due to their students’ test scores and external pressure from the administration decreased teachers’ motivation in the Turkish EFL setting.
The findings highlighted neoliberal language ideologies apparent in both policy and promotional materials, emphasizing the SoBL's commodity value and future career benefits. Implementation challenges were identified across districts, including issues related to student identification, shortages of world language teachers, and assessment planning. Additionally, the SoBL displayed a tendency to favor English-dominant students in formal classroom settings, posing challenges for English Learners (ELs) and Heritage Language (HL) speakers due to high English proficiency requirements and limited HL course offerings.
Bu bölüm dilsel asimilasyon ve dilsel soykırım teorileri rehberliğinde, dilsel baskı ve dilin zoraki asimilasyonu da dahil olmak üzere Çerkesçe’nin sosyo-dilsel durumuna ilişkin tarihsel bir bakış açısı sunarak Çerkesçe’nin Türkiye’de korunması konusunu ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. Bölümde öncelikle Osmanlı döneminde dilin korunmasına olanak sağlayan bazı Çerkes girişimlerinden bahsedilecek, ardından Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nin Çerkesçe’nin dilsel soykırımını şiddetlendiren dil ideolojileri ve politikaları ele alınacaktır. Dilsel soykırıma yol açan baskıcı dil politikalarının etkilerine değinmek amacıyla Türkiye’nin farklı bölgelerinden ve farklı yaş gruplarından Çerkeslerle yapılan bazı mülakat alıntılarına yer verilecektir. Son olarak, Çerkesçe’nin Türkiye’de korunması ve yeniden canlandırılması açısından geleceğin neler getirebileceğinden bahsedilecektir.