ELT-Turkey-December-2022.pdf

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From the Editor
Dr. Bora Demir
Hello,
It is our pleasure, as AELTE, to be able to share the first issue of our new journal,
ELT-Turkey. The ELT society in Turkey comprises of a large number of
researchers, lecturers, instructors, and language teachers from all over Turkey.
However, what we know about the people from this community is limited to their
professional identity and the academic work they produce. On the other hand, all
people have their own stories to share with others. We believe that besides
academic work, what makes us human is our personal identities. From this point
of view, ELT-Turkey will make more effort to reflect the social dimension of the
people from a variety of contexts, such as universities, K-12, and other
educational institutions. Here is the content of the first issue.
In the Teacher’s Corner, you will read the story of Aytek Yıldız as a language
teacher working at a private college. In the Innovative Teacher section, you will
read the experiences of Utku Ölmez as an English teacher who has been involved
in managing international projects. In the Career Path section, Prof. Dr. Gölge
Çıtak Sefereoğlu shared her experiences as a scholar who is teaching abroad.
Prof. Dr. Özden Ekmekçi shared her life-long experiences and provided insight
as a multi-potentialite person in the Voices of Masters section. In the next section,
Prof. Dr. Hossein Farhady shared his professional story as One of Us. An inspiring
article about the use of Metaverse in ELT was written by Prof. Dr. Selami Aydın
in the ELT Agenda.
In the From the Academy section, Prof. Dr. Gülcan Erçetin and Peggy Alptekin
shared their experiences about the steps of publishing an academic study. And the
last section is about deceased Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Erten where you can read his
colleagues’ and students’ sharings in memory of him.
We are grateful to all the contributors for the first issue and we appreciate their
effort and time.
Please share your ideas and suggestions for ELT-Turkey.
Dr. Bora Demir
borademir@comu.edu.tr

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Content
Teacher’s Corner 1
Aytek Yıldız
Innovative Teacher 8
Utku Ölmez
Career Path 11
Gölge Çıtak
Voices of masters 15
Özden Ekmekçi
One of Us 21
Hossein Farhady
ELT Agenda 29
Selami Aydın
From the Academy 33
Gülcan Erçetin & Peggy Alptekin
In Memory of 41
İsmail Hakkı Erten

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Teacher’s Corner
Aytek Yıldız
Let’s start with your career. Can you tell us about your journey in ELT?
It all started when I went to the class earlier than my classmates when I was a student at Ege University.
I heard classical music; which was quite odd to hear at the faculty of tourism, and I saw a man crossing
his legs and reading his book quietly. I did not have any clue who was inside. He was in his sixties and
had relatively unique grey hair. I entered the class and he turned the volume down. We started speaking
English.
After twenty minutes, I realized that nobody was coming to the class because of the tourism season.
Everybody was working except for me. We kept talking about many different topics. He was impressed
by my enthusiasm for
languages, and my
journey of learning
English. My focus was all
on the process of learning
and how we were taught. I
was not content with the
educational approaches
that I had witnessed in my
high school years. He
asked me whether I knew
Gandhi or not.
Frankly speaking, I barely
knew him. He cited the quote “You must be the change you wish to see.” that has been my motto. My
career started on that day and I made up my mind to be an English teacher after finishing my first degree.
After my first degree in tour guiding, I started 18 Mart University where I learned how to change lives
and inspire. During my sophomore year at 18 Mart university, we found ourselves teaching at a public
primary school as a part of volunteering. I developed a website for my first students so that they could
practice and download the materials that we use in the classroom. In 2011, I did my first online
assessment. The things that I learned from my volunteer teaching experience shaped the person I am

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today. I tried to make the most of my university life and graduated from it. I decided not to take KPSS
(The Selection Examination for Professional Posts in Public Organizations). I started teaching at a
private school at the primary level. I completed my four years of teaching career as an English teacher.
Later, I started working at a bilingual school based in Izmir, Turkey. I have been teaching English, math,
social studies, and science. Learning and teaching in different fields have significantly contributed to
my teaching and broadened my scope as a teacher. Next year (2022-2023) I will be working my second
year as the head of the English department.
What makes a good language teacher?
A good language teacher is
someone who makes his
class peaceful and safe.
Lowering the affective
filter is the key to teaching
and learning. Letting one
be vulnerable in front of a
class makes the difference.
Once the learner feels the
fact that he/she is safe, it is
never challenging. First I
start teaching values, not
my rules. Values are more
important than rules. We
must help our students find their compass in their own experiences.
Talking about generations is quite popular nowadays. Do you believe
Generation Z is different from former generations in terms of learning?
Because the generations are the creators of the culture, it is always essential to understand our students
and meet their needs. I taught a first-grade class, regarded as Generation Alpha, during the lockdown
and I can easily say that they are also different from the previous generation. The first skill set to be
taught to them was taking turns and waiting calmly. Since they were a tech-savvy generation, they
learned how to operate a technological device and a video conferencing software in no time. This
educational year (2021-2022) was different because we were together and they had to unlearn some of
the habits they had had during the lockdown. Their self-centered attitude had to be rewired in the first
months of the school year.

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Apparently, young learners are often considered as the hardest group of
learners, do you think so? If yes, are there any techniques or methods that you
use to overcome the difficulties?
If they are true beginners, that can be a bit challenging. On the other hand, it is advantageous to have
true beginners because you have the perfect opportunity to teach them the way you wish. Since they are
still in their critical period for pronunciation, they are capable of acquiring little details. The first two to
three months are the most difficult months. We spend a lot of time to bond.
There is a phrase I use a lot for my students “Zero to Hero”. You are simply creating your own heroes.
Especially If you are a teacher at a bilingual school, you see your students use a wide range of vocabulary
specific to science, math, and social studies as early as the 2nd grade.
At the beginning of my career, I always used a high-pitched voice to make the students quiet however
It backfired and made things worse. There is always one student who is willing to warn classmates for
you when you just keep your calm and wait there patiently. For the first two weeks, you might find
yourself waiting up to fifteen minutes. Then waiting time diminishes. Young learners are excellent
observers. If you are calm and consistent, they shape their mindset accordingly. Brain breaks are one
of the best tools to use during a lesson. A warm-up at the beginning and a brain break in the middle help
learners experience your lesson in a refreshing and concise manner. Another approach that I always use
especially in bilingual classes is the “task-based approach”. The first trials might fail but you and your
students need to work on it. The students not only learn a subject but also learn a routine.
You are working at a private school. What are the pros and cons of teaching at
a private school as an English teacher?
First I would like to share my ideas on the pros.
 Due to the socio-economic factors, it is more likely to have a more homogenous group of
students in your class. The educational background of families helps you create the
fundamentals of your classroom environment competently. As teachers, we not only instruct
students but their families, as well.
 Easy access to educational resources for the students and training held by publishers. The
resources we use for teaching are well designed with many components which support the
extended learning process.
 Private schools are demanding, and that motivates you to keep your skills sharp. You have to be
“the Swiss army knife”.
 Collaborating with native colleagues on a daily basis.
You keep your journey going as a learner.

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 Job satisfaction is based on your students' performance.
You are always appreciated by your students and the parents. It makes you proud when you see your
students use the language fluently.
The cons are based on the decisions you have made and the paths you have taken.
 You do not have many options when it comes to quality private schools or language schools.
 You have to spend more time in addition to your office hours.
 Some teachers might find themselves teaching at many different levels.
What would you suggest to prospective language teachers?
Being a teacher is usually being a decision-maker. That is
the nature of our job to answer any questions, including the
same questions, many times. Every single decision you
will make and your attitude while answering these
questions create the next generation that will change this
world. As teachers, we are obliged to remember this fact.
Never miss a training session. Especially in the first five
years of teaching, we must be explorers of what is new to
us. Collect as many different flowers as possible to make
the best bouquet for the class we are teaching. After these
five years, take responsibility to share knowledge. It is a
never-ending journey.
Work on your classroom management skills and be
consistent. Spend quality time with your students even if some of them can be trouble makers. Focus on
the root of the problem, not the behavior you see in the classroom. At the end of the day, they are learning
how to express their feelings and ideas from you. Help them use their words.

