Advances in knowledge acquisition, transfer and management book series, 2022
Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subje... more Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjective viewpoints. Since its introduction as an alternative form of data collection and analysis, Q methodology has been utilized in various fields of study. However, although its use would enable an enriched understanding of individuals' subjective accounts of reality, it has not been fully exploited yet, and the use of it is still in its infancy. Thus, sparked off by the scarcity of interest in the use of Q methodology, this chapter attempts to provide an overview of this research method with a specific reference to what it is and how it is implemented. The chapter concludes with an example of a recent Q study for illustrative purposes. It is believed that this account is of relevance for researchers in various fields of study with its focus on Q methodology, which is an underutilized but a valuable tool to gain deeper insights into subjective realities experienced by individuals.
Uludağ üniversitesi eğitim fakültesi dergisi, Oct 14, 2022
Bu araştırmanın amacı İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramı ve araştırma deneyimleri h... more Bu araştırmanın amacı İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramı ve araştırma deneyimleri hakkındaki algılarını ortaya koymaktır. Hem nitel hem de nicel kapsamlı bir araştırmanın bir parçası olan bu çalışmanın çıktıları ile İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramına karşı tutumlarının geliştirilmesi ve böylece kendi bilgilerini üreten, sınıf içinde ya da dışında tespit ettiği sorunlara yansıtıcı bir bakış açısıyla yaklaşan araştırmacı profesyoneller olmalarına katkı sağlamak hedeflenmiştir. Araştırma Türkiye'de büyük bir devlet üniversitesinde İngilizce Öğretmenliği bölümünde okuyan 4. sınıf öğrencisi olan 85 öğretmen adayı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmaya katılan öğrenciler hâlihazırda Bilimsel Araştırma Yöntemleri ve İngilizce Öğretim Yöntemleri gibi araştırma ve ilgili kavramları içeriklerinde barındıran ve öğrencilere araştırma deneyimi edinme fırsatı sunan dersleri almışlardır. Bu araştırmada veriler anket yoluyla elde edilmiş ve nicel yöntemle analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlar incelendiğinde İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramına ve kendi araştırma deneyimlerine karşı pozitif bir tutum sergiledikleri gözlemlenmiştir. Öte yandan katılımcıların kendi yaşamlarında araştırma bazlı düşünme, kendilerini araştırmacı olarak ve araştırma yaparken görme, araştırma planlarını üzerinde tekrar tekrar çalışabilme ve gelecekteki olası araştırma başarıları gibi konularda kendilerini güvende hissetmedikleri gözlemlenmiştir.
The present study aimed to explore the teachers', trainees' and the learners' views o... more The present study aimed to explore the teachers', trainees' and the learners' views on the issue of 'teaching English to young learners in EFL contexts. In order to have a better understanding on the research issue under investigation, five major issues focusing on the current situation in public primary EFL classes were identified as the main areas of concern in the present study. Thus, with regard to the concern of teaching English to young learners, the main areas of concern: activities, language skills, classroom language, evaluation and assessment and materials were investigated all through the study. In order to achieve the purpose, various data collection instruments were utilized; questionnaires, interviews and field notes. Questionnaire, as the leading instrument in the study was employed to probe into the research issue under investigation. Interviews and field notes helped the researcher to get further information about the participants' views on teach...
Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Futur... more Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Future teachers should be aware of the pragmatic constraints of the target language to teach it to the foreign language learners. In general, language teachers intensively focus on grammar during lessons as they may lack pragmatic awareness in the target language, or they have difficulty to put into practice the pragmatic knowledge they already possess. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the pragmatic awareness of EFL teacher trainees and their use of and difficulties in practical pragmatic applications. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) was given to 30 EFL teacher trainees to investigate their awareness of pragmatic knowledge. Also, teacher trainees wrote reflection papers about their strengths and weaknesses about pragmatics in their actual teaching process and planned and practised a specific pragmatics-focused lesson. 10 teacher trainees were interviewed to get in-depth information about the problems they faced in teaching pragmatics. DCT results indicated teacher trainees have pragmatic awareness; however, the reflection papers and interviews revealed that their awareness was mostly on theoretical pragmatic knowledge. Lesson plans and reflective comments written following the lessons indicated EFL teacher trainees could not perform well in practical applications of their pragmatic knowledge.
