Breadth or depth: The perceptions of Turkish ELT academics in terms of academic specialization: A qualitative analysis of challenges and affordances

Abstract

The constant accumulation of knowledge forces academics to branch out into further sub-domains within a specific scientific area, requiring more specialization. The same is true for English Language Teaching (ELT) departments, especially in Türkiye, since some twenty years ago ELT academics were expected to know all about the process of language teaching ranging from testing to methodology. Türkiye has experienced an explosion of universities with the ‘one university in each province’ initiative. This brought about a huge number of universities and newly-opened ELT departments. Another factor that triggered the present study is the increasing competence of ELT professionals in Türkiye which is reflected in the increasing number of publications in internationally acclaimed platforms including journals or edited books. This expansion calls for an examination of how ELT professionals view specialization. Therefore, in the present study, I report on the eleven semi-structured interviews conducted with ELT professionals with varying degrees of experience in Türkiye on the topic of specialization. The ELT professionals in the study listed publication / academic output, thesis supervision, and practical application as merits of specialization. The ELT professionals stated that collaboration should be increased, and a meticulous needs analysis and planning process should be conducted to ensure specialization. Finally, the ELT professionals stated that we need experts in testing and evaluation as well as language teaching methodology.