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Innovative Teacher
Utku Ölmez
Can you tell us about your career as a language teacher?
After having completed my Bachelor’s Degree in English Language Department, I started teaching
English for the Ministry of National Education in 2004 in Şanlıurfa. Having completed my 10-years
teaching career there, I have been teaching English in Silivri, İstanbul, for more than 10 years.
What was your motivation in choosing such a career?
Since my childhood, I have always had special interest and enthusiasm in languages especially English,
with the guidance and direction of my English teachers in my secondary school. I can say that my
English teachers really influenced me in this regard both in terms of being a role model for future
generations and the ability to convey my know-how and expertise in the field that I am most comfortable
with. After being a teacher, I reckon that I have inspired many Language Department students so far.
Can you define your ideal teacher?
By possessing the gift and capability to convey his knowledge, experience and expertise, an ideal teacher
should be able to establish a student-centered ambiance in his class by entwining his students’

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motivation, skills, special needs together with social and cultural background. One should never forget
that students will take you as a role model as they will gain your vision and perspective while interpreting
the whole world.
How did you decide to do international projects?
In Turkey, European-funded projects have started to be implemented in the very beginning of the 2000s.
After having been aware of these programs in the Turkish National Agency, I thought that these kinds
of projects would make a
contribution to Turkey and the
schools in it both in terms of social
integration in Europe and
exchanging useful information and
practices among teachers and
students. With the contemplation
of adding values to European
citizenship awareness among
Turkish community.
What difficulties did you
have while doing
international projects and
how did you manage to
overcome those problems?
As there has been very insufficient
awareness during the execution of
the project, the headmasters
caused little hardship in this
regard. After when I mentioned
the importance and great value of
the project, they met this with
understanding. Afterwards, upon the outbreak of the Covid-19, the activities of the project have not been
implemented as envisaged. We have had to cancel the mobilities due to the restrictions imposed by the
countries involved in the project.

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Can you tell us about your projects?
The projects which we have implemented during this time require both teachers and students. This
project has been designed to discover entrepreneurship and new business lines. And thanks to these
project activities, the students will be able to gain the characteristics and skills that the students will
acquire in their future jobs.
In what ways doing international projects affected you and your students?
With the implementation of this project, I can say that my students have acquired the awareness of
becoming effective European citizens and how we will adopt the principles of humanity irrespective of
nationality, religion, gender and race. As I have been involved in the implementation of these kinds of
projects for more than 10 years, this program has enabled me to acquire new techniques and approaches
in terms of pedagogical perspective.
What would you suggest to language teachers who want to do international
projects?
I would recommend those who would like to participate in these kinds of projects to take their chances
to take part in these projects and to be in cooperation with their colleagues and to find ways to explore
how to exchange good practices with the help of this project. Thanks to this kind of European project,
the teachers will be able to find an opportunity to improve their language skills and professional skills
for gaining key competencies of English Language teaching.

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Career Path
Gölge Çıtak Seferoğlu
Can you tell us about your professional career? Why did you choose a career
in ELT?
I graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of English Language Teaching ranking first in the
department and the second in the Faculty. As soon as I graduated, I started working as a research
assistant at Boğaziçi University. Around the same time, I heard that the Ministry of National Education
was offering scholarships to pursue master's and doctoral degrees abroad and through a very competitive
process I was selected to be sponsored by the Ministry of Education.
I was told that I needed to get an acceptance from a university abroad as soon as possible to be able to
use the scholarship. Time was tight and I did not know much about the universities and graduate
programs in the US. More importantly, there was no
world wide web in Turkey back then. I went to the
library of Boğaziçi University, found a catalog of US
Universities, and decided which universities to apply to
after examining it.
Think about how limited your access to information is
when there is no world wide web. Now everything is at
your fingertips. You can get a lot of information with
the click of a button, there are blogs you can read, you
can learn people's opinions, but there was none at that
time. We knew the US only from what we heard from
a few of our teachers. I chose universities to apply from
the catalog randomly. One thing I paid attention to was
the application fees as my personal funds were limited.
I wanted to apply to many universities as possible as I
did not know if I will be accepted or not. I requested the application materials by postal mail and I sent
my application materials by postal mail as well. At the end of this difficult process, I got accepted into
6 prestigious universities. Penn State, Michigan, Columbia University, etc.

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I went to Columbia University, Teachers College in New York City. After I started taking classes at
Teachers College, Columbia University, I realized that it is the best graduate school for teacher
education in the US. When I went there, I realized how well Boğaziçi University prepared me for further
studies. Before I went to the US, I was worried whether or not I would be successful there. One cannot
be self-confident, from afar everything seems very inaccessible. But after I went there, I was getting
very good grades, even A+ s. The professors
were telling me that I wrote better than the
Americans, I was more successful. With this
feedback, I was highly encouraged to continue
with the doctoral degree. I completed my
master’s degrees and my doctorate at Columbia
University. In five and a half years, I completed
two master's (MA in TESOL, EdM in Applied
Linguistics) and a doctorate and also had a
child.
Then I returned to Turkey and started working
at Middle East Technical University. I worked
there for 23 years in different capacities. I
served as the department chair, vice dean of 2
different Deans, and as a Dean of Faculty of
Education for 4 and a half years. I supervised
44 MA and PhD theses in TESOL there. In
2020, I retired and moved to the US and started working at California State University. (CSUSB)
As I mentioned in the article published by CSUSB featuring my research
(https://www.csusb.edu/inside/article/551024/golge-seferoglu-master-many-research-designs), I was
fortunate to be surrounded by gifted individuals I had the opportunity to work together to do meaningful
research and over the years, I have learned an enormous amount about teaching, learning and research
from many of those wonderful people, all my former and current students and my colleagues. Their
influence pervades my research and publications.
John Dewey stated that (teachers’) ‘learning must be personal, practical, and situated.’ I think these hold
true for research too,” and I have followed these points in my research:
 As a researcher, you should seek answers to questions of great interest to you. Your research
problem should be meaningful to you

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 You should be genuinely interested in the topic and objectives of your study
 Your research study should have relevance to your practice and should bear significant
implications for the local and global context
What are your thoughts on the investment made in language education in our
country, the time and effort spent, and the success level?
I cannot say that the resources and time spent are not enough. Naturally, there are so many factors that
affect language learning. However, when we consider the total number of hours devoted to teaching
English in Turkey, we see that we
actually allocate more class hours
than many other countries. Yet, it is
more important how you spend the
time allocated. Learners need to
have a lot of exposure and practice
opportunities to be able to excel in
foreign languages. Also learning
should continue beyond the
classroom. Therefore, students need
to be provided with resources and
opportunities to learn and develop
out of the classroom as well. In order
for the education system to work
efficiently, it is necessary to
approach the process with systems
approach and empowering the teachers and supporting the professional development of teachers should
be a top priority.
What advice can you give to English language teaching students to improve
themselves professionally?
Being a teacher means being a learner for life. You should invest in your personal and professional
development, by reading, observing, and participating in various activities to broaden your horizons.
You should continue to learn and improve yourself throughout life.
Teachers working at Ministry of Education schools are considered to have received in-service training
only when they participate in the activities offered by the Ministry. If they take an external course,

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certificate or participate in any other activity, it is usually not recognized. However, any self-
development effort should be recognized and appreciated.
What is the secret of your success?
I think the secret to success is to do whatever you do
with love and passion. You should believe and feel
wholeheartedly that you are doing good for the
community and making a difference. We should always
think about how we can do better and better, and for this
you have to work with passion.
Of course, depending on how you define success, the
secret to success changes. Everyone's understanding of
success is different. When I consider my secret to
success, two things come to my mind. There were two
things that Ioanna Kuçuradi underlined in her speech
when she received the METU Senate Special Award on
May 29, 2015, these are the two things that have always
pushed me to do my best. The first is to do whatever you
are doing without expecting anything to come back to
you in return. I care about this a lot. I have always served
with this understanding throughout my academic career
and administrative duties.
Another point that Kuçuradi emphasized in her speech while receiving the award was "meaning". No
matter what we do in life, if it is meaningful, it gives us happiness, if we do something meaningful for
us, then good things happen, that work ends well. During my academic career, I have always worked
with a focus on meaning. But the important thing here is that the work done should have meaningful
results not only for the person but also for the whole institution, country and society. That's when a
person looks back and feels really successful.