Pre-reading Questions Find out the six official languages of the United Nations. Which is the w... more Pre-reading Questions Find out the six official languages of the United Nations. Which is the world's most widely spoken language? How many variants/varieties of English do you know? How do you understand the concept of "World Englishes"? World Englishes and Cultural Contexts 1 5 British did not colonise the countries in this region, rather, English was used as a lingua franca between the British and local tradesmen. On the other hand, East Africa (e.g., Kenya, Uganda) was extensively colonised. Consequently, English played an important role on official levels and is still the official language in
Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Futur... more Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Future teachers should be aware of the pragmatic constraints of the target language to teach it to the foreign language learners. In general, language teachers intensively focus on grammar during lessons as they may lack pragmatic awareness in the target language, or they have difficulty to put into practice the pragmatic knowledge they already possess. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the pragmatic awareness of EFL teacher trainees and their use of and difficulties in practical pragmatic applications. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) was given to 30 EFL teacher trainees to investigate their awareness of pragmatic knowledge. Also, teacher trainees wrote reflection papers about their strengths and weaknesses about pragmatics in their actual teaching process and planned and practised a specific pragmatics-focused lesson. 10 teacher trainees were interviewed to get in-depth informat...
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2018
For over sixty years what motivates individuals to become teachers and how they perceive teaching... more For over sixty years what motivates individuals to become teachers and how they perceive teaching as a career have been investigated through a growing body of research. The underlying reasons for the research are mostly the problems of teacher shortages and teacher quality. To maintain informed and intelligent generations, teacher quality and teaching cover an important ground in the development of many countries all around the world. The issue of teacher shortages and teacher quality not only differs from one country to another but also from one field to another. In this regard, English language teaching (ELT) is one of the fields that experience teacher shortage and teacher quality issues in Turkey than other teaching fields. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the motivations of pre-service EFL teachers for choosing ‘teaching as a profession and their perceptions about teaching career’. A total of 210 preservice EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers voluntarily particip...
The issues related to teaching and learning process of a foreign language have always been center... more The issues related to teaching and learning process of a foreign language have always been centered on the perceptions of the two parties: the teachers and the teacher trainees. The question of how learners perceive this process is an area which needs to be discovered. The present study attempts to explore the perceptions of young EFL learners regarding the qualities of an effective language teacher as the practitioner of all the theory underlying Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). 168 pupils were asked to write an essay responding to an open-ended question. The findings of the study shed light into the process of English Language Teacher Education programs and how young learners as 'insiders' have beneficial impact on how language is taught in the classroom.
Methodological Innovations in Research and Academic Writing, 2022
Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subje... more Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjective viewpoints. Since its introduction as an alternative form of data collection and analysis, Q methodology has been utilized in various fields of study. However, although its use would enable an enriched understanding of individuals' subjective accounts of reality, it has not been fully exploited yet, and the use of it is still in its infancy. Thus, sparked off by the scarcity of interest in the use of Q methodology, this chapter attempts to provide an overview of this research method with a specific reference to what it is and how it is implemented. The chapter concludes with an example of a recent Q study for illustrative purposes. It is believed that this account is of relevance for researchers in various fields of study with its focus on Q methodology, which is an underutilized but a valuable tool to gain deeper insights into subjective realities experienced by individuals.
The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students i... more The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students in language teacher training programs with both a conceptual framework of teacher research (TR) as a form of critical praxis and a practical guide on how to implement it in language education settings. Subsequent to the description of what TR consists of and how it relates-or it does not-to other forms of research endeavors undertaken by TESOL teachers, the chapter continues with an outline of the procedures and practices to be implemented in TR and concludes with some key recommendations as to the promotion and dissemination of it for a full and effective exploitation of its transformative power.
Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjectiv... more Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjective viewpoints. Since its introduction as an alternative form of data collection and analysis, Q methodology has been utilized in various fields of study. However, although its use would enable an enriched understanding of individuals' subjective accounts of reality, it has not been fully exploited yet, and the use of it is still in its infancy. Thus, sparked off by the scarcity of interest in the use of Q methodology, this chapter attempts to provide an overview of this research method with a specific reference to what it is and how it is implemented. The chapter concludes with an example of a recent Q study for illustrative purposes. It is believed that this account is of relevance for researchers in various fields of study with its focus on Q methodology, which is an underutilized but a valuable tool to gain deeper insights into subjective realities experienced by individuals.
Turkey has recently changed the English language teaching (ELT) program for primary schools. The ... more Turkey has recently changed the English language teaching (ELT) program for primary schools. The new changes required an earlier start for language learning, which are promising in terms of the importance given to foreign language teaching. However, the implementation of these changes requires readiness on the part of the teachers and preparation for the universities to compensate for the pre- and in-service training needs. Involvement of teacher trainers and teachers in the language teaching process is important for a successful implementation of a language policy. Thus, this study aims to investigate the teacher trainers’ views about the starting age for L2 learning, and the appropriate methodology for teaching English to young learners. A survey-type data collection method was used. 72 EFL teacher trainers from seven different public and private universities contributed to the study. The results revealed that EFL teacher trainers prefer language education to start at the first st...
Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in E... more Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in Europe are offering English at the primary level as advised by the EU. The efforts to lower the age for foreign language learning have echoed in countries in Asia as well. Turkey as one of these countries has changed its educational policy in 2012 and launched the new English Language Teaching Program for grades 2-8 in 2013. Along with many changes, the new system offers EFL in the second grade. The present study not only aims to investigate the views of prospective ELT teachers towards this change, but also to compare their views with those of trainers, and English teachers who were investigated in the earlier phases of the study. The results indicate that although all three groups of participants favor an earlier start in foreign language education, there are significant differences between groups in terms of the appropriate starting time and teaching methodologies used. Teachers were i...
The present study aims at investigating awareness of cooperating teachers (CTs) about their role ... more The present study aims at investigating awareness of cooperating teachers (CTs) about their role during the practicum, which is carried out in the fourth year of teacher education programs in Turkey. The process has three dimensions: the trainees, the teacher trainers at the university, and the cooperating teachers at the practice school. In addition to their awareness about their roles, the current study investigates cooperating teachers‟ ideas about their involvement in the training process, and their cooperation with the teacher trainer. Data for the research was collected by a questionnaire and gathered from 72 cooperating teachers, in 38 practice schools. The results suggest that CTs have limited awareness on their roles during practicum. In addition, there is a considerable mismatch between how CT‟s view their contribution to the process and how much they actually contribute and also, there is disparity between their ideas about cooperation with the trainers and how much they actually cooperate with them.
Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Futur... more Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Future teachers should be aware of the pragmatic constraints of the target language to teach it to the foreign language learners. In general, language teachers intensively focus on grammar during lessons as they may lack pragmatic awareness in the target language, or they have difficulty to put into practice the pragmatic knowledge they already possess. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the pragmatic awareness of EFL teacher trainees and their use of and difficulties in practical pragmatic applications. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) was given to 30 EFL teacher trainees to investigate their awareness of pragmatic knowledge. Also, teacher trainees wrote reflection papers about their strengths and weaknesses about pragmatics in their actual teaching process and planned and practised a specific pragmatics-focused lesson. 10 teacher trainees were interviewed to get in-depth informat...
