CROSS CULTURAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION STYLES: DATA REVISITED

The way conflicts are solved is thought to be culturally learned (Hammer, 2005); therefore, this is reflected through language use.  Conflicts, as inevitable parts of communication, naturally mirror cultural differences. Intercultural conflict styles have been studied so far by various researchers.  How conflicts are initiated, maintained and escalated or terminated are all culture bound (Leung, 2002) and all the related stages vary from one culture to another.  In the related literature, there have been attempts to describe different conflict handling classifications. Using Hammer’s (2005) categorization that was found to be more refined and summative, conflict resolution styles of Turkish and American College students were explored using Discourse Completion Tests (DCT) with eight conflict situations where the respondents were required to write verbal solutions to overcome the conflicts described in the test. Those utterances were categorized according to Directness/Indirectness Scale modified from Hammer’s (2005) “International Conflict Style Inventory (ICSI)” that classifies intercultural conflict resolution styles as high/low level of directness and high/low level of emotional expressiveness.  It is believed that the study provides insight into intercultural communication as there are culturally generalizable (etic) and learned patterns of conflict resolution styles pertinent to different cultures (Hammer, 2009, p. 223; Ting-Toomey, 1994).Keywords: conflict resolution styles, Turkish and American cultures 

Pre-Service Efl Teachers' Professional Self-Concept: English Teaching Efficacy, Self Reported English Proficiency and Pedagogical Strategies: A Case Study in Turkish Context

This study touches upon one of the prominent problems in foreign language teacher education in Turkey: professional self-concept. Among the obstacles in growing competent language teachers and maintaining their quality are their self-perceptions regarding the efficacy of their teaching and their proficiency levels. Besides external factors like educational conditions, pre/in-service training, workplace facilities, teachers self- perceptions regarding their teaching efficacy and ability must be considered to improve teacher competencies. Teachers' beliefs in their efficacy are shown to have a role in their personal growth and professional success. To delve into Turkey millieu in depth, following Eslami (2008), the present study examines pre-service EFL teachers' perceptions of their teaching efficacy regarding their personal capabilities to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and of their English language proficiency levels in Turkish context. For data collection, a modified version of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) was used to assess perceived efficacy for classroom management, and instructional strategies. In addition, self-reported proficiency and pedagogical strategies scales used by Chacon (2005) were also used. The present study pinpoints that pre-service language teachers should be encouraged and informed through awareness-raising procedures to improve their self-concept, which will in turn enhance their personal and professional growth. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Syrian children’s perceived integration into Turkish national education system

This study is conducted to analyze Syrian children’s educational life from the perspective of the teachers and explore their acculturation process, and adaptation into the Turkish culture with reference to the difficulties. Moreover, the study will take into account their academic attainment as well as the implemented bilingual education model. Grounded theory was utilized to analyze the data as it enables a scrupulous analysis when there is not much detailed information on the topic. Thematic analysis was conducted as the qualitative research design is required to explore and identify the academic achievement and social adaptation process of Syrian students in Turkey. The findings suggest that the teachers are aware of the Syrian students’ distinctive situation; however, they feel incompetent in supporting them. As for the Syrian students, teachers point at the language barrier they encounter while describing these children’s deficiency in both social adaptation and academic achievement. Therefore, they recommend supplying extra courses to enhance their language development and advise a common bilingual education model to be implemented. Besides, the teachers also highlight the significance of providing both psychological and social support for them in order to facilitate their acculturation