Perceptions of English Teachers in Turkey and Germany

Abstract

We can assert that teachers have a key role for the success of program implementations. Also, the compatibility of beliefs and pedagogical practices of the teachers is significant. Analyzing the perceptions of teachers on programs in different countries may provide us with comparative lenses to comprehend how primary English programs are applied in each country and teachers' beliefs about English teaching. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the perceptions of English teachers on primary school English programs in Turkey and the states of Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden Württemberg and Berlin). This is a qualitative case study based on data from the perspectives of teachers. Semi-structured interview form was used with the study group including primary school English teachers in Turkey and Germany. On the basis of data, it can be concluded that teachers in Turkey are not trained to teach children and do not get sufficient support for professional development whereas the teachers in Germany are class teachers with English degrees, because the teacher trainings in these countries are different. In addition, while the teachers in Turkey experience difficulties with various reasons, English teachers in Germany have no difficulty in implementing the English programs overall.

Problems in Foreign Language Education in the Turkish Education System: Pre-Service Teachers’ Accounts

“…Training effective teachers has also been identified as a major obstacle to effective FL education in Turkey. Although FL teachers as the only source of exposure to English are critical agents modeling their students effective FL use (Çelik, Arıkan, & Caner, 2013), dramatic discrepancies are still common phenomena between the methodological approaches prescribed in teacher education programs and teacher practices in FL classrooms (Gedikoğlu, 2005;İnci & Yıldız, 2019;Karcı & Akar-Vural, 2011). A closer investigation into the problem of FL teachers and their training revealed that such discrepancies were only tip of the iceberg as the roots of the problem seemed to be entrenched deeply in more macro level elements like a predominantly theory-oriented teacher training, lack of a consistent continued professional development policy, teacher employment and induction procedures, and an unsystematic mentoring system.…”