Problem Statement: In 2012 Ministry of National Education in Turkey has revised the education sys... more Problem Statement: In 2012 Ministry of National Education in Turkey has revised the education system so that the new 4+4+4 system requires a three-tier model of education with primary, secondary, and high school components. As with many changes in the curriculum, foreign language (FL) teaching has also been changed and the starting age for learning a FL has been lowered to 6.6 years of age (second grade). As one of the parties of the education process, teachers’ views about this curriculum change and their understanding of teaching English to young learners (TEYL) have great importance. Purpose of Study: The current research aims to investigate English teachers’ ideas towards the starting age for FL learning, how it should be conducted with young learners, and finally what their current practices are when teaching children. Methods: The data for the study is gathered from 203 primary school English teachers from seven different regions of Turkey via a questionnaire consisting of thr...
TESOL Guide for Critical Praxis in Teaching, Inquiry, and Advocacy
The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students i... more The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students in language teacher training programs with both a conceptual framework of teacher research (TR) as a form of critical praxis and a practical guide on how to implement it in language education settings. Subsequent to the description of what TR consists of and how it relates—or it does not—to other forms of research endeavors undertaken by TESOL teachers, the chapter continues with an outline of the procedures and practices to be implemented in TR and concludes with some key recommendations as to the promotion and dissemination of it for a full and effective exploitation of its transformative power.
Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in E... more Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in Europe are offering English at the primary level as advised by the EU. The efforts to lower the age for foreign language learning have echoed in countries in Asia as well. Turkey as one of these countries has changed its educational policy in 2012 and launched the new English Language Teaching Program for grades 2-8 in 2013. Along with many changes, the new system offers EFL in the second grade. The present study not only aims to investigate the views of prospective ELT teachers towards this change, but also to compare their views with those of trainers, and English teachers who were investigated in the earlier phases of the study. The results indicate that although all three groups of participants favor an earlier start in foreign language education, there are significant differences between groups in terms of the appropriate starting time and teaching methodologies used. Teachers were indecisive as they favored both the first and second tiers to introduce a foreign language. The results have implications for policy makers, teachers, teacher trainers, and prospective teachers.
Advances in knowledge acquisition, transfer and management book series, 2022
Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subje... more Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjective viewpoints. Since its introduction as an alternative form of data collection and analysis, Q methodology has been utilized in various fields of study. However, although its use would enable an enriched understanding of individuals' subjective accounts of reality, it has not been fully exploited yet, and the use of it is still in its infancy. Thus, sparked off by the scarcity of interest in the use of Q methodology, this chapter attempts to provide an overview of this research method with a specific reference to what it is and how it is implemented. The chapter concludes with an example of a recent Q study for illustrative purposes. It is believed that this account is of relevance for researchers in various fields of study with its focus on Q methodology, which is an underutilized but a valuable tool to gain deeper insights into subjective realities experienced by individuals.
Uludağ üniversitesi eğitim fakültesi dergisi, Oct 14, 2022
Bu araştırmanın amacı İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramı ve araştırma deneyimleri h... more Bu araştırmanın amacı İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramı ve araştırma deneyimleri hakkındaki algılarını ortaya koymaktır. Hem nitel hem de nicel kapsamlı bir araştırmanın bir parçası olan bu çalışmanın çıktıları ile İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramına karşı tutumlarının geliştirilmesi ve böylece kendi bilgilerini üreten, sınıf içinde ya da dışında tespit ettiği sorunlara yansıtıcı bir bakış açısıyla yaklaşan araştırmacı profesyoneller olmalarına katkı sağlamak hedeflenmiştir. Araştırma Türkiye'de büyük bir devlet üniversitesinde İngilizce Öğretmenliği bölümünde okuyan 4. sınıf öğrencisi olan 85 öğretmen adayı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmaya katılan öğrenciler hâlihazırda Bilimsel Araştırma Yöntemleri ve İngilizce Öğretim Yöntemleri gibi araştırma ve ilgili kavramları içeriklerinde barındıran ve öğrencilere araştırma deneyimi edinme fırsatı sunan dersleri almışlardır. Bu araştırmada veriler anket yoluyla elde edilmiş ve nicel yöntemle analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlar incelendiğinde İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının araştırma kavramına ve kendi araştırma deneyimlerine karşı pozitif bir tutum sergiledikleri gözlemlenmiştir. Öte yandan katılımcıların kendi yaşamlarında araştırma bazlı düşünme, kendilerini araştırmacı olarak ve araştırma yaparken görme, araştırma planlarını üzerinde tekrar tekrar çalışabilme ve gelecekteki olası araştırma başarıları gibi konularda kendilerini güvende hissetmedikleri gözlemlenmiştir.