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Voices of Masters
Özden Ekmekçi
Dear Dr. Ekmekçi, thanks for sharing your experience of life with ELT-
Turkey. As a start, can you tell us about your professional career?
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to be with you for this wonderful occasion.
After my primary school, my parents sent me to Üsküdar American Academy for Girls, where I
completed my junior and senior high school education. This was really the corner stone of my
professional life because this was where I mastered English and learned to cooperate and interact with
my school mates. After graduation, my plan was to attend METU to become an architect. However, my
plans did not work as I intended to because after graduation, when I returned to Ankara from İstanbul,
where I spent some time at a summer resort, I found out that I had missed the entrance exam for METU.
Even I waited for a whole year for the METU entrance exam, the following year I was so convinced by
my friends and my elders to give up my plans, I started studying English Language and Literature at the
Faculty of Letters at Ankara University. Interestingly enough, right after receiving my B.A., I started
working as a language teacher at the Preparatory School at METU.
While I was there, I was offered a scholarship by the Fulbright Commission to do my M.A. on Language
Teaching and Linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin, in Texas, USA. During my stay there, I
received my M.A. degree and took some doctoral courses. My intention was to receive my Ph.D.as well
while I was there. However, the academic
committee at METU did not give me the
permission to do so. So I came back and started
working at METU again. Seven years later, I
went back to USA to attend the same university
at Texas covering up my own expenses. In two
years tıme, I reached my goal and received my
Ph.D. When I returned to METU, together with
other colleagues, we set up an M.A. program on
English Language Teaching. A year later, we set
up the English Language Department under the
newly established Faculty of Education. In
1985, I moved to Çukurova University with my

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family, where I started working as an Assistant Professor, at the English Langue Education department,
where all the other instructors had only a B.A. This is where I worked hard, to provide these instructors
an opportunity to earn their M.A. degrees.
After this mission was accomplished, I got into academic relations with The Southern Illinois University
(SIU). As a result of an agreement wıth SIU and the Fulbright Commission, we set up a doctoral program
at Çukurova University. The first year, each semester, two professors came to Çukurova University to
offer the Ph.D. Courses to our instructors. In summer, our teachers went to SIU to take summer courses.
I went there as well to offer their graduate students a course on Discourse Analysis. Later we got
assistance from Prof. Yener Gülmez from Çağ University and Prof. Ayhan Sezer in Mersin University
to continue with our Ph.D program because only one professor was able to offer a course in the second
year of the program. Now all these graduates are professors and administrators at different Universities
in Turkey.
Let’s start with your approach to teaching in general and to language
teaching particularly?
In teaching, we cannot proceed further without deciding on what material we chose and what process of
teaching to apply in order to arrive at the desired product. So, what material and which process to apply
to achieve the desired product depends on the aim of the course. The teachers arrive at an aim, according
to the readiness, aims and the learning profile of the students in concern.
The success of the teachers depends on their academic as well as personal qualities. If they are equipped
with excellent knowledge of the foreign
language to be taught, and have received a
good training on methodology, they are
considered to be good candidates for becoming
a language teacher with the condition that they
are also willing to receive guidance and support
in the field at least during the first years of their
teaching. The personal qualities are their
confidence but not their ego, their patience,
their compassion for students, their dedication
for excellence, their encouragement for both
students and themselves, their communication
skills outside of school, their passion for life
and their sense of humor. These qualities are discussed in detail in my book “Bilinçli Anne Baba ve
Başarılı Çocuk” Morpa Kültür Yayınları, İstanbul, 2005.

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These qualities are namely:
Principles of balance (not too much- or too less), choice (we may not be able to control the
circumstances we are in but we can make our own choice in our reaction to the existing situation)
Duration (we should keep in mind that if we proceed step by step we can show progress.)
Present moment (If we focus on the past event or worry about the future, we miss the joy of present.)
Empathy, tolerance responsibility and (If we could imagine what difficulties our students are going
through during the learning process, we would not listen to them to detect their mistakes, instead, we
would focus on their accomplishment and encourage them by showing our appreciation.)
Confidence (Appreciation and encouragement build up students’ confidence)
Expectations (Our life takes form not by what we went through, but how we perceived our
experiences and what we anticipate from life.),
Managing the emotional feelings (As we stay faithful to our principles and rules set up by the school,
we should not be slaves of our unfavorable feelings.)
Love, respect and honor (We should approach our students with love, respect and love.) I guess, this
is what I would advise in a nut shell.
We know that you are interested in philosophy and you have a large
collection of videos on YouTube about words and concepts. Can tell us
about the importance of reading philosophy for language teachers and
researchers?
Although we focus on the importance of the material and methodology in language classroom, it’s the
teacher’s ability to adjust the material according to the needs of the students. Here, the personal attributes
of the teachers play a great role on issue. This all depends on how good they are in observing life from
a more philosophical point of view. This positive attitude of theirs facilitate their awareness of the
problem by their careful observation of their students’ reactions. Each facial expression a student makes
facilitates the teachers to become aware of what is going right or what’s going wrong during the teaching
and the learning process. These attributes are gained through their experiences about life and their way
of facing the problems. It is easier to take a problem as a challenge and work on solving it rather than
feeling upset or worried about it.
In my videos at YouTube, certain aspects of life are chosen and how to deal with these topics are
elaborated. Titles such as Haset and Haslet, Teşvik ve Tasvip, Servet ve Şehvet, İlim ve Bilim, Dil ve
Toplum, Dirlik ve Düzen, İnsaniyet, Şefkat ve Nefret, Verimlilik, İnsanın Toplumdaki Yeri would give
you some idea of the content of these videos. That’s why I describe the content of my channel as ‘Yaşam
Sözlüğü’. It’s like a dictionary covering different aspects of life focusing on single concepts such Sebat,
Kelam, İnsan hakları, Her Anlamda Savaş, Sadakat, İnsani ilişkiler, Gerçek nedir? Some videos focus

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on two words which are close in meaning but differentiate in some aspects such as Dirlik ve Düzen,
Sevgi ve Sevda, Alev ve Ateş, Işık ve Işın. There are about 187 videos so far, I try to upload one video
every week. These videos are available at: http://www.YouTube.com/user/devran2011 or Özden
Ekmekci at YouTube.
What can you suggest to language teachers and researchers who are interested
in reading and using philosophy in the classroom?
Both teachers and students need to be good observers in the first place. If they’re not good observers,
they can’t even be aware of the existing problem. I suggest that once they become aware of the problem,
they should accept it and not deny it. Acceptance is the second step to solving the problem. Now is the
time to be willing to find a solution to the problem instead of ignoring it. Solution comes as a result of
research both by reviewing the research in the field and also doing action research regarding the way of
solving the problem. The teacher as a researcher can work collaboratively with other colleagues to solve
the problem. In solving the problem, there is a need to find a connection between events and outcomes.
The second step is to use evidence to understand the need for a change in the application. The evidences
are collected from the teaching process within the classroom and analyzed to see the cause of the
problem. Reflecting on the findings of the analysis helps the teacher see the strengths and weaknesses
of the teaching process taking place in the classroom. Now is the time to generate and offer new ideas
and applications to solve the problem. In offering new ideas, teachers or researchers focus on both the
right and the wrong applications in their teaching. Once they see the positive aspects of their teaching,
they start to look for methods to reinforce the positive aspects of their teaching and change the negative
ones.

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You are a multi-potentialite person by writing poems and helping people as a
life coach. How did doing such activities other than being a sole researcher
contributed both to your personal and professional life?
As I mentioned before, observation is the first requirement. If you’re not a good observer, you cannot
see the beauties both in nature and in people. If you see the good side of everything, you can change the
world into heaven for you. Life if full of positive and negative events. Your glass is always half full. If
you focus on the emptiness or lack of it, you put yourself into hell suffering from repents and worries.
But if you focus on the full side, you will see that there are so many values incarnated within you and
start appreciating everything you are surrounded with. This awareness will make you happy and grateful
and you will start enjoying you own life as it exists without any worries. As a result of your great
observation and awareness about your own life, you get inspired by what you see and your inner self
would start to express with gratitude these invaluable circumstances you are in. These expressions can
be formulated in different forms such as poems, drawings or in other forms of art or literary texts that
would have a great impact in your life style. I will cite two of my poems here:
DÜNYA
Bir güle bakıp dünya mekanizmasını keşfetmek
Bir suya bakıp onun ötesini görmek
Bir insana bakıp onun kalbini okumak
Bir tatlı sözle bir nizaya son vermek
Bir atıfla herkese gereken mesajı vermek.
Bir sözcükle bir ömrün felsefesini dile getirmek
Derin bir disiplin ve ruh eğitimi gerektirir.
8 February,1993, F. Özden Ekmekci

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HAYAT
Hayat bir kitap.
İnsan bir yazar.
Etraf bir kalem.
Okur ise ancak bunları gören.
11 February, 2001, F. Özden Ekmekçi
As you mentioned in your question, aside from writing poems and short notes on life, I’m also a life
coach and a hypnotherapist. From the Newton Institute, I received my ‘Life Between Lives’ certificate,
which is world-wide accepted.
Finally, what do you want to say to language teachers and researchers?
Being a good teacher is not just teaching. It’s rather giving quality to education. As you go into the
classroom, you forget where you are and you get connected with the students. This connection enables
you to be in contact with students and feel the oneness. Thus, you start demonstrating your effective
discipline skills, your positive classroom management skills, your passion for your students and your
knowledge of subject matter. If we really want to establish a healthy relationship with our students, our
first step should be to focus on the positive actions and performances of the students and attempt to show
our appreciation as soon as we spot such positive behaviors. If we get into the habit of observing our
students to motivate their positive performances, we start trying to find solutions to improve the
inappropriate performances without showing any negative attitude.

21
Can you tell us about your professional career?
I started teaching multilevel classes at an elementary school more than half a century ago in a small
village in the western part of Iran. After two years of teaching, I performed my military service for
2 years and resumed teaching. At that time English was replacing French as the formal foreign
language in the country.
Along with teaching, I was working in an international organization where English was the medium of
communication, my workplace was an opportunity for me to improve my English and it probably
motivated me to get involved in teaching English. I received permission for a short teacher training
program offered by the Ministry of Education
and started teaching English in secondary and
high schools. While teaching, I took the
university entrance examination and was
admitted to the English and Literature
department of Tehran University. As an English
teacher, I was both happy and excited. I wanted
to improve myself and teach at higher levels. I
was lucky to meet the requirements and
qualifications I received a full scholarship for an
MA and Ph.D. in applied linguistics and became
a full-time student at UCLA (one of the
prestigious universities in TESL in the world) in
September 1976. This was the turning point in
both my social and academic life.
It was at UCLA that I witnessed and felt the
excellence of education with my soul and heart.
The TESL section of the English department at
UCLA was a top-ranking institution in the world during the 70s and 80s. Superb faculty members, strong
research orientation, and international leadership of the people in the department had made the TESL
section the center of attention around the world. To be honest, coming from a traditional educational
system where lecture-type classes were popular I was quite lost. I experienced a multitude of challenges
One of Us
Hossein Farhady

22
including weakness in my academic language ability, cultural differences, deficiencies resulting from
my home country's educational system, and most of all emotional stress and fear of failure. On reflection,
I now understand why some international students, entering the program later, broke down and left the
department with incomplete degrees. UCLA was TOUGH and DEMANDING!
UCLA had a two-year timeline MA program in two phases. At the end of the first year, all successful
students, around 40-50, would receive a certificate of teaching English as a second language. They could
follow a teaching EFL/ESL career around the globe. From among interested applicants, a departmental
committee would select 15-20 qualified students for the second year to complete the MA program. The
selection criteria included, among other factors, students’ performance in the first year along with the
quality of their research proposal for the MA thesis.
Most of the faculty members encouraged me and with help from my classmates, I prepared my research
proposal on a then-controversial topic of discrete-point and integrative tests. Luckily, the departmental
committee approved my proposal, and I started the second year at UCLA for my MA studies.
To obtain the necessary knowledge and skills for completing my MA thesis, I had to take some courses
in research methods and testing.
These courses not only shaped the
foundation of my research methods
and testing knowledge but also gave
me a strong motivation to pursue my
studies in that area. The more I
learned from the courses in the
education department, the more
motivated I became by utilizing my
knowledge in the TESL department.
In those days, quantitative research
and psychometrics were less popular
among applied linguists.
Furthermore, very few people knew how to use computers and SPSS in the department. With the
knowledge of quantitative research methods, I offered help to other students in designing their MA
research projects and analyzing their data using SPSS. To encourage my contribution, the department
offered me a research assistant position and soon, I became the research and testing person in the
department. I was developing a dual academic personality. On the one hand, I was pursuing my studies
in second/foreign language teaching in the TESL department, and on the other hand, I was developing
skills in measurement and statistics in the Education department.

23
Just about the time, when I finished my MA thesis in 1978, our department announced taking five Ph.D.
students in the newly established applied linguistics program. My solid record in the MA program, the
quality of my MA thesis, and the need of the department for a person with knowledge of research and
testing convinced the selection
committee to accept me into the
program. This was the beginning of
my professional career in applied
linguistics with a focus on testing
and research methods.
My Ph.D. dissertation topic came
from an informal gathering in the
presence of some scholars including
Henry Widdowson, Peter Strevens,
and the late Russell Campbell, then
the leaders of the newly emerging
functional approach to language
teaching. Inspired by their
suggestions, I developed, pretested,
and validated the first socio-
linguistically oriented functional
language proficiency test in the
field. My dissertation served as a
basis for some other MA theses and
Ph.D. dissertations later.
I had not completed my doctoral dissertation yet when our department offered me unprecedented one-
year employment to stay there as an adjunct. I was very grateful and proud, as I knew this would be a
unique opportunity to gain more research experience. That was one of the most pleasant moments of my
life because I started teaching at the same place and in the same class where I had most of my frustrations
some 4 years earlier.
Despite having secured a few job offers from different institutions, I decided to go back to Iran and
continue my service to the country. When I arrived in Tehran, the post-revolutionary context was quite
unfamiliar to me. The new government closed down all universities to implement what they called “The
Cultural Revolution”. However, following a job announcement, I started working for the newly
established University of Marine Sciences. Working in a military university was a good experience to
face the challenges of academic life within the army discipline. It was another opportunity for me to

24
learn from military personnel how they developed a curriculum and prepared instructional materials for
teaching English to military students. That was where I began to utilize my knowledge in shaping up
the curriculum for teaching ESP.
I think it would be helpful to bear in mind the social context when I returned to Iran, i.e., the post-
revolutionary education in general and the TEFL in particular. The field of EFL had gone under
fundamental transformations of Islamization. Universities were closed for a few years and some key
international English language teaching providers (e.g., the British Council and the American Language
Institute) had left Iran. The Anti west government closed down EFL centers under the impression that
English was the language of evil. In other words, the anti-English language attitude was the fashion of
the day equating the English language with the speakers of that language. Many faculty members
stopped academic activities as the government considered them inappropriate for their jobs and some
others left the country on their own as they did not want to work under the circumstances. When the
universities reopened, there was an observable shortage of expertise in the field and a lack of appetite
for developing English language teaching and learning as an academic field of inquiry. Gradually,
however, the authorities felt the need and TEFL began to gain momentum although it never reached the
point it was before the revolution.
The educational context in Iran was quite different from what I experienced at UCLA. While I was
trained to live in the world of research, the Iranian context was dominated by teaching with little or no
attention to research as a requirement for professional development. The first challenge I faced was the
time I started teaching research methods and testing courses. I needed to change the students’ mindset
about these topics. Research methods courses were designed around more teaching how to write a library
paper than teaching the principles of doing genuine research. Testing courses were limited to teaching
from Harris and Lado both written in the 60s. It took a good amount of energy and time to cultivate the
culture of research and modern language testing in the courses we taught. Despite all challenges, the
outcome of my efforts was promising in the EFL community. MA theses and Ph.D. dissertations began
to shape up following appropriate research designs and principles.
Furthermore, the grant system that motivated researchers in the USA was non-existent in Iran. And only
a very limited number of organizations in the ministry of education and the ministry of sciences and
higher education provided research opportunities. Despite the limitations, I tried to take advantage of
any possibility that could help us do research and succeeded on a few occasions.
I can confidently claim I have left a legacy behind in three areas. First, training new researchers and
teachers who could bring changes about in their relevant fields. Second, my work DID bring change in
university course curriculum and teaching materials at both local and national levels. And finally,
training new generations of language testing experts meant a more modern approach to testing English
as a second language was on its way.

