TITLE:
A Comparative Analysis of EFL and ESL Program Curricula: Perceptions of U.S. and Turkish Program Directors and Teacher Candidates
AUTHORS:
Nihat Polat, Saban Cepik
KEYWORDS:
EFL and ESL programs, Teacher Candidates, Program Directors, Curriculum, Perceptions, Comparison
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.4 No.2,
May
26,
2014
ABSTRACT: In researching the
comparison of ESL and EFL programs regarding curriculum mandates and perceptions
of program directors and Teacher candidates, this study addresses the following
research questions: How different are the competencies that are covered in
the curricula of ELTE programs in Turkey from those that are covered in the
curricula of ESL teacher education programs in the US? How do the program
directors in ELTE and ESL teacher certification programs perceive the situation
of their programs in terms of the content of the curriculum? How do the teacher
candidates in ELTE and ESL teacher certification programs perceive the situation
of their programs in terms of the content of the curriculum? Data include
semi-structured interviews of four program directors and eight ELTE and ESL
teacher candidates as well as the curricula of eight ESL teacher certification
and eight ELTE programs. These programs were selected among private and public
institutions in different cities and States (US) to represent a more
comprehensive structure of the ELTE and ESL programs in the two countries.
Results clearly indicate that program directors and teacher candidates do not
see curriculum as a well-written prescribed document; rather, they argued for
the learning outcomes resulting from the implemented curriculum. Besides, some
critically needed competencies such as culture and assessment, and professional responsibilities are neglected in EFL programs.