TURKISH TERTIARY LEVEL EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF NATIVE ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEACHERS AND NON-NATIVE ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEACHERS

Native English-speaking teacher (NEST) and non-native English-speaking teacher (NNEST) dichotomy has been around over a number of decades, and the prevailing view regarding the dichotomy has been that native speakers have been brought forth and prioritized in the field of English language teaching merely due to being a native speaker of English. The objective of this study is to explore Turkish tertiary level EFL students’ perceptions of NESTs and NNESTs. So as to discover the perceptions of the participants, a close and open questionnaire was conducted. The findings yield that the participants preferred to be taught English by both NESTs and NNESTs according to the areas they were considered to be competent at teaching. NESTs were contemplated to be good at teaching speaking, pronunciation, and target culture, whereas NNESTs were perceived to be good at teaching grammar, reading, and writing. The results also indicate that students placed importance on teachers’ teaching experience and qualifications while evaluating their performance as English language teachers.  Article visualizations

A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE PLACE OF JOINING ERASMUS+ PROGRAM IN PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This phenomenological research aims to explore the place of the Erasmus+ program (EP) in enhancing pre-service English teachers’ (PSETs) professional development. Additionally, this study targets learning about their experiences in the EP and their recommendations on how the program could be ameliorated to better serve prospective PSET participants. The data collected through in-depth interviewing were analysed adopting an inductive approach. The findings revealed that the PSETs believed participating in the EP helped them to develop their speaking skills and broaden their extant knowledge of different cultures, yet they overwhelmingly pointed out that since some courses they took at the host universities were not directly related to the field of English language teaching, the EP did not significantly contribute to their professional development. The findings also demonstrated PSETs’ suggestions concerning how to improve the EP to alleviate the problems they confronted for other PSETs whose future plans contain participating in the program. Keywords: EP, in-depth interviewing, initial English language teacher education, professional development, PSET

BRAIN-COMPATIBLE LEARNING: FROM STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES

The objective of this is to investigate young adult learners’ perceptions of brain-compatible learning. 27 university preparatory school students aged 18-21 were taught in compliance with brain-compatible learning approach for four months and a half. Subsequent to the intervention, the participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire developed to explore students’ perceptions about brain-compatible learning. A semi-structured interview was conducted in order to gain deeper insights into the participants’ perceptions of the brain-compatible learning intervention. The findings obtained from the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data indicate that the participants have positive perceptions of brain-compatible learning and are planning to continue applying brain-compatible learning principles in the ensuring years. The results of this study could prompt researchers and practitioners to implement brain-compatible learning principles in classroom environment and discover students’ perceptions of brain-compatible learning among different age groups.  Article visualizations

The Progress a Pre-Service English Language Teacher Made in Her Feedback Giving Practices in Distance Teaching Practicum

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching practicum has been conducted in online learning settings in Turkey, which, in return, has made pre-service English language teachers do their practicums online. The lack of research into the effect of distance teaching practicum on pre-service English language teachers’ practices of giving feedback prompted the researcher to carry out this research. This instrumental case study aims to investigate the changes in a pre-service English language teacher’s feedback giving practices in the English lessons she taught in the distance teaching practicum and her views about how the distance teaching practicum affected her skills of providing feedback. The results obtained from the analysis of the data collected from the researcher’s notes on the pre-service English language teacher’s provision of feedback in the four online lessons she taught, post-lesson telephone interviews and end-of-study semi-structured interview indicated her teaching experiences helped her make a considerable progress in her skills in giving effective feedback. The findings pointed to the significance of distance teaching practicum in developing pre-service English language teachers’ feedback giving practices

An intervention in brain-based learning: Leading to shifts in language learning beliefs

This case study examines whether or not an intervention in brain-based learning (BBL) brings about any change in language learning beliefs (LLBs) of adult EFL learners. Students enrolled in an English preparatory program were taught in accord with BBL principles over 16 weeks. Beliefs about language learning inventory (BALLI) was administered at the outset of and subsequent to the intervention in an attempt to explore if English lessons designed in compliance with BBL principles led to changes in EFL learners’ LLBs. The findings obtained by running Wilcoxon signed-rank test demonstrated that learning English by attending to lessons planned according to BBL principles induced a statistically significant change in 13 of a total of 34 beliefs in the inventory

A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE: FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF PRESERVICE EFL TEACHERS

