ABSTRACT

This qualitative study aimed to provide an empirical examination of professionalism from the perspectives of practising Turkish teachers of English in order to provide insights into the assumptions and motives that drive and sustain their professional practices. Data were collected from 41 EFL teachers working at public schools through semi-structured interviews. Hermeneutic interpretative phenomenological analysis was administered to analyse these interview data. Data analysis showed that teachers in this study viewed teaching as a profession, not just a job carried out to earn one’s living. However, teachers have differing perceptions regarding the nature of this profession. According to the participants in this study, professionalism is exhibited in many ways and encompasses knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours. Results indicated that characteristics of a professional language teacher can be grouped under four categories: personal traits and virtues, subject knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and professional development. While EFL teachers discussed personal traits and values more than any other components of teacher professionalism, teachers’ English language proficiency is found to be a basic professional quality.

摘要

这项定性研究旨在从实践土耳其英语教师的角度对专业精神进行实证检验，以便深入了解推动和维持其专业实践的假设和动机。通过半结构化访谈从 41 名在公立学校工作的 EFL 教师收集数据。解释学解释性现象学分析被用来分析这些访谈数据。数据分析表明，本研究中的教师将教学视为一种职业，而不仅仅是一项谋生的工作。然而，教师对这一职业的性质有不同的看法。据本研究的参与者称，专业精神以多种方式表现出来，包括知识、技能、态度和行为。结果表明，专业语言教师的特征可分为四类：个人特质和美德、学科知识、教学知识和专业发展。虽然 EFL 教师比教师专业精神的任何其他组成部分更能讨论个人特征和价值观，但教师的英语语言能力被认为是一项基本的专业素质。