25
After retirement, I decided to take a trip to the USA to detach myself from my daily routine and teaching
responsibilities for a while. Unfortunately, it did not happen. Invitations arrived and my colleagues in
the US realized that I was retired. For a few months, I worked with the Ordinate Corporation in Menlo
Park California, where my task was to prepare the report for the project I conducted for them. The project
was a validation study of their automated speaking test called ‘Versant for English’ in comparison to
authentic iBT TOEFL and Original IELTS.
I was just about to complete the report when an old friend, Charles Stansfield, who was also the owner
of Second Language Testing Incorporated (SLTI), asked me to manage a couple of testing projects for
him. I worked there for two years and directed a project for the Pearson Academic English Test, and a
review of the Persian and Turkish language tests. Working at SLTI provided me with great opportunities
to improve my skills in managing projects.
After two years at SLTI,
despite a dynamic work
environment, I was
missing the academic
environment and
teaching. Therefore, I
took the offer by Antony
Kunnan, then the dean of
the EFL program” at the
American University of
Armenia (AUA) as his
associate. It was an
American style in
appearance, but not so
from the inside. The instruction was teacher-centered and the testing system was traditional. However,
the administration, especially the provost and the president, were quite open to changes that would
improve the quality of instruction. It was a graduate school leading to MA degrees. The program was
set by the TESL section of UCLA and was similar to MA program there. However, it took a year to
move students towards active learning.
I was satisfied with the accomplishments at AUA. In addition to making some important adjustments in
the curriculum, helping students do research appropriately, and re-designing the testing system, we were
expanding our global presence by holding an international conference on language testing. To enrich
the quality of the conference, we invited key language testing colleagues from different countries and
involved postgraduate students in organizing, presenting, and managing the conference. Achieving all

26
these, I felt my mission at AUA was accomplished, and moved back to the US and started working as a
consultant to different testing organizations. At the same time, I was teaching as an adjunct professor in
the MA program at the University of Southern California (USC).
In 2012, I received an invitation from the dean of the education faculty at Yeditepe University in
Istanbul. They needed an assessment specialist for the department and offered me a teaching position.
This was an interesting opportunity for me as the faculty had, under the leadership of Professor Ayşe
Akyel, well-established BA, MA, and Ph.D. programs. The curriculum, well-aligned with the needs of
the country and the university’s mission statement, suggested that the university supported an ambitious
vision and a progressive approach to higher education. Most important of all, I found the atmosphere
quite friendly and disciplined at the same time. That is why I have been working here since then and
continue to train Ph.D. students to conduct and deliver solid research on language testing and
assessment.
I have worked in these different cultural and linguistic contexts, and I can say with confidence that they
all share similar core values. While most of these values adhere to global standards and are based on
universal concepts such as research design and ethical considerations, some of the values are not ‘fit for
purpose’ in the world of research today. For example, research is often evaluated from a theoretical
perspective with little attention to its implications for practice or its impact on communities,
stakeholders, or policy. This is a difference I have witnessed between the research culture in the US and
some other countries. In other words, in the US, there is usually a purpose for research beyond just
answering the research questions. The findings of one’s research are to change something in the real
world. This, often called “research impact”, is so important that a research proposal is usually evaluated
in terms of the impact it has on the stakeholders, communities, professional practices, or policy.
Interestingly, the challenges I faced in these different contexts were similar, too. Moving from one
country to another in the region, you may not feel much of a difference. Educational systems, teaching
philosophies, and testing procedures were quite similar. The main challenge was BRINGING
CHANGES ABOUT. When learners are trained through a, for example, the teacher-centered system for
a long time, it is not easy to change their mindsets about learning. When learners have taken discrete-
point multiple-choice tests of language with a focus on grammar and vocabulary, it is not easy to
persuade them to appreciate classroom assessment. However, I hope that Ph.D. students will spread the
word of change and I may see good changes in the future.
You have produced most of your academic work on language assessment. Why
is assessment so crucial for language teaching?
True. I continued researching and publishing in this area for two main seasons. First, I strongly believe
that testing and assessment is an important, if not the most important, factor in education. Almost all

27
instructions of any type end up with testing, whether we like it or not. Further, we make critical decisions
based on test outcomes. Unfair decisions on learners that may have roots in inappropriate testing would
certainly influence test takers’ lives. Further, undesirable testing would lead to negative washback and
test-driven curriculum. The second reason was the need to improve language assessment around the
world. In so doing, the field felt the need for assessment literate teachers. It implied that teacher
education programs needed to make changes in their programs to accommodate the new challenges in
testing and assessment.
As an experienced researcher, what topics would you suggest the researchers
study in ELT and/or applied linguistics?
Language testing and assessment is a dynamic and fast-growing field. Within almost half a century,
I have witnessed so many developments, and sometimes conflicting ones. From the movement that
Lado and his associates started with the scientification of language testing in the ’50s and ’60s to the
latest learning-oriented assessment in the last decade, I have observed and enjoyed the growth and
maturation of our field.
We have seen great movements in the product-oriented testing period. The movements all focused on
measuring the product of language learning. Approaches such as discrete-point, integrative,
communicative, functional, and skills-based testing are, in my view, all product-oriented. Their
differences can be due to their conceptualization of the construct of language ability. With the rise of
constructivism, attention shifted to process-oriented assessment. There is no end to innovations and
changes in our field. However, some changes have had a greater impact on the profession.
The first change is learning as much as we can about the construct of language ability. Beginning with
Spolsky who asked “What does it mean to know a language?” some 50 years ago, finding an all-
embracing definition for language ability has been an ongoing challenge. We have defined, refined, and
redefined the concept of language ability following the principles of different theoretical frameworks.
Though the construct of language ability has stayed the same, we have offered various definitions and
followed different procedures to measure the same construct. I think we still have a long way to go to
fully understand the nature of language ability and, more importantly, what the language test scores
mean in terms of language ability. This is what most professional testing organizations such as ETS,
Pearson, and IELTS have been continuously working on coming up with a better treatment of the
construct of language ability.
The second and more recent challenge is to apply classroom assessment that requires serious attention
to two critical issues: teacher education and teacher assessment knowledge. Teacher education that
includes preservice and in-service education and training needs to adapt to new developments in the
field. Teachers need opportunities to improve their content knowledge and pedagogical content

28
knowledge. For example, the integration of teaching, learning, and assessment under the learning-
oriented assessment approach require a suitable teacher education program to prepare teachers to cope
with the challenges. Research in different parts of the world indicates that teachers need to improve their
professional knowledge since most of them in many research contexts are practicing old procedures for
teaching and testing. Further, a more important issue now seems to be improving teachers’ knowledge
of technology and how to use it. With the attack of the COVID 19 pandemic, education rushed to an
online system with weak infrastructures and unprepared teachers. In this context, teachers need to
improve their language assessment literacy in using technology in assessment, especially in online
classroom contexts.
Technology has already changed most of the normative testing systems to a great extent. A broad range
of assessment-related tasks, from registration to administration and scoring can completely be performed
by computers. However, using technology for assessment is not yet widespread because of stakeholders’
unpreparedness to face the challenge. I need to state clearly and loudly that after all years of experience
in different places and at different levels, I have come to a firm conclusion that the most single important
factor in education in general, and language is no exception, is “THE TEACHER”. We need to pay
attention to teacher professionalism more than ever. A popular conceptualization of professionalism
refers to the professional knowledge of teachers. However, professionalism, in my view, does not refer
to professional knowledge only, but to other aspects of teacher life such as financial, social, and
academic issues.
To summarize, for half a century, I have enjoyed a pleasant academic career in different contexts. As a
student, I had the privilege of learning from cooperative classmates and distinguished professors. As an
instructor, I have had the pleasure of learning from my colleagues and, most important of all, from my
talented students in different places with a variety of academic and social cultures to all of whom I feel
deep appreciation and indebtedness.
From the early days of my teaching at a multi-level primary school, I felt a great obligation toward my
students. My students received priority over any other activity in my life. I have taught from classes
with zero beginners to classes at the Ph.D. levels and everything in between and I still do. I have also
enjoyed teaching at many universities in different countries and I still do. I am indebted to my students
at all levels since they have always been the strongest motivation for me to keep on working. I have had
the pleasure of teaching many talented and motivated students. Nothing in the world has been as
rewarding to me as seeing my former students serving the nation as distinguished professors now. I am
proud of all.

