Insider Reflections on the British Council Turkish Higher Education Report

In 2015, in cooperation with the Turkish Economic Policy Research Foundation (TEPAV), the British Council (BC) conducted a baseline study investigating the tertiary level English language teaching in Turkey. Being one of the... [ view full abstract ]

In 2015, in cooperation with the Turkish Economic Policy Research Foundation (TEPAV), the British Council (BC) conducted a baseline study investigating the tertiary level English language teaching in Turkey. Being one of the largest studies done at tertiary level, the study included 38 universities located in 15 different cities. As a result, the BC published a report revealing some systemic and pedagogic problems along with relevant recommendations including ones that focus on bridging the identified gaps. The gaps ranged from the backwash of secondary education language policies, to lack of valid proficiency assessment systems, and to the training deficiencies of academics.
Our study focused on the main findings and recommendations in the BC report by exploring the opinions of elite insiders. The participants were nine administrators from English Language Schools and/or Foreign Language Education departments both at state and private English medium universities.
The data collection tool was semi-structured interviews. After the data was transcribed, content analysis was carried out in accordance with Huberman and Miles’ qualitative data analysis approach. A qualitative data analysis software was used while coding, clustering and interpreting the data. Reliability was achieved through coding the data simultaneously by double coders. When there was a disagreement, an additional rater was involved.
The study provided insider reflections on the main recommendations included in the BC report, and highlighted certain contextual factors that needed further consideration. Moreover, additional suggestions that might guide policy makers in improving tertiary level English language teaching were identified.

This study focuses on the key findings and recommendations in the British Council report by exploring insider opinions. Nine administrators from English Language Schools and/or Foreign Language Education departments at English... [ view full abstract ]

This study focuses on the key findings and recommendations in the British Council report by exploring insider opinions. Nine administrators from English Language Schools and/or Foreign Language Education departments at English medium universities were interviewed. The study highlights contextual factors that need consideration to guide policy-making in English language teaching.