A study on self-assessment of current language skills: The case of Turkish teachers of English

Year 2021, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 194 - 203, 31.07.2021

Oya Tunaboylu , Tuğçe Çalışkan

https://doi.org/10.24289/ijsser.835494

Abstract

As a consequence of increasing demand for learning a foreign language, the population of language teachers has increased. As English is the most preferred language all over the world, English language teachers have become a subject for examination. Given the fact the majority of the English language teachers around the world are nonnative speakers, their proficiency has become crucial. This study aimed at providing baseline data on self-assessment of Turkish teachers of English regarding their current proficiency in four language skills. Data for the study were collected through a three-part questionnaire based on CEFR C1 can-do statements. A total of 70 Turkish teachers of English working in state and private schools participated in the study. The findings revealed that teachers find themselves proficient in almost four language skills. The data collected also showed that Turkish teachers of English mostly think that they are competent enough in conveying the meaning of what they read and they are more likely to use advanced vocabulary in written con-texts than in spoken interactions. However, the analysis of the open-ended questions revealed that there is still room for language improvement.

Keywords

English Language Teachers, Turkish Teachers of English, Teacher Competency, Proficiency, CEFR

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