Native English Speaking Teachers (NESTs) have been employed in various English language teaching (ELT) positions and departments at private and state universities in Turkey, particularly over the last three decades. However, undergraduate EFL students' attitudes toward NESTs and Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (Non-NESTs) remain seriously under-investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of communication classes given by NESTs and Non-NESTs on students' foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA). Forty-eight undergraduate EFL students attending communication classes taught by (American) NESTs and (Turkish) Non-NESTs were given a questionnaire to examine their attitudes toward foreign language speaking anxiety (FLSA). Further, a sub-sample of students was interviewed to investigate their feelings, beliefs and opinions about the relationship between the FLSA they experienced and their communication classes given by NESTs and Non-NESTs. Similarly, the teachers were interviewed to examine their feelings about the FLSA their students experience in their communication classes. Quantitatively, the results showed no significant difference in attitude toward FLSA between the students who attended classes taught by NESTs and Non-NESTs, although a significant difference was observed between the two classes taught by Non-NESTs. Further, female and male students did not differ significantly in terms of attitudes toward FLSA in NESTs' and Non-NESTs' classes. The qualitative findings revealed that both teachers and students had positive attitudes toward mistakes made during the oral production of the foreign language (FL). Finally, the correction strategies employed by the teachers in the classroom are believed to have an impact on student attitudes toward FLSA.

This study examines the decision-making behaviors of raters with varying levels of experience while assessing EFL essays of distinct qualities. The data were collected from 28 raters with varying levels of rating experience and working at the English language departments of different universities in Turkey. Using a 10-point analytic rubric, each rater voice-recorded their thoughts through think-aloud protocols (TAPs) while scoring 16 essays of distinct text qualities and provided brief score explanations. Data collected from TAPs were analyzed by using a coding scheme adapted from Cumming, Kantor, and Powers (2002). The results revealed that text quality has a larger effect than rating experience on raters’ decision-making behaviors. In addition, raters prioritized aspects of style, grammar, and mechanics when rating low-quality essays, but emphasized rhetoric and their general impressions of the text for high-quality essays. Furthermore, low-experienced raters differed more in their behaviors while assessing scripts of distinct qualities than did the medium- and high-experienced groups. The findings suggest that raters’ scoring behaviors might evolve with practice, resulting in less variation in their decisions. As such, this research provides implications for developing strategy-based rater training programs, which might help to increase consistency across raters of different experience levels.

This study examines the phenomenon of English-medium instruction (EMI) in higher education through the lens of neoliberalism and linguistic entrepreneurship. Although commonly reported benefits of EMI include improved English proficiency and better job opportunities, there is a lack of research critically examining the relationship between EMI and these presumed benefits. Through the lens of linguistic entrepreneurship, this study compares engineering students' perceptions of the linguistic and professional benefits of EMI before, during, and after study in Turkey. Employing a mixed-methods design, data were collected from prospective, current, and former students via questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. The findings revealed significant differences between groups regarding perceptions of learning and professional outcomes. This paper demonstrates how students' perceptions of EMI are shaped by the ideals of linguistic entrepreneurship and suggests that the professional benefits of EMI may be more nuanced than assumed, with implications for EMI pedagogy and policy in higher education.

This study aims at investigating the effect of WhatsApp on teaching English idioms to EFL students. The data were collected from 33 B1 level students. The researchers provided the students with three idioms per week for five weeks via WhatsApp. The participants found sample sentences, shared them in their WhatsApp groups, and had discussions in English regarding the use and meaning of the idioms. Students were given an achievement test and a sub-sample group of students were * The findigs of this research were presented at the 1st HUMAN Social 1231interviewed to see the effectiveness of this application. The results revealed how students benefited from WhatsApp as a learning tool and their reactions to mobile learning outside the classroom context. The findings highlight the place of mobile learning in foreign language education.

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