The perceptions of Turkish EFL prep-school teachers on queering their ELT practices: A case study

Date

2023-8-16

Author

Çetin, Gaye Şevval

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Queering ELT has gained popularity internationally, but research on this topic in the context of Turkey is exceedingly limited (Güney, 2018; Kocaman & Selvi, 2021). Earlier research (Merse, 2015; Güney, 2018; Brochin, 2019) has shown queering ELT practices have been affirming and inclusive for both queer and non-queer students. This qualitative case study sought to investigate the perspectives of four Turkish tertiary EFL preparatory school teachers on queering their ELT practices. The study was conducted in a foundation university's English language preparatory program in Turkey, and the participants were Turkish instructors with diverse personal, educational, and professional backgrounds. Individual semi-structured interviews, qualitative surveys, and researcher notes about the participants served as data collection instruments. The data was analyzed using Creswell (2014) and Braun & Clarke (2013) thematic analysis guidelines. While the instructors showed a positive interest in queering ELT, the findings revealed that they were not actively queering their practices. The participants found queering ELT practices essential for creating a safe and thriving language learning environment. However, they were also fearful of socio-political pressures, backlash from the institution they work for, and their students' parents. In addition, they were apprehensive due to a lack of training and non-heteronormative materials and curriculum. Thus, it was found that higher education EFL instructors in Turkey require training on queer pedagogy and that the institution's administration should prioritize inclusive policies.

Subject Keywords

Queering ELT, Inclusive education, Qualitative case study, Preparatory School, Teacher perceptions

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/104874

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis