English Curricula in
Turkey
A short history of English Language Curricula in Turkey
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cahit Erdem
The beginning years of
the country
Emphasis on the need for learning a foreign
language
1924 Law on Unification of Education
Board of Education responsible for
• Developing national education policies
• Preparing curricula
• Supervising curriculum implementation
No systematic curricula development until 1980s
• Contents, number of hours, books etc.
English curricula years
1924
1934
1938
1952
1956
1960
1970
1973
1987
1997
2006
2013
2017
The main curriculum reforms
Transition to eight years of compulsory and continuous
education
Curricular Revision (Transition to 4 + 4 + 4)
2006
1997
2013
Curriculum revision based on constructivism
First through curriculum change
1997
(Transition
to 8 years
of
compulsory
education)
Change in the whole educational system and curricula
<1997 = English lesson started at middle school
1997> = English lesson introduced at 4th and 5th grades
Aim: meet EU standards for foreign language education
64 hours of English at the 4th and 5th grades
160 hours of English at 6-8th grades
Behaviorism
Repetition, drills
1997
curriculum
Also introduced CLT
Expectation
• Student centered education
• Focus on productive skills and communication
Reality
• Traditional teaching
Difference between official/written curriculum and enacted/taught
curriculum
Intensive
curriculum
Possible
reasons for
this
discreapancy
Lack of teacher
training
Lack of
resources
Teachers’
inability in
speaking &
listening
Inefficient
integration of
skills to the
curriculum
Large classes
2006 Curriculum
• Transition to constructivist approach
• Adopted worldwide trends by incorporating other Western-derived
educational approaches,
• boosting the communicative aspect of language teaching in addition to
creating a dramatic pedagogical shift in the classrooms.
• non-language cross-curricular subjects like geography, music, and sports
using English
• Performance-based assessment
2006 Curriculum
Similar changes at the secondary level
Removal of English preparatory classes available at some high schools
9th grade: 10 hours of English
10, 11, 12th grades: 4 hours of
English
2013 Curriculum
Transition from the
education system
of 8 + 4, to 4 + 4 +
4.
Based on CEFR
Prioritization of oral
skills and listening
in primary grades
English lesson was
introduced to 2nd
and 3rd grades.
Spiral curriculum
Reading and writing
at secondary level
Formerly English
language education
had started at the
4th grade.
Teaching young
learners
Alternative
assessment
techniques
2017 Revision of English language curriculum
Curriculum revision for all lessons based
on stakeholder views
Preparatory English class was introduced
to 5th grade in some schools.