Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Facing Diversity in Child Foreign Language Education, Joanna Rokita-Jaskow,Agata Wolanin, Editör, Springer, London/Berlin , Zürich, ss.253-270, 2021
Heterogeneous classes are those that are composed of different types of
learners. Classrooms throughout the world are becoming more and more diverse,
which inevitably impacts the learning and teaching process. The aim of the study
presented in this chapter was to explore how pre-service and in-service EFL teachers
perceived the issue of heterogeneity, and to report the benefits and challenges of
heterogeneous classes as perceived by them. The study included two groups of
participants from Turkey: 61 pre-service teachers in their 3rd year of study in the
ELT program, and 14 in-service teachers of English as a foreign language. As part
of the data collection procedure, the participants were given open-ended questions
to elicit their views and perceptions, which were then qualitatively analyzed. Results
indicate that for both pre- and in-service participants, there is a need for a more
broadened view and greater awareness of diversity. The advantages of heterogeneity
for pre-service teachers centered around exposure to diversity and tolerance, and for
in-service teachers the exchange of information and cooperation among learners. The
challenges of heterogeneous classes most frequently cited by both groups of teachers
were: less successful students feeling neglected, high achieving students getting
bored, and instructors struggling to meet the needs of all learners. The stated challenges indicate that more information and practice on how to teach diverse learners
with varying backgrounds need to be provided to teachers.