The present study aimed to explore the teachers', trainees' and the learners' views o... more The present study aimed to explore the teachers', trainees' and the learners' views on the issue of 'teaching English to young learners in EFL contexts. In order to have a better understanding on the research issue under investigation, five major issues focusing on the current situation in public primary EFL classes were identified as the main areas of concern in the present study. Thus, with regard to the concern of teaching English to young learners, the main areas of concern: activities, language skills, classroom language, evaluation and assessment and materials were investigated all through the study. In order to achieve the purpose, various data collection instruments were utilized; questionnaires, interviews and field notes. Questionnaire, as the leading instrument in the study was employed to probe into the research issue under investigation. Interviews and field notes helped the researcher to get further information about the participants' views on teach...
Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Futur... more Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Future teachers should be aware of the pragmatic constraints of the target language to teach it to the foreign language learners. In general, language teachers intensively focus on grammar during lessons as they may lack pragmatic awareness in the target language, or they have difficulty to put into practice the pragmatic knowledge they already possess. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the pragmatic awareness of EFL teacher trainees and their use of and difficulties in practical pragmatic applications. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) was given to 30 EFL teacher trainees to investigate their awareness of pragmatic knowledge. Also, teacher trainees wrote reflection papers about their strengths and weaknesses about pragmatics in their actual teaching process and planned and practised a specific pragmatics-focused lesson. 10 teacher trainees were interviewed to get in-depth information about the problems they faced in teaching pragmatics. DCT results indicated teacher trainees have pragmatic awareness; however, the reflection papers and interviews revealed that their awareness was mostly on theoretical pragmatic knowledge. Lesson plans and reflective comments written following the lessons indicated EFL teacher trainees could not perform well in practical applications of their pragmatic knowledge.
Pre-reading Questions Find out the six official languages of the United Nations. Which is the w... more Pre-reading Questions Find out the six official languages of the United Nations. Which is the world's most widely spoken language? How many variants/varieties of English do you know? How do you understand the concept of "World Englishes"? World Englishes and Cultural Contexts 1 5 British did not colonise the countries in this region, rather, English was used as a lingua franca between the British and local tradesmen. On the other hand, East Africa (e.g., Kenya, Uganda) was extensively colonised. Consequently, English played an important role on official levels and is still the official language in
Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Futur... more Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Future teachers should be aware of the pragmatic constraints of the target language to teach it to the foreign language learners. In general, language teachers intensively focus on grammar during lessons as they may lack pragmatic awareness in the target language, or they have difficulty to put into practice the pragmatic knowledge they already possess. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the pragmatic awareness of EFL teacher trainees and their use of and difficulties in practical pragmatic applications. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) was given to 30 EFL teacher trainees to investigate their awareness of pragmatic knowledge. Also, teacher trainees wrote reflection papers about their strengths and weaknesses about pragmatics in their actual teaching process and planned and practised a specific pragmatics-focused lesson. 10 teacher trainees were interviewed to get in-depth informat...
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2018
For over sixty years what motivates individuals to become teachers and how they perceive teaching... more For over sixty years what motivates individuals to become teachers and how they perceive teaching as a career have been investigated through a growing body of research. The underlying reasons for the research are mostly the problems of teacher shortages and teacher quality. To maintain informed and intelligent generations, teacher quality and teaching cover an important ground in the development of many countries all around the world. The issue of teacher shortages and teacher quality not only differs from one country to another but also from one field to another. In this regard, English language teaching (ELT) is one of the fields that experience teacher shortage and teacher quality issues in Turkey than other teaching fields. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the motivations of pre-service EFL teachers for choosing ‘teaching as a profession and their perceptions about teaching career’. A total of 210 preservice EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers voluntarily particip...