Practicum is regarded to be a pivotal component of initial teacher education program and such a considerable significance taken on by practicum necessitates more research regardless of the abundance of research on it. This case study explores a) how eight preservice EFL teachers (PEFLTs) evaluated the overall  effectiveness of the practicum they took in the last term of the English language teacher education program they were enrolled in, b) the impact of keeping diaries and filling out self-evaluation forms on their professional learning, c) to what extent the courses offered at the program supported them in real teaching, and d) what they would change in the structure of practicum if they had the chance to do so. The results yielded by the inductive analysis of the data drawn from focus group interviews,  the data from diaries and self-evaluation forms showed that PEFLTs deemed practicum experience crucial for both their professional learning and putting subject  knowledge into practice while stating a set of negative experiences they had in practicum. The findings also reported that reflecting on practicum experiences helped them enhance their professional learning. Besides, the courses taken at university were not recognized as adequate to prepare PEFLTs for real teaching

IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE RETENTION VIA ESTABLISHING BRAIN-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

This study aims at investigating the impact of brain-based learning on the retention of English language knowledge amongst young adult learners. The participants were subjected to an intervention in brain-based learning principles for approximately four and a half months. The results of the proficiency exams administered at the beginning of and following the intervention were analysed in an effort to explore whether brain-based learning intervention exerts impact on the improvement of participants’ proficiency in English. With a view to examining knowledge retention, the results of the retention exam administered six months after the post-proficiency exam were analysed. An interview was conducted both after the post-proficiency and the retention exam to gain insights into the participants’ views of the brain-based learning intervention. The findings attained from the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data yield that establishing a learning environment compatible with brain-based learning principles enables knowledge retention.  Article visualizations

Does being taught by native English-speaking teachers promote improvement in speaking skill more?

It has been conceived that being taught by native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) leads to more improvement in speaking proficiency given the fact that English is their mother tongue. This paper aims to examine whether or not being taught by NESTs ends up with more achievement in adult EFL learners’ speaking skills. Experimental research design was used with an eye to scrutinizing if there was a statistically significant difference between the speaking scores of the participants in the experimental group and the ones got by the participants in the control group. The experimental group had proportionately more lessons conducted by NESTs as opposed to the control group taught predominantly by non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). In eight weeks, marking the duration of the study, the participants submitted three speaking portfolios, took one speaking quiz and one end-ofcourse test (ECT). Participants’ scores on the quiz, the ECT and the speaking portfolios were analyzed via conducting independent samples t-test. The findings obtained from the analyses show that no statistically significant difference exists between the speaking scores of the experimental and control group on the ECT, scores on the speaking quiz, the first and second speaking portfolios while a statistically significant difference is observed between the participants’ scores on the third speaking portfolio. The results might arouse suspicion of the popular conception of learning to speak English better as a consequence of being taught by NESTs

A phenomenological study of the place of joining Erasmus+ program in pre-service English teachers’ professional development

This phenomenological research aims to explore the place of the Erasmus+ program (EP) in enhancing pre-service English teachers’ (PSETs) professional development. Additionally, this study targets learning about their experiences in the EP and their recommendations on how the program could be ameliorated to better serve prospective PSET participants. The data collected through in-depth interviewing were analysed adopting an inductive approach. The findings revealed that the PSETs believed participating in the EP helped them to develop their speaking skills and broaden their extant knowledge of different cultures, yet they overwhelmingly pointed out that since some courses they took at the host universities were not directly related to the field of English language teaching, the EP did not significantly contribute to their professional development. The findings also demonstrated PSETs’ suggestions concerning how to improve the EP to alleviate the problems they confronted for other PSETs whose future plans contain participating in the program

A comprehensive evaluation of practicum experience: from the viewpoint preservice EFL teachers

Practicum is regarded to be a pivotal component of initial teacher education programs and such a considerable significance taken on by practicum necessitates more research regardless of the abundance of research on it. This case study explores a) how eight preservice EFL teachers (PEFLTs) evaluated the overall effectiveness of the practicum they took in the last term of the English language teacher education program they were enrolled in, b) the impact of keeping diaries and filling out self-evaluation forms on their professional learning, c) to what extent the courses offered at the program supported them in real teaching, and d) what they would change in the structure of practicum if they had the chance to do so. The results yielded by the inductive analysis of the data drawn from focus group interviews, the data from diaries and self-evaluation forms showed that PEFLTs deemed practicum experience crucial for both their professional learning and putting subject knowledge into practice while stating a set of negative experiences they had in practicum. The findings also reported that reflecting on practicum experiences helped them enhance their professional learning. Besides, the courses taken at university were not recognized as adequate to prepare PEFLTs for real teaching