An Evaluation of the Websites Used by Turkish EFL Teachers

Abstract

This study was a component of a large-scale Marie S. Curie Grant that aims to revitalize English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ professional development through innovative programs. The objectives of the study were, first, to uncover the descriptive features of the websites that were most commonly used by Turkish EFL teachers, and second, to identify the common features of these websites in terms of their usefulness for teachers’ instructional practices and professional development. To this end, 70 websites that were most commonly used by 847 EFL teachers in Turkey were reviewed based on a set of evaluation criteria developed based on a literature review. The criteria for the descriptive analysis included such variables as availability of membership/subscription, registration, authorship, up-to-datedness, accuracy, presentation, usefulness along with the description of the website and its content. Additionally, content analysis was conducted on the reviews of the selected features of the websites such as the content of the website and its usefulness. The results demonstrated that most of the websites utilized by Turkish EFL teachers were rated as good quality; they served as teaching and learning sources and were used for promoting teachers’ professional development.