A Brief Review on English Language Teacher Education in Turkiye

Being able to organize competent English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher has become a top concern in educational planning and policy of various nations due to the changes and new expectations brought on by the technological age. Many nations with distinct social, economic, political, and geographic characteristics have started to determine the essential competences as a result of the formation of world Englishes [1-8]. Rethinking the current English Language Teacher Education (ELTE) stance in relation to certain areas that have been identified in curriculum studies, Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE), and Second Language Teacher Education (SLA) is crucial in Türkiye, where English education is highly valued as a portal to internalization and advancement [6]. Furthermore, English is utilized as a lingua franca and seen as a pivotal means of communication [9-14].

Therefore, the Turkish students are exposed to learn General English or English for Specific Purposes (ESP) during their university studies [15] in order to have power and status in their future career. With this awareness, a large budget has been allocated for language education in Türkiye and efforts have been made to adapt to international educational standards [13] and reform foreign language teacher education programs in order to balance the foreign language teacher education requirements [4].

Expectations from educators working in this profession have increased as a result of teaching English, which has become incredibly vital. According to Karakas [9], teachers who play the biggest roles in English Language Teaching (ELT) are compelled to engage in a competitive setting and must possess advanced degrees in the subject. An English language teacher is also required to have the requisite linguistic skills, comprising main skills as well as subskills, complementary competencies, and the required pedagogical or methodological knowledge [7,10]. Measurement of teacher abilities is important, but it is also important to take into account English Language Teaching Programs (ELTEP) that promote academic knowledge and advancement in order to have a better understanding of the current situation. Obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting data is what assessment of programs entails in order to decide whether or not a certain program is worthwhile [11], which highly contributes to all the higher education systems in Türkiye.

When the history of ELTEP in Türkiye has briefly been summarized, it is pointed out that higher education policies in Türkiye have undergone drastic modifications in the previous 40 years. Turkish Education Council, known as YÖK in Turkish, implemented significant changes to teacher education programs in Turkey’s education faculties, including ELTEPs [5]. The objective of the teacher education program is to concentrate on teaching methodology and teaching practice following a new reform in 2006 [12]. Subject-based teaching experiences and methodology courses began to gain more attention [2]. With the 2006 ELTEP, new compulsory courses as well as elective courses [5] such as drama and special needs education were introduced. When comparing the 2006 ELTEP to the preceding ELTEP, there is a noticeable difference between the newly added and withdrawn courses, the reordering of class hours, and the course content changes. In the teaching process, a communicative and action-oriented approach has been employed within the framework of the CEFR principles. In the current ELTEP, according to Coskun & Daloglu [3], pedagogic ability courses make up 68% of the curriculum, whereas linguistic competence courses make up 32% of the entire program.

In light of this knowledge, the revisions to ELTEPs are being made in order to assess teacher education programs in reference to the European Higher Education Area and to reflect some parts of the constructivist approach [14]. As the Turkish educational system heavily relies on exams, multiple choice testing is widely used. Hence, only through university exams may students be chosen for student placement at universities. Additionally, this method precludes students from selecting an ELT department based on their aptitude. It seems impossible for the students whose test performance is exclusively expressed with these changes to adjust to these reforms, despite the fact that the reforms in the university programs are regularly updated and sought to make them suitable for European standards.

ELTE, A multidimensional process with crucial components, is one part of English teaching that unquestionably has an influence on teaching English in Türkiye [1]. Further research and practices in teacher education in the Turkish context need to be examined in further studies.

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