Foucauldian panopticism: The attitudes of pre-service english teachers in elt department towards learnercentered and teacher-centered approach

Abstract

No data has been found about the attitudes of pre-service English teachers towards learner-centered approach (LCA) and teacher-centered approach (TCA) in terms of Foucauldian panopticism. Thus, in this study, the researcher aims to evaluate the attitudes of pre-service English teachers in ELT department towards the practices of LCA and TCA in terms of panopticism, namely observing and being observed. The sample group of the study consisted of 70 pre-service teachers of ELT in English Language Teaching Department and a background questionnaire, interviews, classroom discussions and essay papers were used for data collection. The research was carried out particularly in academic courses entitled Teaching English to Young Language Learners I and II, both of which are compulsory courses in autumn and spring terms at Balikesir University, in Turkey. The results indicated that the benefits of LCA outweigh TCA, though both of these two approaches have some significant benefits on learning, particularly on cognitive and metacognitive awareness, motivational and affective awareness, developmental and social awareness and lastly individual awareness; however, each of them brings some potential problems. Finally, some practical recommendations are noted.