29
Can We Use the Metaverse in Language
Teaching and Learning?
We hear much about the metaverse, a relatively new
concept. We know that the metaverse is based on
communication and social interactions. We also
know that the language learning process depends on
communication and interaction. As teachers, we can
then ask a question:
Is it possible to use the metaverse in the foreign
language teaching and learning processes?
At first glance, we should be aware that there is no
certain answer to this crucial question due to two
reasons. First, we should have theoretical
information behind the use of the metaverse in
language teaching and learning. Second, we need to
see what research finds. Dramatically, there is much research on the metaverse and its effects on
language learning and teaching. However, we can obtain some theoretical information about the issue.
For this purpose, in the paper, I will briefly introduce the metaverse, focus on some theoretical issues,
and mention some potential problems.
The metaverse mainly depends on social interactions among users. That is because it includes a network
consisting of 3D virtual worlds with virtual and augmented reality. In other words, users can create their
virtual identities, meet other users, make new friends, and shop. In this world, people can create and
develop social connections and interactions. In this sense, it is a combination of digital and physical
worlds.
ELT Agenda
Selami Aydın

30
In 1992, Neal Stephenson published his science fiction novel, Snow Crash. The word metaverse was
first used in this novel. This dream came to reality in 2000 when supranet was used to refer to a
combination of physical and virtual worlds. Finally, Facebook launched a virtual reality platform, Meta
Platforms. However, Metaversal games were already popular since 1998. There, for instance, was a
virtual-based game. Another game, RuneScape, a role-playing game, was released in 2001. And in 2003,
Linden Lab launched Second Life, a virtual game through which users can interact in a parallel universe.
Roblox, Minecraft, Zwift, Fortnite Battle Royale, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons were some of the
metaversal games that became popular in recent years. Then, several platforms such as Microsoft Teams,
Zoom, and Adobe Connect appeared. All of these platforms facilitated virtual interaction,
communication, and collaboration.
Now then, is it possible to say that the metaverse can be used as a language learning environment since
it facilitates interaction, communication, and collaboration?
The answer is “Yes”. But why and how?
The critical point is interaction because interaction helps promote cognitive functioning, supports
personal and social development, and raises awareness of the target culture. Moreover, it connects
learners, shapes the learning process, and develops communicative competence and performance in the
target language. We should also remember that interaction is connected with technology; technology
increases interaction quality. In this sense, the metaverse may be used as a foreign language learning
environment within the scope of interaction. In this way, language learners can raise awareness of the

31
target culture, receive comprehensible input, and enhance collaboration and cooperation in the target
context.
Some more potential benefits of the use of the metaverse in language teaching and learning can be
mentioned. First, we should know that the metaverse can provide an intercultural learning environment
for language learners. In this way, learners can join new social groups, interact with native speakers and
raise their awareness of the target culture and language. Second, learners can increase the amount of
comprehensible input and produce in the target language by interactions in the metaverse. Third, when
teachers provide content, activities, materials, and design tasks in the metaverse, students can develop
their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Fourth, from teachers’ perspectives, the metaverse can
solve some potential problems such as time limitations and overpopulation in face-to-face classrooms.
Teachers can also design their classes according to learners’ needs, expectations, pace, and learning
characteristics.
Fifth, the metaverse can present a language learning environment where learners can expand their
language proficiency via social interactions and communication with their teachers and peers in
established communities. Moreover, teachers can share task-based visual materials, real-life situations,
and simulations on the metaverse. They can also design communicative tasks and activities that can be
used through collaboration in the metaverse. Last, we should know that the metaverse may provide a
free space for language learning in a collaborative effort and a learner-centered approach. In other words,
our students may learn a new language without isolation and an authority figure according to their
decisions, needs, and expectations.

32
While the metaverse may present possible and potential benefits in language learning, we should be
aware of some considerable problems. Our students are mostly children and adolescents. Thus, we
should follow ethical considerations and take precautions for their security and privacy. There may be
some negative effects of the use of the metaverse on our students. Some of them are addiction disorders,
game addictions, cyberbullying, abuse, and health problems. They can also experience problems
regarding relationship building, development of communication, and socialization skills in this new
environment.
In conclusion, the metaverse may provide benefits for language teaching and learning, while it may also
harm our students. Thus, as teachers, we need instructions about the benefits and challenges of the use
of the metaverse in the foreign language teaching and learning processes. We also need research results
on the use of the metaverse in the mentioned processes. For instance, how teachers and students perceive
the metaverse is one of the issues that can be investigated. Then, we can be sure how and why we should
use the metaverse as a language teaching and learning environment in accordance with scientific
findings. To sum up, we are now at an exciting turning and starting point.

33
From the Academy
Gülcan Erçetin & Peggy Alptekin
PUBLISHING IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION
AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS JOURNALS
Are you new to the academic publishing circuit? Wondering how academic publishers work? Not sure
where to start and what to expect? This article outlines the procedures and offers useful tips to enhance
your prospects for getting published, breaking the process down into 6 basic steps, as shown in Figure
1.
Step 1. Prepare the manuscript for submission (general)
#1
Prepare the
manuscript
(general)
#2
Target a
suitable
journal
#3
Format to
journal-
specific
guidelines
#4
Submit the
manuscript
#5
Address
reviewer
comments
#6 Resubmit
Figure 1. Basic steps in academic publishing

34
Most researchers develop their article before deciding where to submit it. However, writing with a
specific journal in mind has its advantages: you can, for example, tailor your article to the journal’s
specific requirements from the outset. Regardless of whether you choose a journal before or after writing
your article, be sure to follow the guidance in the American Psychological Association (APA)
Publication Manual, the most widely used style guide in language education and applied linguistics. Be
sure to use the latest edition.
Once you finalize your manuscript, and before you submit:
 Do a spelling and grammar check (Microsoft Word has a checking tool).
 Proofread the article (spellcheckers are great, but they are not perfect).
 Run a plagiarism checker (e.g. Turnitin) to avoid unintentional plagiarism.
 Check and cross-check in-text citations (all in-text citations must be listed in the references
section, and all entries in the reference list have to be reflected in the main text; also check for
alphabetical order).
 Prepare a list of keywords.
 Write an abstract, keeping within the word limit specified by your targeted journal.
 Create/refine your title (possibly one of the toughest tasks).
 Compose a biodata statement (keep it short, it’s not a CV; use 3rd
person; include your current
position / your research areas / other journals where you have published).
Before you send the article off:
 Make sure that tables and figures are in the format specified by the targeted journal.
 Prepare a separate file with author details (affiliated institution, address, ORCID number) and
funder information, if any.
 Write a cover letter.
Step 2. Target a suitable journal
Applied linguistics encompasses a wide range of topics, from SLA to sociolinguistics and
psycholinguistics to corpus linguistics and computer-assisted language learning, to name just a few.
Unsure about which journal to target? You can start by looking at the references in your own paper to
see where they were published. Or you can do a keyword search on an academic search engine such as
Google Scholar to see which journals have published articles on a related topic. Once you have identified

35
some likely possibilities, go to each journal’s website and enter a key word in their search box. This will
bring up a list of articles in that journal that relate to your topic.
Another way is to make a list of journals that deal with your specific area of research. Go to the website
of those journals and examine the statement of the journal’s aims, the topics they cover, and their
targeted audience. Is the intended readership local, regional, or international? Are the articles practical
or theoretical? And what types of submission do they accept (e.g. research articles, review papers, book
reviews)?
A relatively new development: Some publishers have a “journal suggester” tool on their website. The
Taylor & Francis tool, for example, generates a list of potentially suitable journals based on an analysis
of your abstract. https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/choosing-a-
journal/journal-suggester/).
Once you decide on the most suitable journal for your article, consider citing related articles that have
been published in that journal (This will involve a bit more research, but the effort can pay off.)
*****
Tip #1. Journal’s quality: Note the journal’s acceptance rate, its impact value, and the databases where
it is indexed. High-quality journals have a low acceptance rate and a high impact value and are indexed
in the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) or SCOPUS.
Reviewers for such journals typically provide detailed constructive criticism, which can help you
improve your manuscript. Targeting a top-tier journal is not practical if you are in a hurry to have your
article published, however.
Tip #2. Journal’s editorial board: Check the journal’s editorial board members and their areas of
expertise. This can give you an idea of who might be reviewing your manuscript.
Tip #3. Publication frequency: Find out how many issues a journal publishes per year. If your journal
publishes, say, 4 issues per year (versus a journal with only one or two issues per year), your article will
appear in print sooner with journals that publish more often. However, this may not be a concern for
you if the journal assigns a DOI number to accepted manuscripts and makes them available in its “early
view” service.
Tip #4. Journal’s review process: Check the typical review time and the peer-review model.
The typical review time for most journals is 4-8 weeks.
As for procedure, there are different models of review.
 The double-blind review is the most common model in language education and applied
linguistics journals. The reviewer(s) do not know the name(s) of the author(s), and the author(s)
do not know who the reviewers are.

