Breadth or depth: The perceptions of Turkish ELT academics in terms of academic specialization: A qualitative analysis of challenges and affordances

Abstract

The constant accumulation of knowledge forces academics to branch out into further sub-domains within a specific scientific area, requiring more specialization. The same is true for English Language Teaching (ELT) departments, especially in Türkiye, since some twenty years ago ELT academics were expected to know all about the process of language teaching ranging from testing to methodology. Türkiye has experienced an explosion of universities with the ‘one university in each province’ initiative. This brought about a huge number of universities and newly-opened ELT departments. Another factor that triggered the present study is the increasing competence of ELT professionals in Türkiye which is reflected in the increasing number of publications in internationally acclaimed platforms including journals or edited books. This expansion calls for an examination of how ELT professionals view specialization. Therefore, in the present study, I report on the eleven semi-structured interviews conducted with ELT professionals with varying degrees of experience in Türkiye on the topic of specialization. The ELT professionals in the study listed publication / academic output, thesis supervision, and practical application as merits of specialization. The ELT professionals stated that collaboration should be increased, and a meticulous needs analysis and planning process should be conducted to ensure specialization. Finally, the ELT professionals stated that we need experts in testing and evaluation as well as language teaching methodology.

Keywords

• Specialization
• ELT academics
• thesis supervision
• post-graduate education in ELT

Kaynakça

1. Abramo, G., D’Angelo, C. A., & Di Costa, F. (2017). Do interdisciplinary research teams deliver higher gains to science? Scientometrics, 111(1), 317–336.
2. Abramo, G., D’Angelo, C.A., & Di Costa, F. (2018). The effect of multidisciplinary collaborations on research diversification, Scientometrics, 116:423–433 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2746-2.
3. Czerniawski, G. 2013. “Professional Development for Professional learners: Teachers’ Experiences in Norway, Germany and England.” Journal of Education for Teaching 39 (4): 383–399
4. Darling-Hammond L, Bransford J (Eds.) 2005. Preparing Teachers for a Changing World: What Teachers Should Learn And Be Able To Do. Hoboken-New Jersey: Jossey-Bass/Wiley.
5. Dengerink, J., Luneberg, M., and Kools, Q., 2015. What and how teacher educators prefer to learn. Journal of education for teaching: international research and pedagogy, 41(1), 78–96. doi:10.1080/02607476.2014.992635.
6. Fernández TJ 2013. Professionalisation of teaching in universities: Implications from a training perspective, Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 10(1): 345-358
7. Findlow, S. (2012). Higher education change and professional-academic identity in newly ‘academic’ disciplines: The case of nurse education. Higher Education, 63(1), 117e133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-011-9449-4.
8. Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. B. (2012). Educational research methods: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (4th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

9. Hökkä, P., Vähäsantanen, K., and Mahlakaarto, S., 2017. Teacher educators’ collective professional agency and identity – transforming marginality to strength. Teaching and teacher education, 63, 36–46. doi:10.1016/j. tate.2016.12.001
10. Kosnik, C., P. Dharmashi, C. Miyata, Y. Cleovoulou, and C. Beck. 2015. “Four spheres of Knowledge required: An International study of the Professional Development of literacy/English Teacher Educators.” Journal of Education for Teaching 41(1): 52–77.
11. Kuhn, T. S. 1990. “The Road Since Structure.” In PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of The Philosophy of Science Association, 2, 3–13.
12. Maaranen, K., Kynäslahti, H., Byman, R., Sintonen, S. & Jyrhämä, R. (2018): ‘Do you mean besides researching and studying?’ Finnish teacher educators’ views on their professional development, Professional Development in Education, DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2018.1555184.
13. Matteo De Benedetto & Michele Luchetti (2023). Specialisation by Value Divergence: The Role of Epistemic Values in the Branching of Scientific Disciplines, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, DOI: 10.1080/02698595.2023.2233822.
14. McGee, A. and Lawrence, A., (2009). Teacher educators inquiring into their own practice. Professional development in education, 35 (1), 139–157. doi:10.1080/13674580802268994
15. Meeus, W., Cools, W., and Placklé, I., 2018. Teacher educators developing professional roles: frictions between current and optimal practices. European journal of teacher education, 41(1), 15–31. doi:10.1080/ 02619768.2017.1393515
16. Tran, A., Burns, A., & Ollerhead, S. (2017). ELT lecturers’ experiences of a new research policy: Exploring emotion and academic identity, System, 67, p. 65-76, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.04.014.
17. Van Der Klink, M., et al., 2017. Professional development of teacher educators: what do they do? Findings from an explorative international study. Professional development in education, 43 (2), 163–178. doi:10.1080/ 19415257.2015.1114506.