Research trends in graduate theses completed between 2010 and 2016 in turkey in the field of english language teacher education

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the graduate theses which were conducted in the field of English language teacher education in Turkey between 2010 and 2016 through Casey’s teacher education framework and to identify the research trends in the field. The findings were obtained through document analysis in this qualitative study. 337 graduate theses were accessed through the National Thesis Database of Council of Higher Education. The theses were categorized according to Casey’s teacher education framework, years, types and research models. The findings showed that independent teaching and initial teacher education program were the most focused periods compared to readiness to teacher education and preparedness for teaching periods. The findings also revealed that there was no information about the research model in 69 theses. Finally, some suggestions including increasing the studies focusing on neglected teacher education periods and considering rigor in research designs of further theses were provided.