Exploring factors impeding English language instructors from research engagement at tertiary level in Türkiye

Abstract

Resulting from the emerging demands of higher education, university instructors' roles are extending beyond their supervisory positions to those that require mediating changing conditions and keeping up with new developments. On a daily basis, they have to identify various problems, look for solutions and address them swiftly and methodically. New demands necessitate practicing teachers and instructors to become more research-engaged and informed about challenges, which, however, has aroused controversy over the blurring boundaries between teaching and researching. This study thus investigates English language instructors' research engagement at a state university in Türkiye. The data were collected using a survey developed by Borg (2009). 50 language instructors at the School of Foreign Languages participated in the study, 10% of whom (N=11) volunteered for an interview. The data have been analysed to have a better understanding of whether instructors read and do research and how they justify their preferences. As a result, this paper underlines the potential advantages of guidance for language instructors about being a teacher-researcher in the field of language education.