The issues related to teaching and learning process of a foreign language have always been center... more The issues related to teaching and learning process of a foreign language have always been centered on the perceptions of the two parties: the teachers and the teacher trainees. The question of how learners perceive this process is an area which needs to be discovered. The present study attempts to explore the perceptions of young EFL learners regarding the qualities of an effective language teacher as the practitioner of all the theory underlying Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL). 168 pupils were asked to write an essay responding to an open-ended question. The findings of the study shed light into the process of English Language Teacher Education programs and how young learners as 'insiders' have beneficial impact on how language is taught in the classroom.
Methodological Innovations in Research and Academic Writing, 2022
Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subje... more Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjective viewpoints. Since its introduction as an alternative form of data collection and analysis, Q methodology has been utilized in various fields of study. However, although its use would enable an enriched understanding of individuals' subjective accounts of reality, it has not been fully exploited yet, and the use of it is still in its infancy. Thus, sparked off by the scarcity of interest in the use of Q methodology, this chapter attempts to provide an overview of this research method with a specific reference to what it is and how it is implemented. The chapter concludes with an example of a recent Q study for illustrative purposes. It is believed that this account is of relevance for researchers in various fields of study with its focus on Q methodology, which is an underutilized but a valuable tool to gain deeper insights into subjective realities experienced by individuals.
The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students i... more The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students in language teacher training programs with both a conceptual framework of teacher research (TR) as a form of critical praxis and a practical guide on how to implement it in language education settings. Subsequent to the description of what TR consists of and how it relates-or it does not-to other forms of research endeavors undertaken by TESOL teachers, the chapter continues with an outline of the procedures and practices to be implemented in TR and concludes with some key recommendations as to the promotion and dissemination of it for a full and effective exploitation of its transformative power.
Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjectiv... more Q methodology is a research method that focuses systematically on people's internal and subjective viewpoints. Since its introduction as an alternative form of data collection and analysis, Q methodology has been utilized in various fields of study. However, although its use would enable an enriched understanding of individuals' subjective accounts of reality, it has not been fully exploited yet, and the use of it is still in its infancy. Thus, sparked off by the scarcity of interest in the use of Q methodology, this chapter attempts to provide an overview of this research method with a specific reference to what it is and how it is implemented. The chapter concludes with an example of a recent Q study for illustrative purposes. It is believed that this account is of relevance for researchers in various fields of study with its focus on Q methodology, which is an underutilized but a valuable tool to gain deeper insights into subjective realities experienced by individuals.
Turkey has recently changed the English language teaching (ELT) program for primary schools. The ... more Turkey has recently changed the English language teaching (ELT) program for primary schools. The new changes required an earlier start for language learning, which are promising in terms of the importance given to foreign language teaching. However, the implementation of these changes requires readiness on the part of the teachers and preparation for the universities to compensate for the pre- and in-service training needs. Involvement of teacher trainers and teachers in the language teaching process is important for a successful implementation of a language policy. Thus, this study aims to investigate the teacher trainers’ views about the starting age for L2 learning, and the appropriate methodology for teaching English to young learners. A survey-type data collection method was used. 72 EFL teacher trainers from seven different public and private universities contributed to the study. The results revealed that EFL teacher trainers prefer language education to start at the first st...
Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in E... more Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in Europe are offering English at the primary level as advised by the EU. The efforts to lower the age for foreign language learning have echoed in countries in Asia as well. Turkey as one of these countries has changed its educational policy in 2012 and launched the new English Language Teaching Program for grades 2-8 in 2013. Along with many changes, the new system offers EFL in the second grade. The present study not only aims to investigate the views of prospective ELT teachers towards this change, but also to compare their views with those of trainers, and English teachers who were investigated in the earlier phases of the study. The results indicate that although all three groups of participants favor an earlier start in foreign language education, there are significant differences between groups in terms of the appropriate starting time and teaching methodologies used. Teachers were i...
