Foreign language

EFL TEACHERS‟ REFLECTIVE PRACTICE VIA ONLINE DISCUSSIONS

A MASTER‟S THESIS BY
ELIF BURHAN

THE PROGRAM OF

TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE ĠHSAN DOĞRAMACI BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA
JUNE 2015

The Graduate School of Education of

ĠhsanDoğramacıBilkent University
by
Elif Burhan
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts
in

The Program of Teaching English as a Foreign Language ĠhsanDoğramacıBilkent University

Ankara
June 2015
ĠHSAN DOĞRAMACIBILKENT UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
EFL TEACHERS‟ REFLECTIVE PRACTICE VIA ONLINE DISCUSSIONS ELIF BURHAN
JUNE 2015

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

(Asst. Prof. Dr. DenizOrtaçtepe) Supervisor

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

(Prof. Dr. Kimberly Trimble) Examining Committee Member

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

(Prof. Dr. William Snyder) Examining Committee Member

Approval of the Graduate School of Education

(Prof.Dr. Margaret Sans) Director

ABSTRACT

EFL TEACHERS‟ REFLECTIVE PRACTICE VIA ONLINE DISCUSSIONS
Elif Burhan
M.A., Program of Teaching English as a Foreign Language Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. DenizOrtaçtepe

June, 2015

This study investigated EFL teachers‟ participation in reflective practice oriented (RP-oriented) online discussion forums. More specifically, it explored the reflection types (reflection-in, reflection-on and reflection-for-action) instructors engaged in. To this end, the study explored RP-oriented online discussions utilized in a methodology course by nine experienced English as a foreign language teachers who were students in a master‟s program in teaching English as a foreign language at a foundation university in Ankara, Turkey. The data were collected through three different instruments: a background information questionnaire, RP-oriented discussions and interviews. All the qualitative data were analyzed according to
Boyatzis‟ (1998) thematic analysis.Initially, each participant‟s data were printed out and examined to discover the themes that naturally emerged. After that, the emerging themes in the initial analysis were color-coded and related to three sensitizingconcepts, specifically a) reflection-on-action b) reflection-in-action and c) reflection-for-action.

The findings of the study revealed that in RP-oriented discussion platforms participants engaged in a) reflection-on-action by considering their past experiences both as learners and teachers, b) reflection-in-action by sharing their beliefs and teaching practices c) reflection-on-action by defining their intentions on reshaping their future practices as well as providing suggestions for their institutions.

Considering these results, this study challenged the results of studies that have investigated the use of reflective practices in online-asynchronous discussion platforms and provided further directions in identifying successful utilization of RP- oriented online discussions in in-service teacher education.
Key words: Reflective practice, reflection-on-action, reflection-in-action, reflection- for-action, reflective practice oriented discussions (RP-oriented), online/asynchronous discussion platforms, EFL.

ÖZET

ĠNGĠLĠZCEYĠ YABANCI DĠL OLARAK ÖĞRETEN ÖĞRETMENLERĠN ONLĠNE PLATFORMLAR VASITASIYLA YANSITICI DÜġÜNME ETKĠNLĠĞĠ
Elif Burhan
YüksekLisans, YabancıDilOlarakĠngilizceÖğretimi TezYöneticisi: Yrd. Doç. Dr. DenizOrtaçtepe
Haziran, 2015
Bu


çalıĢmaĠngilizce‟yiyabancıdilolaraköğretenöğretmenlerininternetortamındayansıtıcıd üĢünmeodaklıtartıĢmalarına, dahaayrıntılıolarak, yansıtıcıdüĢünmetürlerini
(eylemsonrasıyansıtıcıdüĢünme,

eylemesnasındayansıtıcıdüĢünmeveileriyeyönelikyansıtıcıdüĢünme) inceleyiamaçlamıĢtır. Bu bağlamda, çalıĢma Ankara, Türkiye‟de,

özelbirüniversitedeyabancıdilolarakĠngilizceöğretimiprogramındakidokuzdeneyimliĠ ngilizceöğretmenininmetodolojidersindekatıldıklarıyansıtıcıdüĢünmeodaklıtartıĢmala rıniçeriğiniaraĢtırmıĢtır.ÇalıĢmaverileri basilica üçfarklıyollatoplanmıĢtır:
kiĢiselbilgianketi,


internetortamındagerçekleĢenyansıtıcıdüĢünmetartıĢmalarıvekatılımcılarlabirebirgerç

ekleĢtirilensözlümülakatlar. BütünnitelbulgularBoyatzis‟in (1998) tematikanalizinegöreçözümlenmiĢtir. Ġlk olarak,

kendiliğindenortayaçıkantemalarıbulmakiçin her bir

katılımcınınverisikağıtüzerindeincelemiĢtir. Sonrasında, ilk

incelemedenortayaçıkantemalarrenklerlekodlandırılmıĢveüçkavramla, eylemsonrasıyansıtıcıdüĢünme,

eylemsırasındayansıtıcıdüĢünmeveieriyeyönelikyansıtıcıdüĢünme, eĢleĢtirilmiĢtir.

