Pre-service EFL Teachers’ Professional Identity Construction Experiences in a Dual Diploma Program

Year 2020, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 27 - 54, 20.06.2020

Melike Bekereci Şahin Deniz Şallı Çopur

Abstract

This case study explores how pre-service EFL teachers of an undergraduate dual diploma program describe their professional identities after spending a year in their partner university in the United States and experiencing practice teaching in Turkey. Participants were six pre-service teachers in one of the dual diploma programs in Turkey. As a case study, the data were obtained through in-depth interviews, classroom observations, document reviews and focus group interviews. The results suggest that dual diploma programs make great contributions to prospective teachers’ personal growth in terms of broadening their worldviews, improving their personal skills, enriching their perceptions about cultural differences, providing new perspectives about Turkish and American education systems, providing travelling opportunities, and giving them a chance to meet people from all over the world in a multi-cultural environment. However, as a result of having insufficient feedback, doing very few teaching practices and experiencing the undesired realities of the teaching profession, pre-service teachers are not willing to pursue teaching as a career.

Keywords

dual diploma program, pre-service EFL teacher, study abroad, practicum, professional identity construction

References

• The article references can be accessed from the .pdf file.