Language teachers’ beliefs about research: A Qualitative analysis of English teachers at tertiary level in Turkey

The effectiveness of engaging in research practices on EFL teachers is an important area of study. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate Turkish English teachers’ beliefs regarding the significance of research engagement in their teaching practices. To this end, interviews were conducted with 3 English instructors who have been pursuing their M.A. studies in a state university in Turkey. Purposeful sampling was used in selecting the participants of the current study. Two criteria were adhered in selecting participants. The first one is that the participants must be in the third semester of his or her M.A. study so that he or she can generate satisfactory and relevant data upon their theoretical courses undertaken. Secondly, participants who are actively teaching were selected. Content analysis was conducted in order to analyze the data. The findings indicate that language instructors have clear ideas as to what research is and the value of research. Apart from this, it was also reflected in the data that EFL teachers at tertiary level believe in the effectiveness in research in benefitting their teaching practices, indicating that research engagement can be viewed as a means of professional development.