Bu çalıĢmanınbulgularıgöstermiĢtirki; a)

öğrencilerveöğretmenlerolarakgeçmiĢtekideneyimleriile b) öğretimteknikleriveinançlarıile c)

ileriyeyöneliköğretimtekniklerinidüzenlemeyönelimleriilekatılımcılarinternetortamın dayansıtıcıdüĢünmeeylemindebulunmuĢlardır.
Bu sonuçlargözönündebulundurulduğunda,

buçalıĢmaliteratürdeyansıtıcıdüĢünmeüzerineyapılançalıĢmalarınsonuçlarınıeleĢtirme ktedir.AyrıcainternetortamındauygulananyansıtıcıdüĢünmeodaklıtartıĢmalarayönelik çalıĢmalarındeneyimliöğretmenlerüzerindeyapılmasınıönermiĢtir.

Anahtarkelimeler: YansıtıcıdüĢünme, eylemsonrasındayansıtıcıdüĢünme, eylensırasındayansıtıcıdüĢünme, eylemöncesindeyansıtıcıdüĢünme, yabancıdilolarakĠngilizceöğretimi, yansıtıcıdüĢünmeodalıçalıĢmalar, online asenkrontartıĢmaplatformlar.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Writing a thesis was one of the most challenging yet most fulfilling experiences of my life. Pacing the very first steps of my future academic career, I would like to offer my regards and thanks a number of people who provided me with their encouragement, support, and guidance during this process.

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude for my thesis advisor, Dr. DenizOrtaçtepe, for her guidance, constructive feedback, patience and trust in me throughout this process. She was always there being more than a teacher, as my role model, with her constant support and encouragement during the times that I gave up. Without her thought-provoking and meticulous feedback, I could not have created such a study. I have greatly benefited from Asst. Prof. Dr. Julie Mathews-Aydınlı, too. Her guidance and persistent help, and the discussions in her classes have been insightful. I would like to offer many thanks to Dr. Kim Trimble for all his support. I am grateful to him for his on-going support, warmth, energy and enthusiasm to teach. I would also like to thank Dr. William Snyder for volunteering to be a committee member in my thesis examination and for his inspiring guidance, questions, and suggestions.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. AbdülvahitÇakır, the director of the School of Foreign Languages and Dr. CemBalçıkanlı, Assistant Director of the School Of Foreign Languages, for giving me the permission to attend the MA TEFL program.
The participants of this study deserve my special thanks for their time and collaboration. Thanks for sharing your sincere insights and experiences with me

without expecting anything in return even though you were busy with your own courses of the master‟s program. Thank you for making this study possible.

My deepest gratitude goes to my beloved family, especially to my parents, Neziha and Ġsmet Burhan, for their unconditional love and trust in me to accomplish any journey. I am deeply grateful to my mother, father, sisters and brother for their support. Without their love and affection, I would not have been able to complete the program.
I also thank my friends, especially SenaKuzuCevahircioğlu, for supporting me during hard times. I knew that they were always there. I also want to thank all of my classmates of 2013 and 2014 in the MA TEFL program both for their invaluable friendship and cooperativeness throughout these two years.
And last but not least, my heart-felt gratitude goes to my husband, HarunHorasanlı, who was always there with his endless support, encouragement, patience and everlasting belief in me during the program. Thanks for being the best part of my life…
Thank you all…

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT iii
ÖZET v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
LIST OF TABLES xiv
LIST OF FIGURES… xv
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1
Introduction 1
Background of the Study 2
Statement of the Problem 5
Research Question 7
Significance of the Study 7
Conclusion 8
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 9
Introduction to Reflective Practice 9
John Dewey as the Father of Reflection 10
Donald A. Schön as a Constructor of Reflective Practice 12
Reflection-on-Action 13
Max van Manen and Reflective Practice 14
Reflection-for-Action 15
Reflective Practice and Identity 17
Tools to Promote Reflective Practice 19
Reflective Journals 19
Response Journals 20
Dialogue Journals 21
Double Entry Journals 22
Interactive Journals or Diaries 22
Personal or Narrative Journal 23
Portfolios 24
Online Tools in Teacher Education to Promote Reflection 24
Chat or Internet Relay Chat 24
Electronic Journals or Electronic Dialogue Journals 26
Blogs as a Tool for Reflective Practice 27
Online Asynchronous Discussion Forums 28
Definition of Asynchronous Discussion Forums 28
The Use of Asynchronous/online Discussions for Reflective Practices 29
The Role of Reflective Practice in Turkey 31
Conclusion 32
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 33
Introduction 33
Setting and Participants 34
Instruments 38
Data Collection Instruments 38
Demographic Information Questionnaire 38
Online Discussions 38
Semi-structured Interviews… 39
Computer Technology Instruments 40
Moodle 40
Skype 40
Voice recorder. 40
F5 transcription tool 41
Data Collection Procedures 41
Data Analysis Procedures 42
Conclusion 44
CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS 45
Introduction 45
Results 46
Reflection-on-Action 46
Learner Identity 46
Motivation. 47
Personal characteristics. 48
Autonomy 49
Language learning experiences. 50
Teacher Identity 54