36
 In other cases, the exact opposite may be true, i.e. both parties know the identity of the other.
 In yet other situations, your reviewers will know your name as the author, but their names will
not be revealed to you.
Choose a journal that has a reasonable review time and a review model that you are comfortable with.
Tip #5. Processing fees: Check the journal’s website to see if they charge a processing fee. Avoid
journals that demand a processing fee but do not mention it on their website: it may be a predatory
journal. Publishing in such journals can damage your academic reputation. To determine whether a
journal is predatory is not always easy. We recommend the following articles to guide you on this matter:
 Beall, J. (2017). What I learned from predatory publishers. Biochemia Medica, 27(2), 273-278.
https://doi.org/10.11613/BM.2017.029
 Bowman, D. E. & Wallace, M. B. (2018). Predatory journals: A serious complication in the
scholarly publishing landscape. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 87(1), 273-274.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2017.09.019
 Hunziker, R. (2017). Avoiding predatory publishers in the post-Beall world: Tips for writers
and editors. AMWA Journal, 32(3), 113-115.
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.amwa.org/resource/resmgr/journal/Spotlight/2017v32n3_Avoidi
ngPredatoryP.pdf
 Sorokowski, P., Kulczycki, E., Sorokowska, A. & Katarzyna Pisanski (2017). Predatory
journals recruit fake editor. Nature, 543, 481–483. https://doi.org/10.1038/543481a
Step 3. Format your manuscript to journal-specific guidelines
Once you decide where you want to submit your article, format your manuscript according to the
journal’s guidelines: pay attention to article structure, word count, font, line spacing, margins,
referencing style (APA or their own manual), pagination, and so on. Look for the Instructions for
Authors section on your journal’s website for their requirements. To get a sense of language style, you
should read a few previously published articles—or at least their abstracts.
Submitted manuscripts are initially assessed by a journal’s editor to make sure they match the journal’s
scope and meet the expectations of its readership. If your manuscript doesn’t fit the journal’s profile,
the editor may reject it outright, without even sending it to reviewers.
Some journals conduct a technical check before your article reaches the editor. Technical checks focus
on whether the submission adheres to the journal’s guidelines and language usage. Here is an example
of how to respond if your article fails the technical check:
https://service.elsevier.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/258/supporthub/publishing. If you have not
followed the journal’s guidelines carefully, this too can cause your article to be rejected outright.

37
A recent trend is format-free submission, where there are no strict formatting requirements (see the
Language Awareness journal for an example.
https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=rmla20#for
mat-free-submission)
Step 4. Submit the manuscript
Most journals use an online system for submitting manuscripts. Most require the following:
 A cover letter that explains how your manuscript fits the journal’s profile. For a sample cover
letter, have a look at this publisher-suggested template:
https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/making-your-
submission/writing-a-journal-article-cover-letter/)
 Tables and figures as separate documents (one table or figure per document).
 A biodata statement.
IMPORTANT: Submit your article to only one journal at a time. Submitting to multiple journals is
considered unethical and will damage your professional reputation.
Step 5. Address reviewer comments
As indicated above, most journals complete the review process in 4-8 weeks. If you don’t receive a
decision after a couple of months, it is advisable to write a letter to the journal editor to inquire about
the status of your manuscript.
Most journals send manuscripts to at least two reviewers, who are asked to evaluate a manuscript in
terms of its originality, research design, methodology, analysis and results, discussion and conclusions
– and often its language and style. At the end of the review process, you will get one of the following
decisions:
 Accept: Note that getting an acceptance without a request for revisions is very rare.
 Revise & resubmit: Reviewers sometimes offer suggestions on content and organization and
occasionally point out language issues. Incorporate reviewer suggestions to the extent possible.
You do not have to incorporate every recommendation that reviewers suggest. If you disagree
with any of their recommendations, be prepared to indicate the reasons in the explanatory notes
you send with your resubmission (see the Appendix). You can use the track changes tool in
Microsoft Word to indicate changes you make in your revised manuscript.
 Reject: Return to Step 2, perhaps incorporating reviewer feedback, as needed.

38
Step 6. Resubmit
Submit the revised manuscript through the journal’s submission portal along with the explanatory notes
(see the Appendix) and a response letter to the editor as separate files. The response letter should
summarize the revisions you’ve made on the manuscript.
Appendix: Sample Explanatory Notes
EXPLANATORY NOTES CONCERNING REVISIONS
BASED ON REVIEWER COMMENTS
Manuscript # xxxx
Reviewer 1
A. Our responses to Reviewer 1’s general observations
An extended endnote (#6) has been added to address the reviewer's concern regarding the lack of
variation in the target problem in the sentences. The main point here is that a sentence should make use
of a processing task (this could be a grammaticality judgment task or a sentence plausibility/veracity
task) through a limited stimulus that is challenging enough to be an intruder in the way of temporary
storage of information, which is the primary task to be resolved. In this context, validity refers to proper
storage capacity assessment and not to the evaluation of the individual’s explicit grammatical knowledge
(in the case of the use of grammaticality judgment tasks). Thus, we believe that the use of diverse
morphostructural configurations and their different locations in sentences may be of little relevance from
the standpoint of validity, not to mention the additional cognitive load demands they would place on the
working memory system.
B. Our responses to Reviewer 1’s specific comments
Original paper
Authors’ responses Revised paper
Page Line/ref. Page Line/ref.
2 Abstract
Number of participants and L1 have been added to the abstract.
+ ‘cast a shadow of doubt’  ‘cast doubt’
2 Abstract

39
6 25 The suggestion has been incorporated into the text.
9 11 ‘going’ has been omitted.
12 16 ‘time-taking process’  ‘a process that takes time’ 12 Par. 1
13 52-55
An endnote (#5) has been added to indicate that native speakers
also make use of shallow processing when they do not have to
focus on specific structures. In principle, we agree with this
view and provide references that support it.
14 Par. 1
17
All the example sentences have been numbered and translated
on separate lines.
17-
18
18 34 while  immediately after 18 Par. 2
43 Table 2 Notes have been added to all the tables to explain the labels.
23 43-56 The paragraph has been deleted.
23
The sentence about the role of L1 in L2 processing has been
revised.
24 Par. 1
Reviewer 2
A. Our responses to Reviewer 2’s general observations
1. We have added a section to the literature review (pp. 6-7 in the revised manuscript) that
discusses the interaction between syntax and morphology. We elaborate on the link between
verb raising and AUX and modals in English as well as ERP findings pointing to the
morphology-syntax interface.
2. The reviewer recommends providing test samples in the appendices. It is possible to provide
sample items from the tests used in the study if the editors insist. However, we feel appendices
are not needed for the following reasons:
 The revised manuscript is increased to 50+ pages (from about 40 pp.);
 The proficiency test we used is a standardized test and extensive information about it is
available from the test publisher’s web page;
 More detailed information about the proficiency test is provided in endnote 10 in the revised
version of the paper.