The present study aims at investigating awareness of cooperating teachers (CTs) about their role ... more The present study aims at investigating awareness of cooperating teachers (CTs) about their role during the practicum, which is carried out in the fourth year of teacher education programs in Turkey. The process has three dimensions: the trainees, the teacher trainers at the university, and the cooperating teachers at the practice school. In addition to their awareness about their roles, the current study investigates cooperating teachers‟ ideas about their involvement in the training process, and their cooperation with the teacher trainer. Data for the research was collected by a questionnaire and gathered from 72 cooperating teachers, in 38 practice schools. The results suggest that CTs have limited awareness on their roles during practicum. In addition, there is a considerable mismatch between how CT‟s view their contribution to the process and how much they actually contribute and also, there is disparity between their ideas about cooperation with the trainers and how much they actually cooperate with them.
Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Futur... more Knowledge of pragmatics has been a crucial element of language teacher training programmes. Future teachers should be aware of the pragmatic constraints of the target language to teach it to the foreign language learners. In general, language teachers intensively focus on grammar during lessons as they may lack pragmatic awareness in the target language, or they have difficulty to put into practice the pragmatic knowledge they already possess. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the pragmatic awareness of EFL teacher trainees and their use of and difficulties in practical pragmatic applications. A Discourse Completion Task (DCT) was given to 30 EFL teacher trainees to investigate their awareness of pragmatic knowledge. Also, teacher trainees wrote reflection papers about their strengths and weaknesses about pragmatics in their actual teaching process and planned and practised a specific pragmatics-focused lesson. 10 teacher trainees were interviewed to get in-depth informat...
Problem Statement: In 2012 Ministry of National Education in Turkey has revised the education sys... more Problem Statement: In 2012 Ministry of National Education in Turkey has revised the education system so that the new 4+4+4 system requires a three-tier model of education with primary, secondary, and high school components. As with many changes in the curriculum, foreign language (FL) teaching has also been changed and the starting age for learning a FL has been lowered to 6.6 years of age (second grade). As one of the parties of the education process, teachers’ views about this curriculum change and their understanding of teaching English to young learners (TEYL) have great importance. Purpose of Study: The current research aims to investigate English teachers’ ideas towards the starting age for FL learning, how it should be conducted with young learners, and finally what their current practices are when teaching children. Methods: The data for the study is gathered from 203 primary school English teachers from seven different regions of Turkey via a questionnaire consisting of thr...
TESOL Guide for Critical Praxis in Teaching, Inquiry, and Advocacy
The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students i... more The aim of this chapter is to provide TESOL practitioners, undergraduate, and graduate students in language teacher training programs with both a conceptual framework of teacher research (TR) as a form of critical praxis and a practical guide on how to implement it in language education settings. Subsequent to the description of what TR consists of and how it relates—or it does not—to other forms of research endeavors undertaken by TESOL teachers, the chapter continues with an outline of the procedures and practices to be implemented in TR and concludes with some key recommendations as to the promotion and dissemination of it for a full and effective exploitation of its transformative power.
Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in E... more Teaching English to young learners has gained speed in the past twenty years. Many countries in Europe are offering English at the primary level as advised by the EU. The efforts to lower the age for foreign language learning have echoed in countries in Asia as well. Turkey as one of these countries has changed its educational policy in 2012 and launched the new English Language Teaching Program for grades 2-8 in 2013. Along with many changes, the new system offers EFL in the second grade. The present study not only aims to investigate the views of prospective ELT teachers towards this change, but also to compare their views with those of trainers, and English teachers who were investigated in the earlier phases of the study. The results indicate that although all three groups of participants favor an earlier start in foreign language education, there are significant differences between groups in terms of the appropriate starting time and teaching methodologies used. Teachers were indecisive as they favored both the first and second tiers to introduce a foreign language. The results have implications for policy makers, teachers, teacher trainers, and prospective teachers.
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