MAPPING THE POSITION OF CELTA FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN TURKISH CONTEXT

CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is a training program for the qualification of teaching English. It has been held in Turkish contexts for years. The number of the teachers or teacher candidates taking part in CELTA has been increasing in number. However, the research studies attempting to evaluate the effects of CELTA course do not align with the fact of increasing in number. In this respect, the present study attempts to delineate the probable effects of CELTA course in terms of professional development of teachers. Burns and Richards (2012) put a distinction between what training and professional development are. At this very point, the second aim of the study is to come closer to map the position of CELTA: whether it is training, professional development or both, or a gateway to professional development. Therefore, the researcher has conducted semi-structured interviews with eight CELTA program participants. The CELTA program forms have been analyzed through content analysis. The research study has the outcomes regarding the implementation of CELTA in undergraduate ELT education in higher education.

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