Metamorphosis of English Preparatory Program Instructors as Researchers

Abstract

Transformation of the Turkish EFL teachers working at tertiary level as researchers has received relatively little attention in the relevant literature. Furthermore, most studies in the field sought to explain the transformation of the teachers through interventions. Therefore, drawing on the underpinnings of transformative learning theory proposed by Mezirow, this study aims to investigate how the three EFL teachers have changed since starting their research careers. Unlike most of the studies in the literature, this study aims to find out the transformation of the participants as researchers with no specific intervention. This is a qualitative study, and the data were collected online through semi-structured interviews. In order to see if the participants went through the stages suggested by the theory, the recorded interviews was analyzed deductively. The results revealed that despite not following a linear order, the participants pass through all the suggested stages. The participants were found to pass through transformation at distinct stages, and how they changed was presented under the steps of the theory. Overall, this study sheds light on the longitudinal development of researchers initiated by a disruptive event, which is followed by iterative reflections which leads to the feeling of confidence in their researcher identities.