40
B. Our responses to Reviewer 2’s specific comments
Original paper
Authors’ responses
Revised paper
Page Line/ref. Page Line/ref.
5 Par.1
The last sentence of paragraph 2 has been revised to cohere
better.
5 Par 1 & 2
25 Par. 2 Reference to Stanovich has been deleted.
17 30-31
We added an extended endnote to clarify our stand in relation
to this important issue concerning the morphology-syntax
interface. Please see endnote # 12.
6-7
43 Table 2
Basic correlations with reading comprehension have been
added to Table 2.
47 Table 2
42 Table 1
Descriptive information on the reading comprehension test
has been incorporated into Table 1.
46 Table 1
21 51
This point reiterates the comment made on the morphology-
syntax interface which we have dealt with through endnote
#13.

41
In Memory of
İsmail Hakkı Erten
Kenan Dikilitaş
Professor Dr. İsmail Hakkı Erten was a distinguished Turkish scholar who lectured and supervised
students, did research, and mentored colleagues in the field of applied linguistics. He was a professional
academic guide for many who needed support in their early career. I was fortunate to be one of these
who benefited. I learnt many of the basics of research in his courses at master’s level. Motivated by his
enthusiasm in sharing and teaching his knowledge, my curiosity grew as I continued to strengthen my
knowledge of research and academic ethics. He also directed me to a number of academic resources that

42
I may have overlooked without his guidance and suggestions. Visiting his office before his classes and
during my master’s supervision, we had many motivating discussions on ELT topics, which for me was
part of the process of constructing the foundation of field-related knowledge. One of his characteristics
was to appreciate effort and recognize student voices, which made a great difference to many of us. On
several occasions he provided personal guidance about my development as an academic and a researcher
and supported me with letters of recommendation for my overseas job applications. He also showed me
the value of including my own students in academic committees. He invited me to some of his doctoral
vivas and introduced me to his own students. These constituted a truly empowering supervisor-student
relationship and strengthened my academic identity. I also collaborated with him on some publication
projects, editing a book and co-authoring a short article, which increased my awareness on several
academic collaborative issues and in academic writing related strategies. His feedback sessions were
informative, constructive, and interactive, and I found his soft voice an encouragement to express my
own ideas. He welcomed my opinions and built on them in order to help me think further and deeper.
Retrospectively, reflecting on my mutual dialogues and collaboration with Professor Erten, I realize that
he gave me the opportunity to construct my identity as a teacher, teacher educator, academic researcher
and a colleague and supervisor to my own students. This brief note of appreciation is yet another
opportunity for me to reflect on his contribution to my development as a person and an academic in the
field. His untimely death still affects me deeply.

43
Arzu Kanat-Mutluoğlu
Even if I graduated from Hacettepe University and assumed that I knew the atmosphere in the
Department of ELT, the day I started working there as a research assistant was a complete source of
stress. I was doubtful about the process I needed to adapt. I was on the floor of the lecturers’ offices and
looking for a face being familiar with. A professor was approaching me with a huge smile on his face,
which was also new to me, and told me: “Aha… Another early bird. Good morning”. This warm
welcome took all the stress and worries
away. This professor was him, my late
supervisor Prof. Dr. Ismail Hakkı Erten
and I barely saw him without the smile he
had on his face during the days we worked
and studied together.
When I think of him in the months that I
had no chance to consult him about life,
academia, research, and career, I still feel
that he is smiling at me, saying “kızcem”
and he is leading me. Without any doubt,
I would prefer to have his existence beside
me now because he was such an inspiring
person that every researcher would like to
have his support and his leadership. I was
calling him my “academic father”, which
was a title in my life that I would never
hesitate to give him in every life I happen to live. I learned a lot from him not only about teaching but
also about being a warrior in the uneven journey of life. I am pretty sure the second part was much more
valuable for me than the parts I learned about the profession. On a day that could be identified as one of
the worst days in a lifetime, he was the one who confronted us and reassured us: “everything has just
started now”. Surprisingly enough, he behaved as if everything had started on that day of diagnosis. He
rescheduled our meeting times to accompany his supervisees during this period: he was taking chemo
at the hospital and immediately after, he was coming to his office to meet one of his supervisees. How
would you identify such strength of mind? I could not find so many alternatives and called him “the best
warrior and the most supportive person” I have ever met.
After almost two years of his eternity, I feel that we, his academic sons and daughters, are the ones who
were lost indeed. As a researcher in the phase of creeping on the academic path, I wished to have his

44
guidance with me now. I just envy those who had no qualms about reaching their supervisor to ask about
their studies, career plans, and life. However, as Prof. Dr. Erten always mentioned: “This is life. You
cannot control everything.” We could not control this end and so, till the end comes for me, I will do
my best for me to walk on the path he opened for us. Rest in peace, Hocam…
Ufuk Balaman
Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Erten meant the world to me. I met Dr. Erten during the early stages of my PhD
studies. I was insecure with my research capacity after an unsatisfying MA thesis writing process;
concerned with the overall quality of the Turkish ELT academia; and in search for a way out so that I
could keep up with the internationally
established quality standards. Dr. Erten’s
professional attitude and methodological
rigor showed me that there is always hope
when you are surrounded with people who
are among the best in the world, and he was
one such kind. I am still thankful for the
moments of constructive criticism we had
mainly regarding the corruption surrounding
us. He was always the wise mentor next door
telling me to stop trying to fight with
everything and everyone and focus on
producing high quality work instead. It was
thanks to him that I found my way to survive
in Turkish academia and saw that doing your
work at the world level is the best medicine
to the most of the workplace problems. He
was not only a department head but also a true research leader, which is unfortunately a rare
combination. His vision will never cease to shed light on the future of Turkish ELT academia.
I have been teaching postgraduate courses for more than 4 years. The students taking my class would
remember that I always start the semester with a presentation introducing the internationally established
standards indicating high quality scholarship in ELT. I also make one specific promise to the
postgraduate students. Let me tell you the story behind this promise before disclosing the promise itself.
I was struggling with a paper and receiving rejections from various SSCI-indexed journal. One of these
journals was System which hosts one of Dr. Erten’s seminal papers. I submitted my work to System
following his lead and received a ten-page rejection letter. Later that day, I talked to Dr. Erten and he

45
made a promise telling me that he would buy me lunch if I keep trying and manage to get my work
published in an SSCI-indexed journal. I published my first SSCI article in 2017, let him know about the
news of acceptance, and he remembered his word and took me to lunch. I still remember every detail of
the eye-opening conversation we had in a nice Beytepe garden restaurant. Inspired by his encouragement
(lunch is just one symbolic way of doing it) without expecting anything in return, I now make the same
promise to all the postgraduate students taking my classes: “Publish one SSCI article, and I will buy you
a very expensive lunch”. I believe supporting the next generation of researchers without expecting
anything is a defining feature of becoming a good researcher. I hope to pay the lesson Dr. Erten taught
me forward as long as I can.
Seher Balbay
Most of us first encountered Erten Hoca during early morning lectures when he would drop in to say
“Good morning” and then go on to enquire as to how we all were doing. While, at first, it would be fair
to say our answers were less than inspiring, he never gave up. Over time we found ourselves looking
forward to him randomly popping in and enthusiastically lengthening our lectures. As much as we
reveled in the infectious energy of this professor, few of us at the time knew that most of his research
focused on motivation studies. Living proof, if ever there was, that a language teacher can seamlessly
relate theory with practice.
Yet it was only later, as I struggled to embark upon my own particular choice of research, that Erten
Hoca again dropped by and a quarter of an hour later confirmed that while he was not particularly
interested in what I was embarking on, he still thought it was somehow worth supporting. As my thesis
supervisor, he genuinely motivated me. His comments were very much to the point and tactful, given
that he must know what I did not know yet patiently guided me to broaden my research and, equally
important, get it in shape for publication.
Although I was lucky enough to know a role model academician in Erten Hoca, what made me admire
him even more was his humanistic personality. One that made me realize that it was possible to be
understanding and disciplined at the same time. I miss his positive attitude towards life the most and
remember his soothing tone, a medicinal effect throughout my PhD years. So it is that Erten Hoca’s
passion for teaching resonates, particularly with those he inspired to guide a new generation of teachers.
Rest assured Erten Hocam, you remain at the heart of our endeavours.

46
ELT-Turkey is a publication of the Association of English Language
Teacher Educators (AELTE).
This journal and its content is copyright of AELTE.
You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or
commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in
any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.
December-2022

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