Cultural Conflicts in EFL Classes: a Sample from Turkey

Year 2020, , 858 - 868, 20.03.2020

Ömer Gökhan Ulum

https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.697814

Abstract

Foreign EFL instructors are commonly encountered at school of foreign languages of universities in Turkey. Foreign instructors coming from outer lands to teach English may have hard times to adapt to the culture of their new teaching context. Consequently, cultural confusions impeding learning may arise in EFL classrooms. This study investigated the cultural conflicts foreign instructors (N= 6) encounter at a state university in Turkey. Semi-structured interview questions developed by the researcher were utilized to explore the details of cultural conflicts and classify them. This study is based on heterophenomenology as it describes an explicitly third-person through self-reports. The results of the study suggest that foreign instructors experience a number of cultural conflicts in their classes.

Keywords

culture, cultural conflicts, EFL, EFL Classes

İngilizce Derslerinde Kültürel Uyuşmazlık: Türkiye Örneği

Abstract

Türkiye’de üniversitelerin yabancı diller yüksek okullarında yabancı öğretim görevlilerine yaygın olarak rastlanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda farklı kültürel çevrelerden gelen Türk öğrencilerle yabancı öğretim görevlilerinin kültürel çatışmalar yaşaması gayet doğaldır. Yabancı ülkelerden İngilizce öğretmek için gelen öğretim görevlileri yeni eğitim ortamlarının kültürüne uyum sağlamada zor anlar yaşayabilir. Sonuç olarak, İngilizce derslerinde öğrenmeyi engelleyen kültürel çatışmalar ortaya çıkabilir. Bu çalışma Türkiye’de bir devlet üniversitesindeki yabancı öğretim görevlilerinin (N= 6) karşılaştığı kültürel uyuşmazlıkları irdelemiştir. Kültürel uyuşmazlıkların detaylarını keşfedip sınıflandırmak için araştırmacı tarafından yarı-yapılandırılmış mülakat soruları geliştirilmiştir. Üçüncü kişileri kendi ifade ettikleri raporlar aracılığıyla betimlediğinden bu çalışma heterofenomenolojik bir çalışmadır. Çalışma yabancı öğretim görevlilerinin sınıflarında bir dizi kültürel uyuşmazlık yaşadığını ifade etmektedir.

Keywords

kültür, kültürel uyuşmazlık, İngilizce, İngilizce dersleri

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