Social Behaviors of Foreign Language Teachers at Anatolian High Schools in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess in-class behaviors of Foreign Language Teachers working at Anatolian High Schools in terms of social aspects. Accordingly, 18 teachers who were working during 2010-2011 academic year were interviewed.Participating teachers stated that they mimed new vocabulary through gestures, cared about making eye contact with students, and walked around instead of standing in front of the board or desk during the lesson. In addition, they also declared that they used greeting and good-bye expressions at the beginning and end of the lessons, that they called their students by their names, and that they greeted their students outside the school. Some of the participants stated that they were in touch with student's families and this helped build a sincere connection with their students. The results revealed that teachers tolerated the mistakes students made during a lesson, and that they provided a comfortable environment where students felt free to ask questions. Furthermore, results pointed that some of the participating teachers were open to criticism.