AbstractsEducation Research & Administration

Even though Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Turkey has been switching from the traditional approach to the constructivist one since 2005, the classroom practices, teaching methods, evaluation system, school structures and materials, and the aspects of the administrators and teachers are still traditional and contrary to the principles of constructivism. This study examined the drawbacks of the traditional education system and offered constructivism as a new notion in teaching English as a foreign language in Turkey. A 10-day professional development seminar was given to 6 English teachers working in 2 public schools in the city of Ankara, and the impacts of the seminar on teachers’ change were observed.Different types of data sources, such as participant periodic interviews, observational fieldnotes and artifacts, and researcher logs were collected and analyzed in order to get some answers to the research questions of this dissertation. The findings in general, showed that the teacher development seminar helped the teachers learn constructivism, and change in their approach, views, and classroom applications. This study provided noteworthy findings regarding professional development seminars in the context of Turkey and teacher change. A well-planned and well-organized teacher development seminar with an on-going support and counseling is necessary. Further, professional communities and critical conversation groups have notable roles in teacher development. This study also revealed that the teachers were the most important people in implementing a new educational system and policy change as they can reach their idealistic (constructivist) goals regardless of any insufficiencies. Advisors/Committee Members: Kasten, Wendy (Committee Co-Chair), Sandmann, Alexa (Committee Co-Chair).